In Donkey Kong Land 2, Donkey Kong has been captured by the evil Kaptain K. Rool, leaving it up to Diddy and Dixie Kong to save the day in this side-scrolling adventure. Fortunately, they will have plenty of help along the way from their friends.

Like the original Donkey Kong Land, all the graphics in this game are pre-rendered three dimensional models. The gameplay is also similar, with platform jumping and banana collecting remaining a core part of the game experience.