Players take control of Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong, with many traditional elements of the Donkey Kong Country series returning, including mine cart levels, swinging from vine to vine, collecting bananas, and the golden "KONG" letters. There are also levels with the characters and foreground environments appearing as silhouettes, spawning several new gameplay mechanics.
In single player, players can only play as Donkey Kong, although Donkey Kong can use Diddy's jetpack to extend his jumps. Multiplayer mode enables a second player to simultaneously control Diddy Kong. If one player dies in two player mode, he can be brought back by hitting a DK Barrel that floats into view, similar to New Super Mario Bros. Wii. To avoid problems arising from differences in player skills, Diddy can hop on Donkey's back to take on a more passive role, while his jetpack can be used to make some of his partner's jumps easier. Donkey can pound the ground to defeat enemies and unveil secret items, as can Diddy.
The game has two control schemes, with the standard system using the Wii Remote in conjunction with the Nunchuk, as well as a more classical approach employing the Wii Remote held sideways, both of which use motion controls for the ground pound move.
In addition to common series elements like secrets and unlockables, there is also a time attack mode. Two animal buddies, Rambi and Squawks, appear in the game. The game also utilizes the Super Guide feature that has appeared in New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2. If the player loses eight lives in a single level, they will be given the option to allow Super Kong to take over and complete the level for them. However, the player does not receive any collectibles Super Kong obtains.