Donkey Kong: Tropical Freeze - All Puzzle Pieces, Secret Exits & Kong Letters

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Take a deep dive into the mysterious deep — we’re hunting down treasure in World 4 of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Breeze. These levels are all about the ocean. You’ll be spending a lot of time underwater, so pay close attention to your oxygen gauge in the lower-left corner while hunting down puzzle pieces or KONG letters. The extra levels in this world are especially cool (aren’t they all?) so you’ll absolutely want to grab all the letters you can find.

The puzzle pieces are usually the trickiest collectible, next to the Secret Exits. This time around, you’ll have two exits in two separate levels, just as it should be — you’ll also need very specific friends to help. Dixie will be able to beat strong currents with her spinning swim, while Kranky’s cane can help DK bounce off even the spikiest urchins.

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More Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze guides on Gameranx:

All Puzzle Pieces, Secret Exits & Kong Letters | World 4: Sea Breeze Cove

There are four K-O-N-G letters in each stage, and a variable number of puzzle pieces. Finding all the KONG letters will unlock bonus stages in the world.

Puzzle pieces unlock additional concept art in the “Extras” menu. Puzzle pieces are often in secret areas, rewarded for completing bonus areas, or given when collecting certain bunches of bananas.

Secret Exits are special exits to levels that take you to new, completely unique levels. If you’re missing a level in the world, it’s because you need to find a secret exit.

4-1: Deep Keep

Puzzle Piece #1: In the first dip into the ocean, swim right until you find an island with a treasure chest. Open the chest and grab all the bananas before time runs out.
K Letter: Beneath the treasure island. Swim down until you see the letter, circled by two fish enemies.
Puzzle Piece #2: In the area where you’ll need to activate the sunken machine, swim up into the upper-right corner. There’s a boarded-over alcove up there.
O Letter: Past the checkpoint, the O turns with one of the spinning sawblades in your path.
Puzzle Piece #3: Right past the O, there’s a mini-game door you can swim into to bust open, next to the larger sawblade.
Puzzle Piece #4: Break through the ruined walls, then break through the ruined floor beneath those walls to find a secret area.
Puzzle Piece #5: Eventually you’ll reach a strange machine between two spinning sawblades — hit all three lights to deactivate it, then backtrack into the previous tunnel with the strong currents. There’s a new area opened up that leads to a puzzle piece.
Secret Exit: The secret exit is located in this area. After getting the puzzle piece, use Dixie Kong’s extra boost to fight the current and reach the exit.
N Letter: Past the retractable spikes, you’ll find this letter between four fish enemies. Plow right through them.
Puzzle Piece #6: In the giant chamber filled with spinning sawblades, swim to the bottom and break through the ruins floor. Down below, grab all the bananas to make the piece appear.
G Letter: In the turbine section where you’re pushed by a super-strong current, try to stay near the top-ish section of the tunnel. The G Letter is about midway through.
Puzzle Piece #7: One final mini-game is hidden under the level exit. Bash through the floor to access it.

4-2: High Tide Ride

Puzzle Piece #1: Jump to the cannon barrel located directly underneath the first platform in the level. Hop to the second to be able to reach this barrel — it’ll send you into a mini-game challenge.
K Letter: On the minecart path, when you see an upper track path, take it! Jump from up here to get the letter.
Puzzle Piece #2: After dodging the sharks, stay on the lower track long enough to grab this piece, then you can jump up to the higher track.
Puzzle Piece #3: When the track splits into three sections, grab all the bananas! When you reach the track held up by water, the puzzle piece will appear.
O Letter: Right after the previous piece, you’ll jump over blue owls and reach a section with only two tracks — jump to the background track immediately to grab this letter.
Puzzle Piece #4: When you reach the dangerous section with two tracks and wooden walls that swap sides, collect all the bananas to make a puzzle piece appear at the end.
Puzzle Piece #5: At the section with tracks that appear from water spouts, you’ll eventually see a large stone blocking your way. Don’t jump to the background track! Instead, just keep barreling forward — wait and the stone will drop, allowing you to get the last puzzle piece.
N Letter: Hard to miss. This one appears after a series of cannon barrels. When you land on the tracks, it will spawn over two burning-blue birds.
G Letter: When you land in the area with five sets of tracks, stick to the left-ish side while dodging the barriers.

4-3: Amiss Abyss

K Letter: At the start of the level, look near the ceiling before reaching the wooden barrier you’ll need to smash through. It’s hard to see, but the letter is up there in the dark.
Puzzle Piece #1: After passing through a room filled with sharp puffer fish, look in the upper-right corner for a hidden area. Grab all the bananas here to make a piece appear.
Puzzle Piece #2: Reaching the sunken ship, you’ll be able to see the hidden mini-game door pretty easily in the vertical shaft. Grab an enemy and break through the wall to open the way.
O Letter: In the sunken ship. Use the bouncy pad to reach it before diving back into the water.
Puzzle Piece #3: Back underwater, you’ll find a big rock covered in spikes with jellyfish swimming counterclockwise around in. Check the upper-right corner of the rock to find a hidden piece.
Puzzle Piece #4: At the second gate, grab all the bananas in the center of the jellyfish swimming in a circle.
N Letter: The letter just next to the same jellyfish circle. Look in the upper-right corner.
Puzzle Piece #5: Above the third gate switch, grab all the bananas in the little air pocket at the top.
Puzzle Piece #6: Right beside the third checkpoint, grab an enemy and backtrack to the hanging bag. After breaking it open, collect the bananas before they disappear.
Puzzle Piece #7: Back in the water, swim left and jump up into the dark dead-end corner. There’s a puzzle piece you can spot if you look hard enough.
Puzzle Piece #8: In the area where you’ll follow the schools of fish to get through the circular devices covered in deadly obstacles, swim around to the bottom of the second device. Swim inside and grab all the bananas.
G Letter: Beside a pufferfish, right near the end of the level in the section with the slowly closing floor / ceiling.
Puzzle Piece #9: Bust through the wall to the right of the level exit to find one more mini-game.

4-4: Irate Eight

Puzzle Piece #1: The first mini-game door is right above the start of the level. Climb the first vine and jump right.
Puzzle Piece #2: In the narrow path covered with bombs, set them off then push up the large block above — it will move and reveal a hidden alcove. Grab all the bananas to summon the puzzle piece.
K Letter: Straight ahead, between two spinning mines.
Puzzle Piece #3: During the giant octopus chase sequence, you’ll have to break through a chain wall. Not far above that, look to the right side for a hidden chamber entrance.
O Letter: After escaping the octopus, you’ll be launched into a cannon barrel that slowly rises up toward a mine. Launch right before hitting the mine to properly align yourself with the “O” letter.
Puzzle Piece #4: The entrance to a mini-game room is to the right of the tentacle that pops out of the background and then moves in a circular pattern — it’s the third tentacle when the octopus starts to attack through the walls.
N Letter: Floating between four pufferfish, swimming in a circle around the letter.
G Letter: In the second octopus escape, stick close to the first coiled tentacle and check the right corner.
Puzzle Piece #5: Further up in the second octopus escape, you’ll reach an area where there are three tentacles coming from the right wall that jab left. Swim up and then into the rocky area right above the third tentacle. There’s a hidden spot with the last piece.

4-5: Sea Stack Attack

K Letter: Easy! Just on a small platform (that will crumble) between two burning owls and the climbable grass ceiling.
Puzzle Piece #1: At the end of the climbable grass ceiling, jump into the alcove above to find a hidden mini-game door.
Puzzle Piece #2: Pull the plug on the platform with the second spiked paddle that swings left / right.
O Letter: To the right of the crumbling platform with the third spiked paddle. Ride the crumbling platform down to roll / jump and grab it.
Puzzle Piece #3: Straight ahead, there’s a hanging wooden platform with a crate on top. Keep going until you find a watermelon bomb. Use that to blow up the crate.
N Letter: Easy! Right in your path when you’re jumping across the sea stack crumbling platforms.
Puzzle Piece #4: When you jump into the barrel cannons built onto spinning gears, grab all the Banana coins in the center to make a puzzle piece spawn.
Puzzle Piece #5: When you reach the indoors, jump over the spiked paddle and look up / left from the fishy penguin archer. There’s a suspicious platform up there that leads to a mini-game door.
G Letter: The last letter is on the paddle above two crumbling platforms. Jump onto the first (left) and wait for the paddle to stop over the right one. Then you can jump over and grab the G while it is exposed.
Puzzle Piece #6: Right after that, grab a bomb (from the penguin throwing them from the background) and blast the crates up ahead.
Puzzle Piece #7: The last piece is above the level exit. Destroy the right side to reveal it.

4-6: Current Capers

Puzzle Piece #1: Grab all the bananas on the way down into the water to make this piece appear.
Puzzle Piece #2: After starting up the giant turbine with the second switch, collect all the banana coin bubbles to make this piece appear in the center.
K Letter: After leaving the room with three gear switches, find this letter coin above one of the electricity tendrils ahead.
Puzzle Piece #3: On the dock with the pig checkpoint, jump to the high ledge to the left of the ship and open the treasure chest.
Puzzle Piece #4: In the area with the turbines and the currents moving spiked balls in the water, swim into the bottom of the second rectangle turbine engine.
O Letter: Sitting in an alcove, in the left wall of the third turbine.
Puzzle Piece #5: In the field of electric tendrils, look at the ceiling (above a diving helmet) to find an easy mini-game entrance.
N Letter: Plainly visible between two electric tendrils, just a little right of the mini-game door.
G Letter: Near the floor, when you’re almost at the exit from the dangerous path filled with spiked gears.

4-A: Rockin’ Relics

Puzzle Piece #1: Drop through a trapdoor to enter a mini-game, located between two urchins on bounce pads.
K Letter: When you reach the platforms that bounce up, dive into the water and look underneath one to find a K.
Puzzle Piece #2: In the room with the tube that sucks in and blows out with a current, collect all the bananas to make the puzzle piece appear.
Puzzle Piece #3: In the wrecked ship (out of the water) that bounces, grab all the bananas again.
O Letter: On the platforms with the series of bouncing urchins you’ll have to sprint under, there’s an O Letter at the end of the line.
Puzzle Piece #4: Swim beneath the O Letter to find a hidden path. Grab all the bananas down below.
Puzzle Piece #5: After navigating the trial of urchins, you’ll reach a wooden dock with a vine to the right. Drop into the water below, then check the tall seaweeds to find a barrel cannon that launches DK into a mini-game.
Puzzle Piece #6: In another room with a tube that sucks in / blows out, collect all the banana bundles.
N Letter: Around the middle blue-burning owl on the wrecked ship that bounces. Wait for a bounce to flung yourself up and reach it.
Puzzle Piece #7: On the platforms the tilt diagonally, grab all the bananas.
Secret Exit: Use Kranky Kong to jump off one of the bouncing urchins so you can reach the swinging vine next to the secret exit.
Puzzle Piece #8: After passing under the secret exit, you’ll see a cannon barrel. Drop into the water instead of the barrel and clear the seaweed to find this puzzle piece.
G Letter: Impossible to miss. Just launch DK at the right time during the last cannon barrel sequence.
Puzzle Piece #9: When you’re faced with the level exit, purposefully miss the target so you land in the opposite cannon barrel.

4-B: Shoal Atoll

K Letter: Right at the start. Bop off an enemy to grab it!
Puzzle Piece #1: Sprint across the bridge and jump to the ledge on the right before it falls too far. Dixie will help make this jump easier.
O Letter: At the first fork, go through the upper tunnel.
Puzzle Piece #2: From the O Letter, go up to the key room. In the upper-left corner of the key room, you’ll find a mini-game door.
Puzzle Piece #3: Open the chest in the lower-left corner of the room with the yellow treasure chest.
N Letter: Floating below the green chest, in the center of a circle of bananas.
Puzzle Piece #4: Collect all the bananas floating above the blue chest.
G Letter: In the last tunnel before the exit. Enter the vault door and stay in the center to grab this letter.
Puzzle Piece #5: Open the bottom-right chest in the level exit room.

4-K: Spinning Spines

Puzzle Piece #1: Crack open the purple vase guarded by a big heavy armored walrus.
Puzzle Piece #2: After the cannon barrels, bounce off the bee before climbing up the spinning cylinders.
Puzzle Piece #3: In the lava area, stick around the first cylinder until it lowers enough to reveal a puzzle piece in the upper-left corner.
Puzzle Piece #4: Above the last of the three owls you have to bop over to cross the lava.
Puzzle Piece #5: When the lava starts rising up fast, get to the second cannon and aim left.