Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Recompilation

About

DKC3Recomp is a native recompilation of Donkey Kong Country 3 (SNES, USA, En/Fr) in which the game's code is statically recompiled to C by snesrecomp, with a 65816 interpreter handling anything the analysis cannot prove. It presents the game natively on macOS and Windows. Its status is bring-up, with full-game compatibility not yet claimed.

How it differs from the original

It presents levels in widescreen at 16:10, 16:9 and a selectable 21:9 ultrawide mode, with terrain reconstruction driven by the game's own level map, verified on Lakeside Limbo. Optional MSU-1 replacement music is supported on macOS, and the SDL host gives a short controller rumble when a descending jump defeats an enemy.

Getting started

You must supply your own DKC3 ROM, the headerless North American (En,Fr) 4 MiB release; no ROM data or extracted assets are in the repository. On macOS, download the Apple silicon release zip, open the app and select your ROM in the launcher; it requires macOS 26 or newer and is ad-hoc signed, so Gatekeeper may need a Control-click Open. On Windows, build with Visual Studio 2022 and CMake and select your ROM in the launcher.

Known issues & limitations

• The project is still in bring-up, and full-game compatibility is not yet claimed.
• Windows full-game completion and hardware/controller coverage are not claimed.

What you need to run it

Features

• On macOS, players can optionally use replacement music from a PCM folder or .msu1 archive while retaining the game's original sound effects.
• The SDL host can give the active player's controller a short rumble when a descending jump defeats an enemy and rebounds.
• The game window has Game and View menus for pause/settings, quick save/load, fullscreen, scaling, and aspect ratios.

How to install

1. Download the macOS v0.0.4 archive from Releases, extract it, open the app, and select your own legally obtained North American ROM in the launcher.
2. If Gatekeeper blocks the first launch, Control-click the app in Finder, choose Open, and confirm once.

Controls

• Use the Game and View menus for pause/settings, quick save/load, fullscreen, scaling, and aspect-ratio selection.
• On macOS, use Music > Choose MSU-1 Music Pack to select a pack, or Music > Disable Replacement Music to restore the stock soundtrack; restart after changing the selection.

Additional notes

Disassembly

Bank configuration is derived from the H4v0c21 DKC3 disassembly, which is GPL-3 and not redistributed in the repository.

FAQ

What is Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Recompilation?

Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Recompilation is an open-source recompilation of Donkey Kong Country 3. The original game's compiled code translated into a native program for a new platform, usually a PC port. The original game ran on SNES.

Do I need the original game files to run Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble! Recompilation?

Yes. The project does not include the original game's assets, so you need your own copy.