- can bounce on his cane
- also has a long-ranged attack that involves dentures
- use his cane to swipe away enemies
- moves around just as well as other characters

The following comments and info come from project development Todd Buechele...

"He's been in the series since the very beginning. We've alluded with the way he interacts with DK: 'I'm the best. You youngsters don't know how to do things.' We thought the natural progression was to go ahead and get him in there. He is a fan favorite. When we started to actually create him, it just took on a life of its own. I don't want to say [Cranky Kong] ups the difficulty, but it does make it feel like more of a traditional Donkey Kong Country game."

- levels are "balanced" for players to get through with any buddy
- certain buddies will allow players to open up new path
- one example includes a puzzle piece that only Cranky can reach by bouncing on spikes