While some vocal fans may not like the facelift that Donkey Kong got for Donkey Kong Bananza, one artist who worked on the character before is all for it. This upcoming Switch 2 game brings everyone's favorite barrel-smashing gorilla back to screens, but its title protagonist has a new character design that sticks out, creating debate among Nintendo fans.
Former Rare artist Kevin Bayliss (now at Yooka-Laylee studio Playtonic), who is credited for redesigning the character for Donkey Kong Country, chimed in on X (via VGC) in support of the redesign. Bayliss stated, "It's still DK, only better looking," and that observers should "embrace change more." He ended his positive endorsement saying: "All good things get better with age" and "Everyone give a big warm welcome for the new DK!"
This is not the first time that Donkey Kong has received a makeover. The ape as we know him now is barely recognizable compared to his first appearance in the 1981 arcade game Donkey Kong. Back then, he was just a pixelated primate. Jump to the Game Boy version of Donkey Kong, and the ape gained more personality in his design with facial features akin to his face...
