By “All things transform!”
It seems we have had our initial glimpse into the mythology of Mario Kart 9 through the Switch 2 reveal trailer, and one detail you might have observed is the familiar yet slightly altered character designs.
The standout feature may be Donkey Kong’s new appearance, which has been referred to as a “redesign” by some. It has sparked quite a topic of conversation within the DK and Super Mario communities, and now we have genuinely received feedback from the artist responsible for DK’s recent (and arguably most famous) look – the one from the Rare era and Donkey Kong Country classic, Kevin Bayliss.
He mentions “everything transforms” and “transformation is positive” according to a fan video from YouTube channel ‘LUIZ enact Comercial’, suggesting that Nintendo has embraced Rare’s design influences and returned to DK’s earlier appearances.
Kevin Bayliss: “You can remove the KONG from the Country, but you cannot remove the Country from the Kong! (I find it hilarious – this is truly amusing! – All things transform! – Transformation is beneficial!)”
Last week, we conducted a survey on Nintendo Life regarding DK’s redesign, and almost half of the participants expressed satisfaction with his new look on the Switch 2. Additionally, according to Kevin’s insight, as referenced in the trailer above, DK was originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto, with Shigehisa Nakaue also contributing over the years.
DK’s redesign comes just after the release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD last week, which was a title originally developed by the team behind the Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios.
How are you feeling about DK’s redesign a week later? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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Liam is a content creator and reviewer for Nintendo Life and Pure Xbox. He is