With all the buzz surrounding Donkey Kong’s revamped appearance in Donkey Kong Bananza, an artist decided to take matters into their own hands and imagine what the iconic character might have looked like in the upcoming Switch 2 game if Nintendo had kept to his previous design.
“I’m not a fan of how DK is depicted in Bananza, so I tweaked some of his more unusual expressions to better align with Rare’s original design,” shared Felipe Valdés in a post on X dated April 20, while inviting others to share their thoughts.
The modifications focus on reducing Donkey Kong’s oversized mouth and giving his soft brows a firmer look.
In Bananza, Donkey Kong comes across as a lively goofball. In contrast, Valdés’ reimagined version, drawing inspiration from games like Donkey Kong Country, gives him a tougher, more retro vibe. As someone set in my ways, I naturally lean towards the latter, though I do admire Nintendo’s efforts to inject some playful, ape-like antics into his Bananza animations.
It’s important to remember these are just static images. Although they’re appealing, Donkey Kong’s classic Rare design might not mesh well with the artistic style Nintendo aims to achieve in Bananza. While I’m impressed by Valdés’ work and the dedication behind this creative endeavor, we shouldn’t jump to saying “Nintendo, hire this man” just based on these edits. Creating a video game involves a complex and detailed process. Many of us might favor Donkey Kong’s nostalgic look, but we should also respect the hard work of Bananza’s development team. The game still looks fantastic.
