Donkey Kong Country Artist Addresses New Design Controversy

Summary

Donkey Kong Country artist Kevin Bayliss defends the character’s new Donkey Kong Bananza look, stating it’s still DK, only better looking.
Bayliss encourages fans to embrace change.
Donkey Kong Bananza will launch for the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17.

Kevin Bayliss, the artist behind Kong’s redesign in Donkey Kong Country, has defended the character’s new look in the recently announced Donkey Kong Bananza. Bayliss’ work on Donkey Kong Country marked the franchise’s first major redesign, arriving 13 years after the original game’s release. Now, 31 years later, Kong has been reimagined once again in Donkey Kong Bananza, a change that has garnered Bayliss’ support despite sparking controversies within the community.

Donkey Kong’s design has evolved throughout Nintendo’s history, even making its way to the silver screen with a fresh look in The Super Mario Bros. Movie. However, his latest appearance in Donkey Kong Bananza, one of the first-party titles coming to the Switch 2, has sparked backlash among some fans. A group of players have already expressed nostalgia for Rare’s classic design, which has seemingly prompted one of the company’s well-known artists to step in and defend the developers behind the upcoming iteration.

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In a recent tweet, Kevin Bayliss shared his thoughts on Donkey Kong’s revamped design in Bananza, defending the new look by stating, “It’s still DK, only better looking.” He argued that all good things improve with time, citing his 40 years of industry experience to support his point. Bayliss also encouraged fans to embrace change, reminding them that 20 years from now, Donkey Kong will likely undergo another “nip and tuck” to stay fresh and modern.

Kevin Bayliss Defends Kong’s New Character Design

Continuing his Twitter thread, Bayliss praised the new Donkey Kong as a perfect evolution while emphasizing the importance of respecting older designs. “Evolution, while being sympathetic to the original, is an art, but it has to be done gradually, and this latest incarnation is perfect, in my opinion,” he wrote. Under his tweet, many fans have expressed support, with some agreeing that a redesign was necessary for Donkey Kong and that this new version will ultimately win fans over.

One of the positive remarks fans have made about Donkey Kong’s new look is how “expressive” he appears in Bananza. Replying to a comment highlighting this, Bayliss jokingly credited it to the fact that DK has been created by real artists, possibly taking a jab at AI-generated art in AAA games like Call of Duty.

Fans looking to embrace the new Donkey Kong won’t have to wait long, as Bananza is set to launch on July 17, a month after the Switch 2’s global release. Along with DK’s refreshed look, Donkey Kong Bananza will introduce a variety of new features, gameplay mechanics, and original characters that could potentially become franchise backbones.