Summary
- Nintendo redesigned Donkey Kong for increased expressiveness, leading to a new look for upcoming games.
- Shigeru Miyamoto is actively involved in character creation and supports the changes made to Donkey Kong.
- The redesign sparked debate among fans, with some defending the new look as an improvement on the character's future.
Nintendo's legendary developer, Shigeru Miyamoto, reveals the one big reason that the company decided to redesign the iconic character, Donkey Kong. The iconic character has been a Nintendo staple for decades now, first being an antagonist for Mario, before eventually changing sides as a hero, kart racer, sports enthusiast, and many more roles.
There's been a renewed focus on the big ape as of late, with the character set to star in a brand-new Switch 2 game. Fans also noticed that Donkey Kong's design has undergone another change following his tease in Mario Kart World, resembling his look from the recent Super Mario Bros animated movie. That redesign is also present in Donkey Kong Bananza, as fans noticed how expressive the character's facial animations and body language have become, though according to Nintendo, that's very much on purpose.
Nintendo Has Updated Diddy Kong's Model
Diddy Kong gets a redesign from Nintendo for the Switch 2, just a few months after Donkey Kong's makeover reveal for Mario Kart World.
In a recent interview to promote the launch of Universal's Epic Universe theme park, including the Donkey Kong Country expansion, Shigeru Miyamoto was specifically asked about the character's redesign. Miyamoto admitted that he still takes an active role at Nintendo regarding character creation and working with them. While Donkey Kong Country's take on the character was a collaboration with Rare, the company first started making changes to the character with Jungle Beat in an effort to make the character appear to be more expressive.
Donkey Kong's Redesign was All About Expression
That reevaluation process has continued recently as Nintendo looked for even more ways to take that original Rare design even further by allowing Donkey Kong to be even more expressive. The result of that effort was what fans saw in the Super Mario Bros animated movie, and it has continued into the likes of upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games, Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza.
There's no denying that Donkey Kong is extremely expressive inside the upcoming Switch 2 game, as trailers and gameplay from the Nintendo Treehouse event have shown. However, the character's redesign hasn't escaped debate and backlash from some fans. Even still, it hasn't stopped people from defending the new look, including Donkey Kong Country artist Kevin Bayliss, who shared his thoughts by saying it's still DK, only better looking. Bayliss argues that all good things continue to improve with time and 20 years from now, the character will likely see additional changes.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- July 17, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
The big guy is back! Donkey Kong swings onto the Nintendo Switch 2 system with a brand-new action adventure.
Help Donkey Kong make his way through the depths of the Underground World. The deeper he goes, the more amazing places he finds! There's no shortage of things DK can pulverize with his powerful punches. Break on through this truly destructive adventure.
Behold the golden bananas! The mysterious group, known
as VoidCo, has its eyes on this
prized bunch. But no one messes with DK's favourite food!
Golden bananas? The whole island was buzzing about the discovery of this tasty treasure. But then, distaster struck! During the chaos, VoidCo stole every breathtaking bunch of bananas. Now Donkey Kong must venture deep underground to get them back!
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- July 17, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
