Ever since the Nintendo Switch 2 launch trailer appeared back in January showing gameplay from the upcoming Mario Kart World, fans have been debating one detail in particular: the new character design of longstanding favourite Donkey Kong.
Cuter and goofier than ever, the new Donkey Kong design is a far cry from what we've become used to since the character first went 3D. And some fans are really not happy.
There have been A LOT of debates over DK’s new design compared to his old design A lot of opinions have been floating around so I wanna analyze this from the perspective of a DK fanHighlighting differences between the 2 Designs and what I believe is wrong with the new design pic.twitter.com/4TiIBItjhlApril 13, 2025
In a thread on X that already has close to a million views and over 200 comments, the artist Kemmo Ado provides a detailed breakdown of Rare's developer Kevin Bayliss's Donkey Kong design from 1994 and compares it to the new look.
Kemmo outlines the typical shapes used to convey different traits in character design: round characters are cute and friendly, like Kirby, square characters are strong and reliable, like Wreck it Ralph and triangular characters are sharp, cool, dangerous, like Sonic or Bowser. Rare's Donkey Kong combined these to add complexity to the character.
His body is strong like a square, and his hair, eye shadow and smile have a triangular edge, but he still has a certain roundness to him. Compare that to the new Donkey Kong (see Nintendo's Donkey Kong Bananza trailer below).
What fans complain about is that the Donkey Kong redesign goes heavy on the roundness at the expense of the edge. The result is that it strips the nuance from the character's personality, making him feel blander and more generic.
It's true that while good design often simplifies and makes things immediate and easy to interpret, that approach can also be reductive, especially when it comes to character design. Characters can be complex and multi-faceted – yes, even a video game gorilla. Only Dizzy the egg should truly have a single shape.
To be honest, I kind of agree with these arguments against the new Donkey Kong design. But I still love it. Why? Pure nostalgia I guess. I feel like the new design rekindles the simplicity of the 1980s arcade games I remember. Sure, he's less subtle – less cool and confident perhaps – but I always remember him as a goofy gorilla.
But this is because I'm a sentimental old man who remembers the arcade game. I have to admit that in terms of pure character design, the critiques of the new design are valid.
Donkey Kong Bananza will be released on 17 July. Mario Kart World will be released on 5 June alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 console. See our piece on Nintendo Switch 2 preorders.
In the meantime, check out the divisive leaked Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered's art, one developer's Titanfall x The Finals game and the Black Mirror Thronglets game.
