Classic Donkey Kong Look: A Peek at Donkey Kong Bananza with the Retro Design

Alright, so let me get this out there—who knew Donkey Kong could cause such a racket, right? With the Switch 2 game coming in hot, our friendly gorilla gets a makeover in Donkey Kong Bananza, and honestly, the internet’s having a field day. And—oh man—I stumbled across this artist, Felipe Valdés (a name that rolls off the tongue, doesn’t it?), who’s basically on a mission to roll back the clock on DK’s new look. He’s thinking, “Hey, what if Nintendo just kept it old-school?” I mean, those faces. He really went for it.

Okay, wait a sec. Felipe, bless his sense of nostalgia, kicked off this whole thing—late April, was it?—by sharing his revamped designs. You know, the ones that make DK look a tad less cartoony, more like his Rare era-self. Kind of a throwback to the tough-as-nails version from Donkey Kong Country. Seriously, those edits? Shrinking that massive mouth and sharpening those brows. They’ve got this no-nonsense vibe. But maybe I’m just an old-timer who isn’t into change. Scratch that, I definitely am.

So, here’s the funny bit (or maybe it’s not even funny, just intriguing): Bananza’s DK is kinda goofy, right? Full of ape hijinks. Yet, Felipe’s creation—it’s like an old-school bouncer at your childhood arcade. Makes me wanna dig out my old console, but I digress. I mean, don’t you think there’s something lovable about that extra ape-like silliness Nintendo’s throwing in? Even if it’s making some folks jumpy? Guilty as charged here.

Now, let’s ground ourselves, at least a little. These images? Freeze-frames, plain and simple. Eye candy, yes, but still just images. So you gotta wonder, like, did Rare’s design really clash with the Bananza art style? Hats off to Felipe, seriously, but we shouldn’t just rush into a “Nintendo, hire this guy!” frenzy over a few neat pics. I get the feeling game development’s this epic journey—like climbing a mountain barefoot, or maybe that’s just me. Bananza might not give everyone the same warm fuzzies as the OG DK, but it still has some serious game stash!