It looks like we got our first glimpse of Mario Kart 9 during the Switch 2 announcement, and one thing you might have noticed is the similar but slightly different character designs.
Perhaps the highlight is Donkey Kong's new look, which has been labeled a redesign. It's been a while a talking point within the DK and Super Mario fandomsand now we've actually got an answer from the artist behind DK's modern (and arguably most recognizable) look – former Rare and Donkey Kong Country veteran Kevin Bayliss.
He says “everything changes” and “change is good” in response to a fan video per YouTube channel 'LUIZ do Comercial' suggesting that Nintendo took Rare's design from Kong and went back to DK's earlier look.
Kevin Bayliss: “You can take the KONG out of the country, but you can't take the country out of the Congo! (I like it – this is really funny! – Everything changes! – Change is good!)”
We ran a poll on Nintendo Life last week about DK's redesign, and nearly half of respondents seemed happy with his new look on Switch 2. Aside from Kevin's version, as the trailer above states, DK was originally created by Shigeru Miyamoto, with Shigehisa Nakau also included over the years.
The reveal of the DK redesign actually follows last week's release of Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, a game originally published by the team behind the Metroid Prime series, Retro Studios.
