Donkey Kong’s Old Look Isn’t Dead Quite Yet

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In 2023, Nintendo unveiled a lively and emotive version of Donkey Kong in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, which was a departure from the character as portrayed by Rare over nearly three decades. This year, this revamped Donkey Kong has been showcased not just in Mario Kart World, but also in a fresh adventure titled Donkey Kong Bananza. However, it’s important to note that the classic appearance of Donkey Kong isn’t being permanently retired.

In Instagram, Nintendo of America recently posted a third image showing Shigeru Miyamoto with a Rare-designed Donkey Kong at Super Nintendo World in Universal Orlando. This newly opened theme park would typically have an updated Donkey Kong costume, given its freshness. However, the costume doesn’t reflect the character’s latest design.

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One possible explanation for the vintage appearance could be that Super Nintendo World includes a Donkey Kong Country area. Donkey Kong Country is an iconic 1994 SNES game developed by Rare, and it seems fitting that a theme park inspired by such a world would showcase the same version of Donkey Kong. Additionally, Nintendo recently re-released Donkey Kong Country Returns HD this year for the Switch.

It’s worth noting that earlier this week, Miyamoto discussed the development of Donkey Kong with IGN. He said, “Looking back at the original design by Rare, we reassessed it; how can we make it more expressive? For the movie, we chose to proceed with a contemporary version of Donkey Kong.

You can encounter the classic Donkey Kong character in real life at Super Nintendo World within Universal Orlando. On the other hand, a fresh version of Donkey Kong will debut in Mario Kart World upon its launch on June 5, along with the Switch 2. Subsequently, Donkey Kong Bananza is slated for release on July 17.

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2025-05-22 19:39