The SNES has quite an impressive library of games, first and third party alike, with titles like Super Mario World, Chrono Trigger, and Super Metroid being ranked highly among fan favorites. Some of the console’s top titles also redefined staple Nintendo characters, such as Donkey Kong, who made his debut as a hero in 1994’s Donkey Kong Country, which has been in the spotlight as of late, recently being added to Nintendo Switch Online’s library of classic SNES games.
For quite some time, British video game developer Rare handled the Donkey Kong Country series as well as other Donkey Kong games like Donkey Kong 64 and the Game Boy’s Donkey Kong Land games. Although Rare was purchased by Microsoft back in 2002, the developer worked with Nintendo on quite a lot more, including the Conker and Banjo-Kazooie series. And while Donkey Kong Country is nearly 30 years old now, new details on the classic Nintendo game’s development have been revealed.
Over on YouTube, DK Creations Ltd. uploaded a video featuring former Rare artist Kev Bayliss. In the 8-minute long video, Bayliss details his task of essentially recreating Shigeru Miyamoto’s iconic Donkey Kong character for Donkey Kong Country, and also shows off early concept art of Donkey Kong, some enemies, and the game’s signature animal buddies. And although Bayliss notes that these sketches are “nothing glamorous,” they provide incredible insight into the development of the fan-favorite game, as well as the Donkey Kong character as fans know him today.
In the video, Bayliss notes Donkey Kong Country‘s feat of being one of the first home-console video games to feature pre-rendered graphics. Most of the sketches shown off by Bayliss are very simple, showing a different-looking Winky, a concept art sheet for Rambi who was originally named “Rhidocerus” by Bayliss himself, and an early version of Expresso without the character’s signature tennis shoes. Bayliss also shows off the references that Rare was given by Nintendo to both help design Diddy Kong as well as transform Donkey Kong’s design from a villain to the protagonist of a new platformer.
In the video, Bayliss also shows off a more boxy design for Donkey Kong, gives viewers a glimpse of a more “Battletoads-esque” DK design, and shows early sketches for the game’s snake-like Slippa enemies as well as more soldierly looking Kremling designs. Bayliss leaves viewers with a word of encouragement, saying to always keep drawing, and that when it comes to character designs, it’s more about the ideas than it is about the skill when drawing new characters.
Although developer Retro Studios revived the Donkey Kong Country series back in 2010, the series hasn’t had a new entry since 2014’s Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. However, 2021 marks the 40th anniversary of Donkey Kong, so perhaps Nintendo has something in store for fans of the famous gorilla this year.
Donkey Kong Country is available now exclusively for the Switch through Nintendo Switch Online.
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