Donkey Kong Country has long been considered one of the best looking games on the Super Nintendo, and some of it can be attributed to the designs of former rare artist Kev Bayliss. In a new YouTube video, Bayliss revealed some early sketches for the game, including designs for Donkey Kong, Winky, the Kremlings and more. It’s a fascinating look back at the design process, and it should be as interesting as those who played the game when it came out in 1994, and those who only discovered it last year when it came out on Nintendo Switch!
The video can be found below.
Bayliss’ designs are a bit “cartoonier” than the versions that ended up in the last game, but they still have the same feel. It’s easy to see how these sketches evolved into the designs that made it into the final game. While the majority of the characters who are in Donkey Kong Country were completely original, Rare had to put in a significant effort to modernize Donkey Kong from the version that initially appeared in arcades alongside his former nemesis Mario.
Rare’s approach to Donkey Kong was clearly very successful. Not only did this version of DK appear in a trio of SNES games, the character’s redesign also started appearing in Mario family games like Mario Kart 64 and Mario party. Despite this close association with Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot, DK is notably absent from Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World attraction. However, a data miner was able to discover stamps and materials related to the character in the Super Nintendo World app. These materials include Rare’s take on DK, as well as Diddy Kong and more. This could indicate that the theme park attraction could see Donkey Kong content sometime in the future!
Many designs from previous games are often lost or thrown away, so it’s really great to see Bayliss’s sketches survive for over 25 years. Maybe one day they will even see the release as part of an artbook based on the game! Given the popularity and relevance that Donkey Kong Country after all these years, it certainly seems a possibility.
What do you think about this early on? Donkey Kong Country concept art? Are you a fan of the Super Nintendo game? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter @Marcdachamp to talk about gaming!