A New Donkey Kong Game Needs to Take a Unique Approach

gamerant.com:

Donkey Kong is one of Nintendo’s oldest franchises, and the titular protagonist is one of the most famous video game characters in the world. Nintendo, and the video game industry as a whole, would not be the same without the ape himself. Despite the Donkey Kong character’s legendary status, the series never had a history as streamlined as Super Mario and Legend of Zelda. The franchise had an awkward phase in its early days, especially when Mario’s own franchise stole the show. It was only when Donkey Kong Country came out that the modern Donkey Kong everyone knows and loves was born.

Despite the importance of Donkey Kong Country, the series was left alone for much of the 2000s aside from a few spin-offs, only truly coming back in the form of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Since then, only one other Donkey Kong platformer, Tropical Freeze, was released on Wii U and subsequently ported to the Switch like a plethora of other titles. A new Donkey Kong game is long overdue, but if it wants to both stand on its own and keep the love of the franchise’s patient fans, it needs to avoid emulating the now recognizable gameplay of Returns and Tropical Freeze.

Donkey Kong Rap Composer Says the Song is 'Bloody Awful'

Donkey Kong is famous for the Donkey Kong Country series in particular. The series, whether it is the original trilogy on the Super Nintendo, or the 2010s installments likeDonkey Kong Country Returns, consists of some of the most lauded titles of the platforming genre. The original trilogy in particular was memorable for how much the games pushed the limits of the Super Nintendo when it came to graphics. They successfully implemented more “realistic” visuals without sacrificing their style and flair.

There is one outlier among