Donkey Kong Bananza is turning heads, especially among the original creators who redesigned Donkey Kong back in 1994. The game marks the biggest change for the series in decades, and some of the folks behind those classic designs are actually digging Bananza’s fresh take on the ape and his crew.
It’s wild to think that the last major redesign was over 30 years ago, when Rareware rebooted the series into Donkey Kong Country. Kevin Bayliss, who was responsible for that iconic makeover, has been pretty vocal about his love for the new game. Despite a bit of fan debate about the characters’ new looks, Bayliss gave the new designs a thumbs up and even praised the updated Diddy Kong.
REUNITED AT LAST! I’ll save opening this baby until tomorrow night, and will stream my first play with my ape-son for a looooong time! 😃❤️ it’s ON like DONKEY KONG BANANZA! pic.twitter.com/XVEyENooB9
— Creator of Donkey Kong (1994-2025) (@Kev_Bayliss) July 17, 2025
On release day, Bayliss grabbed a copy and tweeted his excitement. He called the game “FANTASTIC! TOADALLY BANANAZ,” joining the chorus of praise that’s helped Bananza snag the spot as the fourth-highest rated game of 2025 so far. Not bad for a series that hasn’t seen this kind of shake-up since the 90s.
Bayliss isn’t the only OG artist giving Bananza props. Steve Mayles, co-founder of Playtonic and artist on the first two SNES Donkey Kong Country games, also shared his enthusiasm on Twitter. He’s even thinking about buying a Switch 2 just to play it, saying it looks like they’ve done a “great job” on the new entry.
So, is this the Donkey Kong revival fans have been waiting for? Bananza is certainly making a strong case, with both its fresh design and gameplay capturing the attention of those who helped define the series decades ago. It’s not often you see the original creators get this excited about a sequel, right?
For those curious about a deeper look at Bananza’s gameplay and fan reactions, you might want to check out some long playthroughs and destruction challenges popping up online – folks are really pushing the game to its limits.
What do you think? Will Donkey Kong Bananza live up to the legacy or is it just a nostalgic cash-in? Let me know down in the comments below!
