I've been thinking about Sonic's appeal versus Mario's appeal and it also made me think a lot about Donkey Kong. As you all know I love DK with a passion, but always questioned why no one else did. Sure people can love the games as, well, games but few people love DK the way they love Sonic or Mario. The only people who do are a small minority on the DKVine. But I think I'm starting to understand why.
Let's look at Mario's design as a character: He's simple, humble, and approachable. Now look at his world: Its very basic, simple, blocky, and to the point.
The design matches the gameplay perfectly. His character and world make sense for the type of game you're playing. And when the gameplay changes (like in Super Mario Sunshine) so does the design of the world. It becomes more realistic and livable looking to compliment the exploration based gameplay.
Now let's look at Sonic: He's sleek, sharp, cool and edgy while still being child friendly. Now look at his world: It's sleek, unruly, and edgy while still being child friendly.
The design matches the gameplay. Unfortunately after the Genesis era Sonic didn't know what it wanted to do but still stayed successful based on the character's personality and look alone. Could Donkey Kong get away with what Sonic has for so many years? Making shit games and yet still making money and having tons of passionate fans? HELL NO!
So now I thought about DK. His character design, his world design, and the mixed messages it might send to audiences. What am I talking about?
Well let's look at DK's design as a character: He's big, heavy, and bulky looking guy while also being kind of silly and goofy. Now his world: It's natural, realistic, and detailed. Wait what? Cartoony ape... realistic world?
Moving on to the gameplay. It's a hop and bop platformer similar to Mario. While it has some exploration elements, at its core its about careful platforming and getting to point A to point B. This doesn't match the character's look nor the look of the world AT ALL!
A big bulky character like DK doesn't suggest a fast paced platformer like DKC. He seems to look like he belongs in a game about cartoony action, maybe a beat-em-up. He looks like he's ready for funny comical scenarios. A natural world like in the DKC series suggests a game around free-roaming exploration, one where you can take your time to enjoy the environment.
Wait a minute? Funny comical scenarios? Free-roaming exploration? Did I just describe DK64?!
Yes I did! And then it hit me! That's why DK64 is such a beloved game while being such a poorly designed one. Donkey Kong belongs to that type of game. Donkey Kong, his cast of characters, his wild world, belongs to a DK64 type of game. Not a Country one.
It's the same reason why Sonic can make such shitty games but still maintain a huge following. He's in games that still match his design. Being unplayable be damned. As long as you're still running loop-dee-loops and blowing up robots, people will still buy it and remember it. And as long as you're climbing trees and shooting crocodiles with fruity guns, people will still fondly remember DK64.
I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. What do you guys think?
Let's look at Mario's design as a character: He's simple, humble, and approachable. Now look at his world: Its very basic, simple, blocky, and to the point.
The design matches the gameplay perfectly. His character and world make sense for the type of game you're playing. And when the gameplay changes (like in Super Mario Sunshine) so does the design of the world. It becomes more realistic and livable looking to compliment the exploration based gameplay.
Now let's look at Sonic: He's sleek, sharp, cool and edgy while still being child friendly. Now look at his world: It's sleek, unruly, and edgy while still being child friendly.
The design matches the gameplay. Unfortunately after the Genesis era Sonic didn't know what it wanted to do but still stayed successful based on the character's personality and look alone. Could Donkey Kong get away with what Sonic has for so many years? Making shit games and yet still making money and having tons of passionate fans? HELL NO!
So now I thought about DK. His character design, his world design, and the mixed messages it might send to audiences. What am I talking about?
Well let's look at DK's design as a character: He's big, heavy, and bulky looking guy while also being kind of silly and goofy. Now his world: It's natural, realistic, and detailed. Wait what? Cartoony ape... realistic world?
Moving on to the gameplay. It's a hop and bop platformer similar to Mario. While it has some exploration elements, at its core its about careful platforming and getting to point A to point B. This doesn't match the character's look nor the look of the world AT ALL!
A big bulky character like DK doesn't suggest a fast paced platformer like DKC. He seems to look like he belongs in a game about cartoony action, maybe a beat-em-up. He looks like he's ready for funny comical scenarios. A natural world like in the DKC series suggests a game around free-roaming exploration, one where you can take your time to enjoy the environment.
Wait a minute? Funny comical scenarios? Free-roaming exploration? Did I just describe DK64?!
Yes I did! And then it hit me! That's why DK64 is such a beloved game while being such a poorly designed one. Donkey Kong belongs to that type of game. Donkey Kong, his cast of characters, his wild world, belongs to a DK64 type of game. Not a Country one.
It's the same reason why Sonic can make such shitty games but still maintain a huge following. He's in games that still match his design. Being unplayable be damned. As long as you're still running loop-dee-loops and blowing up robots, people will still buy it and remember it. And as long as you're climbing trees and shooting crocodiles with fruity guns, people will still fondly remember DK64.
I don't know. Maybe I'm crazy. What do you guys think?