With the release of Mario Kart 9 and the Nintendo Switch 2, fans have observed that one character in particular has undergone a significant change that appears to have been influenced by the Super Mario Bros. movie.
More than a dozen characters were shown in the teaser, and while most of them were just as fans would have expected, Donkey Kong stuck out for looking very different.
Mario Kart 8, Mario Tennis, Donkey Kong Country Returns, and other games have all featured the same character style for years, if not decades. However, his plan was upended by the hugely popular Super Mario Bros. movie, and Nintendo now seems to be using this in their games.
It will be a while before the designs can be compared side by side, but it is already extremely different. Mario Kart 9 was very briefly shown, while Donkey Kong only made a few, barely noticeable appearances.
This additional look is probably going to be revealed at the Nintendo Switch 2 Nintendo Direct in April. Just a few glimpses of the Nintendo Switch 2 were shown in the system reveal trailer in advance of this event, with most of the focus being on its appearance. It did verify that the Joy-Cons have an enigmatic new button, that the hardware is largely backward compatible, and that a notion regarding utilizing the controller as a mouse seems to be accurate.
The Nintendo Switch 2 is unlikely to be released before June at the latest, even though it was only announced with a 2025 release window. This is because several hands-on events are happening all around the world, and registration will open shortly.
