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Among the pantheon of Nintendo villains, King K. Rool never quite reached the heights of Bowser or Ganondorf. While he has remained a constant thorn in Donkey Kong’s side, as well as a threat to the great ape’s banana stash, his infamy has always been somewhat limited. However, the recent revelation that he will be joining Super Smash Bros. Ultimate as a playable fighter has suddenly thrust him into the spotlight. In recognition of this, one of the people who helped bring the regal crocodile to life has given us a glimpse of the creative process behind the character.
Gregg Mayles is a long-time Rare employee who worked on the original Donkey Kong Country and recently shared some old concept art via Twitter. Alongside a few other enemy designs, we catch a glimpse of Krudd, who would later be known as King K. Rool. The character exhibits a more intimidating look than his final design, showing how the artistic direction was never set in stone and must have evolved over the course of development.
Unearthed some very early #DKC Kremling concepts, which showed the origins of a far more serious and tough-looking #KRool as 'Krudd'. Also the military theme that was dumped pic.twitter.com/DEYJhLe5OY
— Gregg Mayles (@Ghoulyboy) August 13, 2018
Hopefully all of this attention will lead to a revitalization of the villain as the last few Donkey Kong games seem to have forgotten DK’s former nemesis. If not, then we’ll at least get the opportunity to fight him, or as him, in the near future thanks to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.
Source: Nintendo Life
