Does the look of the DKC series match the gameplay?

[StarSock64]

Yeah, Luigi used to be like that, but he was also boring, so I guess that just demonstrates my point, ahah.

I think those earlier Luigis at least had the benefits of iconic design, good artwork and an engaging world, but that wouldn't be enough for all mascot game characters if the other stuff in their games didn't make up for the gaps, especially in modern times. I also don't think DK's design is anywhere near as iconic and i think his renders are often bad, so I don't think he can get by on those alone anyway...

I don't want to get into the benefits of consistent characterization right now, but I wanna leave some other food for thought.

I think part of DK's problem is that the older games aren't very accessible because the presentation is weird, and anything as atmospheric as DKC isn't going to appeal to everyone the way a happy cartoon world might .

The new ones that try to be accessible end up seeming lackluster compared to everything else because they look like a worse version of everything else. I haven't played the new games, but it's partly because from a glance, everything looks B-tier and lacking in personal identity. I can't help but think I'm not the only one who got this impression.

The main characters give me the impression of lame background characters in a pixar movie and the new enemies may as well be from something as lacking in relevance as ty the tasmanian tiger, because they look replaceable and generic.

I could be completely wrong, but it's not going to catch my attention when more iconic games exist, and people can't like your series if they don't even try it. I'm not saying it's good or bad; I'm saying it's a possible contributor to its lack of recognition...