I might derail the thread here. Somewhat but not really sorry. But just reading through pages 5, 6 and 7 just got my imagination jump started and my hope in the franchise reignited. Even without these potentially legit insider claims it was always clear to me that DK was being set up for something big in the future. The theme parks and movie was stuff was all I needed to see.
Ever since Retro's concept art of Country Returns I always imagined what big 3D open world Donkey Kong would be like. I imagine being able to climb nearly everything but with a ton a speed and traversal abilities that really give the sense of what it's like to be a primate in the trees. You ever watch real monkeys in action?! Man they living the life! Their fluidity and speed is mesmerizing and taking certain Country & Jungle Beat concepts combined with real life primate mobility and upping that to video game extremes just hypes me to irrational levels.
Remember this Retro art?
What if you could just whip around between the water falls like it was nothing. Get up, get down, get all over like spider-man without the webs. Crazy wide open worlds dense with trees and rocks all interactable with super mobility yeah!
Oh and this one?!
Maybe not one big wide open world but big wide open islands. And getting between them you get on these dueling ships and just do what the DK clan does! Man can you imagine swinging around these masts dodging cannon fire and pirates? Launching yourself with swinging pendulum physics what ever the devil else one might do on a ship!
Ok going to read this last page. I just had to get this out! I miss DK.