Just as video games grow and change, so do their characters. Several prominent gaming figures have evolved with their franchises, and that's often reflected in their designs. However, this can sometimes tread on thin ice.
If developers have a design that works, changing it can easily compromise its appeal. Sadly, many popular characters have fallen victim to this. Artists may add unnecessary details to a streamlined look, take away what made the original design unique, or start from scratch altogether. At the end of the day, though, audiences were left with an inferior product. Rather than meaningful growth, these redesigns are poor imitations. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
8 Spyro The Dragon
This little lizard is among the most beloved platforming mascots, and much of that comes down to his design. It's cool enough that Spyro is a dragon. However, he distinguishes himself among these mythical creatures while being unmistakable as one of them. He sports sleek proportions, an unorthodox color scheme that's still pleasing to the eye, and a smug mug full of youthful personality. Adding anything to his streamlined design would feel unnecessary.
The reboots are a mixed bag in this respect. Although the Legend of Spyro trilogy maintains the hero's simplistic appeal, the same can't be said for Skylanders. This toys-to-life title uses Spyro as a selling point, but the once-proud dragon now looks like roadkill. The darkened colors, scrunched snout, caveman brow, and Pac-Man-esque mouth are devoid of personality. In a cruel twist of fate, Spyro is now one of the misshapen monsters he used to fight. Due to the Skylanders series' popularity, fans were stuck with this mistake until the Reignited Trilogy restored the dragon to his former glory.
7 Sly Cooper
This master thief may be a raccoon, but he's undoubtedly stylized. The original Sly Cooper trilogy has a comic book aesthetic. Its characters are anthropomorphic animals with exaggerated features and low textures. Subsequent attempts have pushed the series toward a more detailed direction, yielding mixed results. PlayStation Move Heroes copies the original design with more textured fur. Meanwhile, Thieves in Time and PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale find a pleasant middle ground between realistic and cartoonish.
The proposed movie, on the other hand, failed in that balance. In the trailer, Sly has an ill-fitting outfit, dirty fur underneath, and facial features all mushed together, complete with more animalistic touches like whiskers. These changes make the hero seem slimy rather than suave. It's just a blessing that this flick never saw the light of day.
6 Dante (Devil May Cry)
This blunder is emblematic of bad redesigns in gaming, since it rejects what made the original so special. The smart-mouthed monster-slayer changes slightly over the first few Devil May Cry titles, but he always sports the red overcoat and flowing, silver hair. It's a little "anime" for some people's taste, but it gives him an identity among other action protagonists. Plus, it's a good indicator of his demon ancestry.
As such, it's perplexing that these distinguishing aspects are gone in the reboot. DmC: Devil May Cry turns Dante into some random guy off the street. He dresses like a slob with a black hoodie and grungy tank top. Finally, he forgoes his silver locks for a black fade that makes him look like a boy band member. The developers clearly tried to reach the kids of the time, but they spit in the face of longtime fans. No wonder the following entry goes back to the familiar demonic hero.
5 Dr. Eggman (Sonic The Hedgehog)
An easy target in the Sonic franchise would be the hedgehog's initial design in the 2020 movie or the maligned aesthetic of Sonic Boom, but his nemesis was vandalized long before. How fitting that this example comes from the series' lowest point: 2006's Sonic the Hedgehog.
The misguided vision for this anniversary entry is a more realistic direction, which means a world populated by photorealistic humans. Eggman is a vile hybrid of that approach and his more exaggerated appearance of old. He still sports iconic features like an oversized mustache, big belly, flamboyant jacket, and slick shades. However, these are all restrained and rendered with detail that they shouldn't have had. As a result, the villain is creepy in a way the developers never intended, akin to a Terminator with an Eggman skinsuit.
4 Mega Man
Since his 8-bit inception, Mega Manhas been one of the sleeker gaming heroes. His series has undergone many styles, but he always has the blue power suit with oversized gloves and boots, equipped with a built-in blaster. Topping it off is a lean, youthful appearance with large anime eyes. It should be easy to translate such a character to a crossover, especially one as anime-esque as Street Fighter X Tekken.
Fans were in for a rude awakening when the cybernetic hero finally emerged. Mega Man's character model here brings back the vomitous yellow costume of his original box art. It accentuates that revulsion with a beer gut and a mean, middle-aged mug belonging to a dopey henchman instead of a confident hero. This version is so blatantly disrespectful that it feels like a prank. Sadly, it's not the only time the designers let Mega Man down.
3 The Joker
Speaking of fighting games, the Joker has also seen his share of woes in this genre. Batman's archenemy may not originally be a game character, but his redesigns are no less repulsive. Injustice 2, the sequel to NetherRealm's DC brawler, brings back the Clown Prince of Crime for a contrived cameo, yet it abandons the classic suit and vest that fans recognize. Instead, he's shirtless and covered in tattoos. He supplements these with a dirty jacket and greasy hair. This Joker resembles the maligned Jared Leto version from Suicide Squad crossed with a failed punk rocker.
Sadly, NetherRealm isn't done, as they recruit the Joker once again as a guest fighter forMortal Kombat 11. He may have regained his iconic outfit, but his rounder frame makes it seem like a Halloween costume instead of a twisted supervillain garb. Hopefully, they'll get it right in Injustice 3.
2 Bomberman
Another armored action hero from the classic era, Bomberman is hard to dislike. He's a tiny stick figure with no facial features except for his eyes, which are little more than cute dots. It's a minimalist design, but it lets him embody the same innocence as Mario. He cements that impression with his white, pink, and purple attire. Considering these aspects, one would think he'd be one of the last candidates for a "dark and gritty" reboot.
Unfortunately, that's exactly what befalls him with Bomberman: Act Zero. This 2006 title gives the hero humanoid proportions and decks him out in imposing armor, complete with chains and a built-in scar on the helmet. He's essentially the poor man's Doomguy. Any trace of innocence is lost. Once again, however, the developers realize their mistake and give the plucky protagonist his previous design back for the following games.
1 Every Character In Captain N
Throughout the '80s and early '90s, the folks at Nintendo were full of themselves. They put out countless cash-grabs and outsourced their IPs to unworthy hands, convinced that consumers would buy anything with their brand on it. Nothing exemplifies this mindset more than Captain N. In this cartoon, a kid teams up with iconic game characters to save the realm, but those characters are utterly unrecognizable.
Pit from Kid Icarus is no longer a high-flying rogue with an ancient Greek flair; he's a ginger Cupid with the frame of a Rugrats reject. Mega Man is a doughy dork with a short stature, beady eyes, and a chain-smoker's voice. Castlevania's Simon Belmont goes from a medieval warrior with a primal edge to a big-chinned fop with feathered hair and a mountain-climbing jacket. Finally, Mother Brain from Metroid, rather than a cranial cyclops, is a wad of chewing gum with bulging lips. The showrunners took away any appeal behind the characters, making them downright painful to look at. The fact that they thought fans would accept these abominations is insulting.