Kao the Kangaroo artist details the process of redesigning Kao
Jumping into 2022
Kao the Kangaroo made his debut over 17 years ago, and now he’s back in an all-new adventure. Platforming fans are happy to see the kangaroo back in action, and thanks to a fresh look, he’s better than ever!
Kamil Smala, Concept Artist on Kao the Kangaroo, was in charge of revamping Kao’s decades-old look. It’s no surprises that working on a revamp is no easy task, and it involves a ton of trial and error. You can see Smala discuss their approach to Kao’s redesign below.
It’s no secret that redesigning the main character can take some time. The players’ verdict can be hard to predict. Well… I take it back… players just don’t like any changes! [smiles] On the other hand, we felt the need to affect the appearance of Kao, so that our kangaroo could compete with other characters from modern platform games. Let’s say that Kao is a Polish response to such hero characters as Crash Bandicoot, Spyro, or even good old Croc [winks] On the other hand, the character already had its fans, and its appearance became a kind of an archetype of how this small, brave kangaroo fighter should look like. Certainly, the new version of Kao was supposed to evoke the same positive vibes, but at the same time bring a lot of freshness, which in this case wasn’t doable without a scalpel… [winks]
Kamil has a lot more to say on Kao’s redesign process. You can read their full thoughts here.
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