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00:00 [Music]
00:06 Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're looking on the bright side for the best redesigns of video game characters.
00:13 "Mayday, mayday, this is Lara Croft of the Endurance, we are stranded on an island in the Dragon's Triangle..."
00:19 Before we begin, we publish new content all week long, so be sure to subscribe and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
00:26 [Music]
00:31 Wario, WarioWare Inc. Mega Micro Game
00:34 [Music]
00:42 Wario is meant to look like a vile version of Mario, and the mustard-yellow-purple combo is a great inverse to the hero's red and blue.
00:50 But for Wario's second series, he found his own sense of style, and we have to say, we like it a fair bit better.
00:56 [Music]
01:00 He took to driving a motorcycle and dressing in full biker gear, with a cut-off denim vest and a helmet of his favorite color, yellow.
01:07 Well, Wario already had such a loud personality, why not give him some extra features to go along with it?
01:13 While he still sports his classic look in other games, this one's certainly the more unique of the two.
01:18 [Music]
01:24 Tawna Bandicoot Crash Bandicoot 4 It's About Time
01:28 [Music]
01:35 The original version of Tawna, Crash's girlfriend in the first game, was fairly shallow, only serving as the hero's damsel in need of rescue.
01:43 There wasn't much interesting in her design, either. She was tall, blonde, oddly shapely, basically Crash's version of Candy Kong.
01:51 She didn't appear in any mainline sequels, only spin-offs, so there was only room to improve for a redesign.
01:56 In Crash 4, a version of Tawna from an alternate dimension appears and is far cooler.
02:01 "So, uh, whatcha collecting? Crystals?"
02:04 "Mm-mm."
02:05 "Gems?"
02:06 "Masks."
02:06 "Ooh, fun. Well, good luck with that."
02:09 Given her universe is worse off with Crash Dead, Tawna's appearance reflects that, with patched clothing and a jacket with spiked shoulders, almost looking post-apocalyptic.
02:19 Additionally, she's far more self-assured, represented through her own levels and gameplay mechanics.
02:24 "We did it!"
02:25 "Yeah, we did."
02:26 The Mercenaries Team Fortress 2
02:30 [Music]
02:36 The first Team Fortress set itself apart from other shooters through its unique classes.
02:40 However, most of the characters looked like basic soldiers, with not much setting them apart from one another.
02:45 That in no way hindered the mechanics, but it did mean there was less personality in the game.
02:50 If there's one thing we can say about Team Fortress 2, it's got personality in spades.
02:55 [Music]
02:56 "You want dreams of chronic, sustained cruelty?"
03:01 [Music]
03:06 [Laughter]
03:10 That is primarily thanks to the visual overhaul of its characters.
03:13 The somewhat cartoony style, along with the distinct body types, clothing, and mannerisms of its roster, is far more interesting than if Valve had chosen the more traditional route.
03:23 "How am I gonna stop some big, mean mother hubbard from tearing me a structurally superfluous new beehive?"
03:29 [Gunshot]
03:29 "Aaah!"
03:31 "The answer..."
03:31 [Gunshot]
03:33 "Aaah!"
03:35 "There's a gun."
03:36 Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Country.
03:38 [Music]
03:47 This may be a simple one, but it's effective.
03:50 Back when Donkey Kong premiered, he was naturally just a big gorilla.
03:54 After a couple of sequels, Mario went off to be a star, with a design that has more or less stayed the same ever since.
04:00 DK, on the other hand, fell off the map a bit until he was revived by Rare for the Super Nintendo.
04:05 [Music]
04:07 These days, this is what every player knows Donkey Kong to look like.
04:11 The iconic red tie, the dopey, almost pompadour-like fur, and the dim, witted demeanor.
04:17 It's got a lot of charm.
04:19 And while, yes, technically the original DK is canonically Cranky Kong, well, we still prefer the design of this old bag of bones to a simple gorilla.
04:28 [Music]
04:34 Lara Croft, Tomb Raider.
04:35 "Mayday, mayday, this is Lara Croft of the Endurance. We are stranded on an island in the Dragon's Triangle."
04:41 Lara Croft is an icon of the medium, with a pretty distinguishable appearance and personality.
04:47 But for her origin story, Crystal Dynamics stripped back all that confidence in order to build her back up.
04:53 "When all seemed lost."
04:55 [Music]
04:59 "I found a truth."
05:01 [Music]
05:04 She still had her standard high ponytail and blue tank top, though the tight brown shorts had notably turned into pants.
05:11 But that's not what's important.
05:12 What mattered were her softer features, both in how she looked and how she carried herself.
05:17 She was inexperienced, which made the journey more harrowing.
05:21 It was also a redesign that itself evolved over the course of the game.
05:24 She became caked in grime, covered in scrapes and scars, all the while growing more battle-hardened in the face of it all.
05:31 [Music]
05:38 Reptile, Mortal Kombat 1.
05:40 [Music]
05:47 Once upon a time, and due to simpler graphics, Mortal Kombat had a design problem with its ninjas.
05:53 They all looked identical, save for the color of their clothing.
05:56 Reptile was the green one, which made sense given his name and acidic powers.
06:00 However, Netherrealm eventually began designing him to look like an actual humanoid reptile, beginning with Mortal Kombat 4.
06:07 "Round one, fight."
06:09 That wasn't great, but it nevertheless set him apart from the others.
06:14 He's had different looks over the years, but by far our favorite is his most recent.
06:18 "Round one, fight."
06:21 Mortal Kombat 1 Reptile takes the best of both worlds, able to change between a human and reptilian form as he fights.
06:28 We love the little design choices of the human form that link to his reptile one,
06:32 like his tattoos and the green sash that hangs down like a tail.
06:36 "After fleeing Outworld, I hadn't expected to return."
06:41 "But then I also hadn't expected the new Empress to make me an offer I couldn't refuse."
06:46 Alucard, Castlevania, Symphony of the Night.
06:50 [Gunfire]
06:56 Alucard made his debut as Big Bad Dracula's son in Castlevania III, Dracula's Curse for the NES.
07:02 Both in-game and in artwork, he essentially looked like an old Hollywood vampire,
07:07 with short, slicked-back hair and your classic black robe.
07:10 [Game audio]
07:19 But by the time we saw him next in Symphony of the Night on PlayStation,
07:23 his design had been significantly improved.
07:25 The ghostly pale skin paired with the flowing blonde hair made for quite the stark contrast.
07:30 He's still dressed in black, albeit now much more extravagantly.
07:34 He was taller and leaner too, showcased through his swift movement and his expertise with a sword.
07:39 This design was extremely well-received,
07:42 sticking with Alucard for most future appearances, including the TV show.
07:45 [Game audio]
08:01 Upon the release of Metal Gear Solid 2, some players took issue with the fact that most of the game
08:06 had you play as Raiden instead of Snake.
08:09 Many found him a bit too whiny,
08:10 though his physical appearance wasn't as strong as the lead hero either.
08:14 [Game audio]
08:19 However, the decision to turn him into a cyborg ninja for Metal Gear Solid 4
08:23 was nothing short of genius.
08:25 Not only was it visually much more interesting, but Raiden was far cooler and sure-footed,
08:30 deftly flipping around enemy attacks and slicing through them with a badass sword.
08:34 [Game audio]
08:42 The design reached its peak in his solo spin-off, Revengeance.
08:46 With a bit more anime flair, courtesy of Platinum Games,
08:49 this Raiden is a far cry from the one so many players felt unsure of.
08:53 [Game audio]
09:01 Link, the Legend of Zelda, the Wind Waker.
09:03 [Game audio]
09:08 That's right, we're drawing a line in the sand with this one.
09:11 Since there are multiple versions of Link across different timelines,
09:14 he's had a lot of redesigns.
09:16 But the one that undeniably has the most charm is that of Toon Link.
09:20 [Game audio]
09:29 Matching with the cell-shaded world around him,
09:31 this version of the hero is brighter and more expressive than any other,
09:35 meaning he has far more character and personality.
09:38 A lot of fans actually hated this look on release because it was less realistic,
09:42 which therefore made it too kid-friendly in their eyes.
09:45 This led to the darker Twilight Princess,
09:47 and we won't deny that that Link's look is also pretty great.
09:51 But Toon Link just has so much joy, humor, and individuality
09:55 that we can't help but champion him.
09:57 [Game audio]
10:00 Kratos, God of War.
10:02 [Game audio]
10:07 Greek Kratos has an incredibly recognizable design,
10:10 with the giant red tattoo, the pale skin,
10:13 and a mug so mean it could make a child weep from just one look.
10:16 However, when Sony chose to take him in a more mature direction,
10:20 aging and softening him up a bit,
10:21 it made all the right calls in his design to reflect that.
10:24 [Game audio]
10:32 He sports a full salt-sprinkled beard,
10:35 and a weary look that comes from a life that's only known violence.
10:38 His clothes have a more worn look to them,
10:40 complementing the overall redesign.
10:42 However, the strongest changes are not physical, but emotional.
10:46 [Game audio]
10:53 As a father, Kratos learns across the game to be more patient and caring towards Atreus.
10:58 It was an excellent direction to go in,
11:00 both for his look and characterization.
11:02 [Game audio]
11:13 What other characters do you think got great redesigns?
11:15 Let us know in the comments,
11:17 and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more great gaming videos every day.
11:21 [Outro music]