No book is really worth reading at the age of ten which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond.
Time, it’s been said, is all we have. This great resource brings with it all the experiences of life and the ravages of age. Sometimes it refines a man into a silver fox. Other times a wizened old fool. When it comes to iconic video game characters, we have the luxury of looking across the entire “lifespan” of a digital person from inception to modernity. It can be surprising how much a character concept has changed over the years.
Let’s visit the pasts and the presents of these icons and see just how much they’ve changed. Just like our dear Donkey Kong who became Cranky Kong, we can see these characters side by side: their then and now.
Lara Croft
Tomb Raider (1996) – Shadow of the Tomb Raider (2018)
Donkey Kong
Donkey Kong Country (1994) – Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (2014)
Pac-Man
Pac-Man (1980) – Pac-Man and the Ghostly Adventures (2013-2015)
Super Mario
Donkey Kong (1981) – Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Sonic the Hedgehog
Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) – Sonic the Hedgehog (2020)
Snake
Metal Gear (1987) – Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots (2008)
Tifa Lockhart
Final Fantasy VII (1997) – Final Fantasy VII Remake (2020)
Link
The Legend of Zelda (1986) – The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017)
Bleu / Deis
Breath of Fire (1993) – Breath of Fire IV (2000)
Batman
Batman (1989) – Batman: Arkham Knight (2015)
Pikachu
Pokémon Red/Blue (1996) – Pokémon Let’s Go: Pikachu! (2018)
Rockman
Mega Man (1987) – Mega Man 11 (2018)
Scorpion
Mortal Kombat (1992) – Mortal Kombat 11 (2019)
Kratos
God of War (2005) – God of War (2018)
Samus Aran
Metroid (1986) – Metroid Dread (2021)
Jason Voorhees
Friday the 13th (1989) – Friday the 13th: The Game (2017)
Sora
Kingdom Hearts (2002) – Kingdom Hearts III (2019)
Wario
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (1992) – WarioWare: Get It Together! (2021)
Tom Nook
Animal Crossing (2001) – Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020)
Kirby
Kirby’s Dream Land (1992) – Kirby Fighters 2 (2020)
Bill Rizer & Lance Bean
Contra (1987) – Contra Returns (2017)
Morrigan Aensland
Darkstalkers: The Night Warriors (1994) – Marvel vs. Capcom: Infinite (2017)
Ryu
Street Fighter (1987) – Street Fighter V: Champion Edition (2020)
Bowser, Great Demon King
Super Mario Bros. (1985) – Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury (2021)
Thanks for reading our list of iconic video game characters: then and now! By all means, let us know who we missed… There’s always another article for another day!
Red formerly ran The Well-Red Mage and now serves The Pixels as founder, writer, editor, and podcaster. He has undertaken a seemingly endless crusade to talk about the games themselves in the midst of a culture obsessed with the latest controversy, scandal, and news cycle about harassment, toxicity, and negativity. Pick out his feathered cap on Twitter @thewellredmage or Mage Cast.
