OK another thing I really like about Toki is how many different ways the character has been interpreted in the associated artwork. And, like, it's great, because the in-game sprite isn't ambiguous, right? It's very clear what the character looks like. He's a slender ape-man with a huge head. And yet...
The art on the arcade cabinet makes him into a beefy gorilla humanoid with realistic hands and feet and a proportional head. The cartoonish style on the horde of monsters is great, and I love the floating islands and the bed of skulls.
Meanwhile the art used on the Commodore, Amiga, and Spectrum features the same basic layout and elements, but reinterpreted in a more refined cartoony style. This feels like it was pulled right out of some French comic strip.
The NES art goes in a totally different direction, opting for a more chimp-like Toki who seems more interested in scooping up coins than rescuing his beloved, who stands next to...himself in the background. This is also the only version of the art which gives Toki any of his in-game power-up objects, the sneakers, which let him jump higher for a short amount of time.
The Famicom version veers heavily toward monkey with a side of balloon animal. I love the zombie ape bursting out of the ground. By the way, in Japan the game is known as "JuJu Legend."
The American and European Mega Drive art is probably my overall favorite. The painted style here is gorgeously rendered with its pops of color, and the semi-realistic depiction of Toki is fairly close to the in-game model. I love the pink/teal logo. Although the game does not feature any bananas. Zero points.
Meanwhile the Japanese MD art turns Toki into an anime. And now there are three of him for some reason.
Finally the Lynx brings us home with another gorgeously rendered Toki surrounded by his various foes. I really like how this one blends cute and edgy.
And here's the modern remake artwork for good measure. It's weird to be sure, but I like the direction they took with it.
