{"id":1169115,"date":"2026-02-12T11:05:07","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.polygon.com\/?p=554164"},"modified":"2026-02-12T11:05:07","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:05:07","slug":"donkey-kong-bananza-leak-throws-a-wrench-in-the-donkey-kong-timeline","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arcader.org\/news\/donkey-kong-bananza-leak-throws-a-wrench-in-the-donkey-kong-timeline\/","title":{"rendered":"Donkey Kong Bananza leak throws a wrench in the Donkey Kong timeline"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Donkey
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Donkey Kong Bananza<\/a><\/em> may have intriguing implications for the Donkey Kong timeline, based on a leak for the ape\u2019s upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 game. A piece of artwork apparently leaked by Nintendo of Korea<\/a>, and then spotted by a poster on Resetera<\/a>, indicates that another well-known Donkey Kong character heretofore unannounced for the game may appear in Bananza<\/em>.<\/p>\n

And her appearance could imply that Donkey Kong Bananza<\/em> is a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey<\/a><\/em> and perhaps even the original Donkey Kong<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Or maybe not! Because what even is<\/em> the Donkey Kong timeline? But let\u2019s dig in\u2026 and wade into potential spoiler territory.<\/p>\n

While official artwork and box art for Donkey Kong Bananza<\/em> \u2014\u00a0seen above \u2014\u00a0shows DK being joined by a purple crystal blob known as \u201cthe Odd Rock,\u201d nearly identical artwork for the game posted (and later pulled) by Nintendo of Korea shows what appears to be young Pauline adventuring with Donkey Kong. That version of Pauline wears a bracelet that matches the material and color of the Odd Rock.<\/p>\n

So, what\u2019s up with that?<\/p>\n

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Pauline is, of course, a character from the original Donkey Kong<\/em>, and the woman that Mario is tasked with rescuing from DK\u2019s clutches in the 1981 arcade original. Pauline later appeared in Nintendo\u2019s Mario vs. Donkey Kong games and was prominently featured in 2017\u2019s Super Mario Odyssey<\/em> as the mayor of New Donk City. Pauline has been represented as an adult human woman in all of her Nintendo game appearances.<\/p>\n

The Pauline seen in leaked artwork of Donkey Kong Bananza<\/em>, however, has childlike proportions. If she\u2019s a child in Bananza<\/em>, that would mean the Switch 2 game is set before the events of the original Donkey Kong<\/em>. That, however, makes no sense, given that Donkey Kong encounters Cranky Kong in Bananza<\/em> in his aged, bearded form, and Cranky is \u2014 as established by Rare\u2019s Donkey Kong Country<\/em> \u2014 the original Kong that appeared in Donkey Kong<\/em>. Cranky even references his early battles with Mario in dialogue from Bananza<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

However, Nintendo has contradicted itself many times over regarding the relationship between Donkey Kong and Cranky Kong, and which of the two characters was the Donkey Kong that appeared in original arcade game. Suffice it to say, Nintendo\u2019s Donkey Kong lore is a mess.<\/p>\n

So there is a chance that Bananza<\/em> is a Donkey Kong<\/em> prequel, and that it establishes an early relationship between Pauline and her primate kidnapper. There\u2019s also a strong chance that Pauline is also Odd Rock, made that way as part of a curse inflicted by Bananza<\/em> antagonists VoidCo. Odd Rock is convinced to join Donkey Kong on his adventure in Bananza<\/em> through the power of music, and Pauline is famously an accomplished musician.<\/p>\n

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