Nintendo accidentally leaks an unrevealed Donkey Kong Bananza character that might unironically have big lore implications for the Mario universe

Donkey Kong holds his face as his tongue hangs loose and his eyes display banana images in Donkey Kong Bananza - he is obsessed with the yellow fruit
(Image credit: Nintendo)

Not many people were expecting the 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Nintendo Switch 2 Direct to reveal 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:Donkey Kong Bananza, the character's first new game in over a decade and his first 3D adventure since the N64, but the game's mere existence isn't the only surprise. Nintendo itself (maybe) accidentally just showed off that an unrevealed character is fꦑront and centre in the ga📖me.

(Naturally, there might be some spoilers for the game's, err marketing, but don't worry about spoilers for the game itself since we're just going to talk about its box art.)

currently includes Donkey Kong Bananza's full cover art, which features what looks like a much younger version of Pauline riding and holding on to DK's iconic tie with a smile on her face, all while he smashes the ground to pieces. The 澳洲幸运5开奖号码历史查询:upcoming Switch 2 game's reveal trailer doesn't mention Pauline (or a🅰ny another sidekick) at all, and all of th🍌e game's promotional materials elsewhere have DK causing havoc on his lonesome.

Pauline is, of course, the damsel in distress in Donkey Ko꧅ng's first ever video game - the arcade cabinet from 1981 that saw Mario jumping over barrels to save her from the ജthen-villainous monke. She then took up mayoral duties in Super Mario Odyssey's New Donk City and has showed up in a bunch of other recent Mario spin-offs.

This seemingly younger Pauline then has huge implications for the MarioVerse. Were Pauline and DK pals before he decided to kidnap her? Is Donkey Kong Bananza a prequel for one of gaming's oldest icons? Did Mario get entirely the wrong impression when he decided to 'rescue' Pauline? Heck, that might actually be Pauline's relative or an entirely new character altogether who's just revelling in the chaos. There are so many possibilities, but one thing's for sure: I did ಞnot expect to be so interested in this game's story. (Also, where's Diddy Kong, Nintendo?)

For now, find out about every Nintendo Switch 2 launch game that we know about so far.

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and🌃 this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback🧜 RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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