Donkey Kong Bananza (sorry for the misspelling in past articles!) was easily one of the biggest reveals of the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on Wednesday. Seeing DK in not only a “new form” of sorts, but being able to go nuts on the environment around him was something truly fun to see. Fans (including myself) have been asking for a new 3D title for years and now we’re finally getting it. The question is, what is the story about? Yes, we know the story doesn’t SEEM like the biggest deal here, but it’s something that Nintendo has been keeping tight-lipped. Except…
…some updated key art for Donkey Kong Bananza has leaked, and as Insider Stealth reveals below, it looks like a younger version of Pauline is in the game!
Young Pauline has been spotted in newly discovered Donkey Kong Bananza Key Art. Is this the origin story of how Donkey Kong met Pauline? The story implications are wild!
— Stealth40k (@stealth40k.bsky.social) 2025-04-05T13:54:13.488Z
So, yeah, this raises all manner of questions, including what else this story and game might throw at us! Pauline has been in the fans’ eyes a lot since Super Mario Odyssey, including being a playable character in multiple games afterward, and being revealed for Mario Kart World! Undoubtedly, fans will want to know why Pauline is so young in the game and how she and DK work together to save the day.
We’ll find out on July 17th on Nintendo Switch 2!
