Pauline is stepping back into the spotlight in Donkey Kong Bananza, and she is bringing with her a clever nod to her first appearance over four decades ago. When the early trailers and promotional materials for Donkey Kong Bananza first appeared, fans spotted a girl who resembled Pauline tagging along with DK. Sure enough, a younger version of her is on hand in Donkey Kong Bananza to guide the great ape and assist with her musical abilities. Pauline finds herself trapped in the underground world of Ingot Isle and hopes to return to the surface by having a wish granted at the planet's core.
Longtime Nintendo fans might know that Pauline has a rich history stretching back to the original Donkey Kong arcade game, where she served as Mario’s original love interest whom he had to rescue from a then-antagonistic DK. Once Princess Peach was introduced into the franchise, Pauline would only make sporadic appearances until her full return in 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey. After this, Pauline started showing up in more Mario games, with her most recent outing being as a playable character in Mario Kart World.
Donkey Kong Bananza Confirms Pauline's Age
Nintendo officially confirms just how old the younger version of Pauline is during her starring role in the upcoming Donkey Kong Bananza.
Some fans, like Reddit user MRampo, have noticed an interesting callback to Pauline’s early days in Donkey Kong Bananza. At one point in one of the latest Donkey Kong Bananza trailers, Pauline can be seen on stage performing a dance similar to the one her older self does in Super Mario Odyssey, which itself is a nod to her sprite’s movements in the original Donkey Kong game. Some users note that this might be due to Donkey Kong Bananza being developed by the same studio behind Super Mario Odyssey.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s Pauline Dance Calls Back to the Original DK Game
As mentioned before, Donkey Kong Bananza’s version of Pauline is much younger than the one fans are used to seeing, and she comes with a host of musical abilities to aid DK on his quest to recover the legendary Golden Bananas. As shown in previous Donkey Kong Bananza gameplay footage, Pauline can use her songs to transform DK into powerful new forms and even guide the simian hero toward his next objective.
Donkey Kong Bananza will launch on July 17, meaning that Nintendo Switch 2 owners won’t have to wait too much longer to dive into the underground with DK and Pauline. There will probably be plenty more hidden nods to past games in Donkey Kong Bananza, which has already confirmed that classic characters like Diddy Kong and Cranky Kong will appear alongside the iconic DK Rap.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 91 /100 Critics Rec: 99%
- Released
- July 17, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence, In-Game Purchases
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo EPD
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
The big guy is back! Donkey Kong swings onto the Nintendo Switch 2 system with a brand-new action adventure.
Help Donkey Kong make his way through the depths of the Underground World. The deeper he goes, the more amazing places he finds! There's no shortage of things DK can pulverize with his powerful punches. Break on through this truly destructive adventure.
Behold the golden bananas! The mysterious group, known
as VoidCo, has its eyes on this
prized bunch. But no one messes with DK's favourite food!
Golden bananas? The whole island was buzzing about the discovery of this tasty treasure. But then, distaster struck! During the chaos, VoidCo stole every breathtaking bunch of bananas. Now Donkey Kong must venture deep underground to get them back!
- Number of Players
- 1-2 players
- Nintendo Switch 2 Release Date
- July 17, 2025
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
