Nintendo simply dropped a ton of particulars concerning the subsequent main Swap 2 first-party recreation. Donkey Kong Bananza was the star of a Nintendo Direct livestream this morning and it was stuffed to the brim with nifty tidbits to get followers excited concerning the 3D platformer.
The most important information is the addition of Pauline as DK's sidekick. She goes all the best way again to the unique Donkey Kong arcade recreation. Nintendo actually pulled a quick one right here, as the primary trailer confirmed the sidekick as an anthropomorphic rock of some sort. This could be consistent with Mario's varied companions in his 3D platformers, as he's teamed up with hats, stars and different inanimate objects.
Nonetheless, it was all a ruse. Pauline is the sidekick, as she was trapped within that rock. Nintendo actually went all in with this prank. Even the unique field artwork confirmed the little rock character, which has now been changed by Pauline. There's even a two-player co-op mode during which one particular person controls Pauline. This can work on GameShare, so it solely requires one copy of the sport.
WHILE IT HASN'T BEEN UPDATED ON SOME RETAIL SITES, NINTENDO HAS UPDATED THE BOX ART FOR DONKEY KONG BANANZA TO FEATURE THE REVEAL OF PAULINE INSTEAD OF THE ODD ROCK #SWITCH2 pic.twitter.com/nqKziSrPEO
— FAKE (@FakePearBear) June 18, 2025
There are some main lore implications right here. Donkey Kong Bananza options Pauline as a child and the Donkey Kong arcade cupboard starred her as an grownup. This throws all the pieces we all know concerning the arcade recreation into query. Was Donkey Kong simply defending his surrogate daughter from the evil mustached plumber? Keep in mind, Donkey Kong Jr. featured Mario because the antagonist.
It's additionally value noting that Pauline final appeared in Tremendous Mario Odyssey, because the mayor of New Donk Metropolis. Did she create the town to honor her childhood hero? I’ve so many questions.
Pauline wasn't the one cool factor that Nintendo revealed right now. Donkey Kong Bananza has some mild RPG mechanics, within the type of a ability tree. There are outfits to buy for each DK and Pauline, which is all the time enjoyable. DK may flip into different creatures, providing the ape new talents. Reworking into an ostrich inexplicably grants flight and turning right into a zebra lets gamers run on water.
The trailer additionally positioned a heavy emphasis on the damaging nature of the gameplay. We already knew that DK may destroy absolutely anything, resulting in novel exploration strategies, however that appears to be a fair greater a part of the sport than we thought. Keep in mind how a lot climbing up something modified the Zelda formulation with Breath of the Wild? That is Donkey Kong's tackle that.
I like that amiibo aren’t lifeless but ❤️
Donkey Kong Bananza amiibo ft. DK and Pauline pic.twitter.com/iOJreOWIbf— amiibo Alerts (@amiiboAlerts) June 18, 2025
Lastly, the sport will make use of the Pleasure-Con's mouse performance. There's a bonus mode the place gamers can sculpt rocks by way of mouse controls. Donkey Kong Bananza is a Swap 2 unique that will likely be out there on July 17. Nintendo can be prepping an Amiibo determine that stars each Donkey Kong and Pauline. This grants a brand new outfit for Pauline.
This text initially appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/nintendo/nintendo-just-revealed-pauline-as-a-surprise-character-in-donkey-kong-bananza-165132377.html?src=rss