Donkey Kong Bananza Raises The Possibility Of A DK Multiverse

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The upcoming game for Nintendo Switch 2, titled Donkey Kong Bananza, is slated to release within the next month, falling neatly within the “launch window” category. During a speedy presentation, Nintendo unveiled details about DKB, including its narrative, features, Amiibo compatibility, and more. All in all, it seems like it’s going to be an absolute blast!

In Donkey Kong Bananza, Donkey Kong can transform into a Super Saiyan or a zebra, there are villainous capitalist Kongs plotting, and he collects something called “Bananergy.” Critics are giving it top marks. However, the story elements seem to challenge our knowledge of Donkey Kong’s history. Yes, I did just mention “Donkey Kong lore” without a hint of irony. Get ready, folks! Brace yourselves for some fascinating revelations about our beloved Kong!

The presentation for Donkey Kong Bananza began by introducing young Pauline, a budding singer who later became the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. In this game, she appears to be around 10 years old and accompanies DK as a sidekick character. Pauline has a dream, and she believes that DK is being taken advantage of by his capitalist bosses. As a result, they team up on a journey toward the planet’s core to make a wish. Everything seems quite ordinary until this point.

It’s clear that the character of young Pauline indicates this story is set before previously known events. For quite some time, DK has been portrayed as reformed from his villainous days in the original Donkey Kong, but partnering with a child Pauline hints at a deeper tale than we thought. By the time he picked her up and carried her to a tower, necessitating Jump Man (Mario) to save her, they had a past relationship – they were long-time friends! It’s quite astonishing.

However, the Bananza presentation unexpectedly added another twist when it was disclosed that you could encounter Cranky Kong. Now, hold on a second. Could someone clarify what’s happening now?

In case you remember, Cranky Kong is the original character behind Donkey Kong in the Donkey Kong Country series: The one who’s friends with Diddy Kong and the rest, is actually his grandson who is more outspoken than the Donkey Kong we’ve been playing. It was Cranky Kong who saved Pauline, climbed the tower, and faced off against Jump Man (later known as Mario).

It’s important to note that if Cranky Kong is included in this game, it seems logical for Pauline to be an adult. If she’s portrayed as a child instead, then Donkey Kong would essentially be a younger version of Cranky Kong who, around ten years later, would capture her and climb structures. Having both an older Cranky Kong and a young girl named Pauline in the same game doesn’t make any sense at all.

In Donkey Kong Bananza, there might be a twist involving time travel, as Cranky Kong could encounter his younger self from the past. Although it seems implausible, it’s no more outlandish than other elements we’ve seen in this game.

Or:
In Donkey Kong Bananza, they could introduce a plot element where Cranky Kong meets his younger self through time travel. While it may sound absurd, it’s not beyond the realm of possibility for this game.

It seems to me that this modern version of Donkey Kong, Pauline, and Cranky Kong might be entirely unrelated to the classic series we used to know. Donkey Kong Bananza appears to be a fresh take on the character, blending old elements with new narratives that aren’t confined by the traditional storylines of the original. In essence: We’ve ventured into the realm of multiple Donkey Kong universes.

Or maybe Nintendo is just making it up as they go. I may be overthinking this.

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2025-06-18 17:39