The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 platformer Donkey Kong Bananza has shown off more gameplay.
Nintendo’s Donkey Kong Bananza Direct went live today, showing off almost 18 minutes’ worth of new gameplay and details for the upcoming 3D platformer. The Nintendo Direct also revealed that Donkey Kong will have a sidekick throughout his subterranean adventure in this game: Pauline!
Pauline seems to have been de-aged for this game, as she appears to be much younger than previous appearances of the character in Donkey Kong (1981) and Super Mario Odyssey.
Watch the Nintendo Direct below:
Donkey Kong Bananza shows off new gameplay
Nintendo has shown off more gameplay for Donkey Kong Bananza, a new 3D platformer launching on the Nintendo Switch 2. In the game’s reveal, players noted that Donkey Kong had been carrying around a little purple rock. We now know that this rock contains a young version of Pauline, the singer who performed the Super Mario Odyssey banger Jump Up, Super Star.
Pauline appears to be a lot younger in this new game, however, which raises a few questions. Is this a prequel set during Pauline’s younger years, long before the establishment of New Donk City, where she later became mayor? If so, how is Cranky Kong present in-game, given that he was heavily implied to be the original Donkey Kong, who kidnapped an adult Pauline in 1981’s Donkey Kong?
Confusing Donkey Kong lore aside, Pauline features in Donkey Kong Bananza as the titular protagonist’s sidekick, using her singing abilities to help him track down objectives and bypass obstacles. She can also sing to transform Donkey Kong into different animals, granting him new traversal abilities. Her main objective is to return to the surface world, though it's unclear how she became trapped in a rock.
The game also features a variety of cosmetics for players to dress up Donkey Kong and Pauline, along with a host of other goodies for players to find buried under destructible rocks and puzzles. These goodies include Banandium Gems, which take the form of golden bananas scattered around the game’s maps–much like Super Mario Odyssey’s Power Moons.
Donkey Kong Bananza launches on Nintendo Switch 2 on 17 July, 2025.
