On the Nintendo Korea website, Nintendo fans were surprised to see a young Pauline holding onto Donkey Kong’s necktie in a promotional image for the upcoming game Donkey Kong Bananza. The image was quickly replaced before some eagle-eyed fans grabbed a screenshot. In most of the game’s promotional material, Donkey Kong is smashing his fist into the ground, causing rocks and rubble to fly, with the purple, rock-like character Odd Rock behind him.
However, the briefly shown image on the Korean website had Odd Rock missing, replaced by a young Pauline clinging to Donkey Kong’s tie. This marks the first time Pauline has been featured in any of the game’s promotional content, suggesting that Nintendo may have intended to keep her appearance a surprise.
Pauline’s surprise appearance
Furthermore, Pauline’s young age in the image has led to speculation that Donkey Kong Bananza could be a prequel, although Nintendo has not confirmed this. Donkey Kong Bananza is set to release on July 17 for $69.99, exclusively on the Nintendo Switch 2. Early hands-on previews have praised the game’s gorgeous visuals, with one preview stating, “I think Bananza is on track to be one of the most gorgeous Nintendo games I’ve seen.
It really does take advantage of Switch 2’s hardware — the environments are beautiful, and Donkey Kong’s animations are wonderfully expressive — the next generation of first-party Nintendo games had arrived.
As the release date approaches, fans are eagerly awaiting more information about the game and Pauline’s role in the story. Nintendo Korea’s accidental reveal has only heightened the anticipation for Donkey Kong’s latest adventure.
Image Credits: Photo by Alvaro Reyes on Unsplash
April Isaacs is a news contributor for DevX.com She is long-term, self-proclaimed nerd. She loves all things tech and computers and still has her first Dreamcast system. It is lovingly named Joni, after Joni Mitchell.
