Through promotional images for Donkey Kong Bananza on Nintendo’s Korean website, the company has accidentally revealed that Pauline of Super Mario Odyssey fame will also be present in the game somehow. The image has seemingly since been corrected, but it was spotted by social media X user Genki_JPN. Check it out below.
At the time of publishing, the promotional image has been altered to remove the presence of Pauline. Interestingly, Pauline’s presence in the game’s art indicates that there might be other crossovers between Donkey Kong Bananza and Super Mario Odyssey.
It is worth noting that, while Pauline was officially named and was even featured in a singing role in Super Mario Odyssey‘s New Donk City level, the character has been around for much longer. Pauline is the person being rescued by Mario in the original 1981 Donkey Kong.
More recently, 2017’s Super Mario Odyssey featured Pauline as a prominent part of its marketing leading up to its release. Pauline is also the character that sings the title’s theme song, Jump Up, Super Star!, which also acts as a bombastic finale for the game’s New Donk City stage.
While the Mario and Donkey Kong universes haven’t really had much in the way of stories or overarching lore, Pauline’s presence in Donkey Kong Bananza does have some more humorous implications for both games. Since Pauline was originally kidnapped by the titular character in the 1981 Donkey Kong, it might be possible that the two have since become friends leading up to the events of Donkey Kong Bananza.
Donkey Kong Bananza was officially unveiled during Nintendo’s Switch 2-oriented Direct earlier this month. The title is the first fully-3D platformer in the Donkey Kong franchise since the 1999 release of Donkey Kong 64 on the Nintendo 64.
In Donkey Kong Bananza, players take on the role of Donkey Kong has he platforms and wrecks his way through various levels. The game also seemingly features quite a bit of environmental destruction, allowing players to cause plenty of chaos throughout the game’s levels.
Donkey Kong Bananza will be coming to the Nintendo Switch 2 on July 17. More gameplay details about the title were revealed during Nintendo’s Treehouse streams. The new gameplay footage showcased the title’s exploration mechanics, including environmental destruction, as well as platforming.
The title is slated to require 10 GB of storage when it comes out. File sizes for other games have also been revealed. Mario Kart World, for instance, will need 23.4 GB, while Switch 2 Enhanced title Kirby and the Forgotten Land will come in at 5.7 GB.
Full key art pic.twitter.com/hWxDMyZ32D
— Genki✨ (@Genki_JPN) April 5, 2025
