Since the reveal of Pauline being in Donkey Kong Bananza, many have been wondering where the new game fits within the timeline. Well now that the game is officially out, we finally have the answer.
The main confusion regarding Pauline's inclusion comes from the fact that she is a grown adult in Super Mario Odyssey, and it was originally assumed that Cranky Kong was the DK from the arcade game who had kidnapped her. Pauline also talks about being captured at one point in Super Mario Odyssey and asks Mario if he had any knowledge of this.
So, if Pauline had already been kidnapped by DK, yet here she is working alongside him as a kid in Bananza, how does this all fit in? Where exactly does Bananza take place?
Well, spoilers ahead as we are about to reveal the answer, but we will not disclose the details of how it is officially confirmed in-game. So continue reading at your own risk if you want it to be a surprise.
Where Donkey Kong Bananza Takes Place in the Timeline:
As many might have assumed, Donkey Kong Bananza does in fact seem to take place prior to Super Mario Odyssey. Almost right from the get-go, it is revealed that Pauline is only 13 years old here. This was also announced by Nintendo ahead of release, and it is what led to a lot of confusion. However, Bananza does have a moment that confirms the game's connection to Odyssey, and that shows it seemingly does take place before it. In other words, Bananza is a direct prequel.
Going back to what we've seen in Odyssey itself, this means the "being captured" incident mentioned by Pauline is actually in reference to another event, and not the original Donkey Kong as fans previously assumed. Of course, this is most likely a retcon within the universe, but there is always the chance that Nintendo was already thinking ahead. Development on Bananza began not too long after Odyssey and was originally set for release on the Switch, so it is hard to say what Nintendo had planned when they included this piece of dialogue in the game. (Unless they were talking about Mario vs. Donkey Kong.)
With Pauline's age now being cleared up by Bananza itself, the real confusion actually comes from where the rest of the Donkey Kong series fits in along with Mario. There is quite a bit that hints at how this all fits together, but it might not be 100% accurate.
What about Donkey Kong Country?
If Pauline is 13 here and at least in her early 20s in Odyssey, then does that mean Donkey Kong Country is also a prequel to most of the Mario series, minus games like Yoshi's Island?
Well, Miyamoto himself has previously stated that Mario is around 24 years old, which would also fit with Pauline now being in her early 20s in the "modern day" when we saw her in New Donk City. This means Bananza would take place roughly 10 years before Odyssey, and that also means it takes place 10 years before the rest of the Mario series.
Keeping this in mind, Bananza itself confirms it is a direct sequel to Donkey Kong Country, with multiple characters appearing within the game and past events being referenced. Even Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong mention their past adventures together, but there is at least one other event that strongly suggests Bananza is a sequel. This means that the main Donkey Kong series, including Country, is a prequel to Mario, and that actually fits with what we've seen in the past; we just didn't realize it.
Thanks to Yoshi's Island DS, we know that DK is actually the same age as Mario, and he would age much faster as he is a monkey. Him being fully grown in Country matches with the timeline and still works with the 10-year gap prior to Super Mario Bros.
Still, it is important to keep in mind that none of this has been officially confirmed by Nintendo, and it is always possible they didn't fully care about the continuity.
Is Cranky Kong Still the Original Donkey Kong?
One thing to note about his appearance in the game: Cranky Kong still makes references to the original arcade game, which further supports the idea that he is in fact the original Donkey Kong.
In Odyssey, it was stated that New Donk City was founded after the events of the arcade game, which pretty much confirms our Pauline is not the same one Cranky Kong had captured. To keep with this continuity, it's possible that Jumpman and Mario are not truly one and the same either, and it could also be that the Pauline from the arcade game is actually our current Pauline's grandmother. Pauline does mention her grandmother in Bananza multiple times, but most of these references can actually be missed if players fail to sleep at every hideout in the game.
Another piece of evidence that points towards this being the case is the fact that Pauline initially is terrified of monkeys but learns to trust DK as they work their way to the planet's core. The game never outright shows where this fear originated, but having a grandmother who was kidnapped would explain a lot.
That being said, Bananza seems to be sticking with the general release order of the Donkey Kong series when it comes to the timeline, but it is still a little unclear on how this all fits in with Mario.
And there you have it!
Hopefully, this cleared up at least some of your questions about the new Donkey Kong game, while at the same time not ruining anything for you. There are quite a few surprises in this adventure, so we hope you enjoy discovering them for yourself! Technically, everything discussed here is still a theory, but we do know for sure that Bananza is a sequel to Country, and there is a strong connection to Odyssey.
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