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 of Pauline's inclusion comes from the fact that she is a grown adult in Super Mario Odyssey, and that it was originally assumed that Cranky Kong was the DK from the arcade game that 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 now here she is working alongside him as a kid in Bananza, how does this all fit in? Where exactly does Bananza take place?
Well, minor 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 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 lead to a lot of confusion. However, Banazna does in fact have a moment that confirms the game's connection to Odyssey, and that shows it 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.
With Pauline's age now being cleared up by Bananza itself however, the real confusion actually comes from where the rest of the Donkey Kong series fits in... As this isn't quite as clear.
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 in with Pauline now being in her early 20s in the "modern day." 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. Bananza itself also seems to be a sequel to Donkey Kong Country, with multiple characters appearing within the game, but the game does not officially confirm this. There are some moments that really suggest it is a sequel to Country, but it isn't directly stated.
It is possible that Nintendo has fully reinvented Donkey Kong and retconned previous events in the series, but it is hard to say for sure with what we are given here. One event does point towards it being a sequel, but we'll leave that for you to discover.
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!
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