In today’s Nintendo Direct, Donkey Kong Bananza took centre stage — and it turns out the big guy’s not going it alone.
Nintendo confirmed that Pauline will join the action as a playable character in two-player co-op mode.
Interestingly, this isn’t the glam Mayor Pauline from Super Mario Odyssey (2017), nor the damsel-in-distress from the original Donkey Kong arcade game.
This version is noticeably younger, which has already kicked off fan speculation that Bananza could be some kind of prequel — though Nintendo hasn’t confirmed that bit just yet.
Also confirmed in the Direct: a return of classic Donkey Kong Country characters, new powers for DK, and a few gameplay mechanics that nod to retro roots while promising a fresh take.
No solid release date yet, but Bananza is shaping up to be a love letter to long-time DK fans — with a few curveballs thrown in for good measure.
Here’s what else happened today:
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Nintendo gave us a better look at Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, finally confirming a 2025 release window.
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The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom was announced, this time with Zelda as the playable protagonist.
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A remake of Dragon Quest III and news of Dragon Quest I & II remakes coming in 2025 had JRPG fans buzzing.
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And yes — Stray is officially coming to Switch this year.
All in all, one of the juiciest Directs in recent memory.
