Donkey Kong Bananza is the following huge Change 2 recreation, touchdown firmly inside “launch window” standing subsequent month. Nintendo took the wraps off DKB with a rapid-fire presentation detailing its story, options, Amiibo help, and extra, and altogether it seems to be like a dang hoot. Donkey Kong can go Tremendous Saiyajin or flip right into a zebra, there is a cabal of evil capitalist Kongs, he collects Bananergy. Excessive marks throughout the board. The story parts, although, seem to boost some fairly critical questions on our understanding of Donkey Kong lore. That is proper, I mentioned “Donkey Kong lore” with a straight face. Buckle up, youngsters.
The Donkey Kong Bananza presentation opened with introducing younger Pauline, a budding singer who we all know from Tremendous Mario Odyssey would go on to be mayor of New Donk Metropolis. On this recreation she seems to be not more than 10 years previous or so and hangs off DK’s again as a companion character. Pauline has a dream, and DK is being exploited by his capitalist overlords, so collectively they head towards the planet core to make a want. All fully regular up to now.
In actual fact, the presence of a younger Pauline implies that it is a prequel of types. DK has been rehabilitated from his villainous persona within the unique Donkey Kong for years, however buddying up with Pauline as somewhat woman means that there was extra to the story than we knew. As of the time when DK grabbed her and carried her to the highest of a tower and compelled Soar Man (aka Mario) to rescue her, that they had a historical past. They had been previous associates! The thoughts reels.
However then, the Bananza presentation threw one other curveball by revealing which you can meet Cranky Kong. Now wait only a rattling minute. What the hell is happening right here?
As DK fans might recall, Cranky Kong is canonically the unique Donkey Kong: The DK we have been enjoying all through the Donkey Kong Nation video games, the one who’s friends with Diddy Kong and the remaining, is definitely his extra charismatic grandson. It was Cranky Kong who grabbed Pauline and climbed the tower and squared off in opposition to Soar Man.
So chances are you’ll begin to see the issue right here. If previous Cranky Kong is on this recreation, Pauline must be an grownup. If Pauline is a child, then Donkey Kong must be a barely youthful Cranky Kong who, 10 or so years sooner or later, will seize her and climb a bunch of girders. Having a fully-aged Cranky Kong and a younger woman Pauline seem in the identical recreation makes completely no sense.
There are methods to make it work. Donkey Kong Bananza may indicate some type of time-travel component by which Cranky Kong was sucked again into the previous to satisfy his youthful self. That risk appears bananas, however frankly no extra so than anything we have seen from this recreation.
The extra probably risk in my thoughts, although, is that this model of Donkey Kong, Pauline, and Cranky Kong are completely separate and distinct from the valuable unique continuity. Donkey Kong Bananza seems to be a form of DK reboot, remixing acquainted parts into a brand new continuity that’s not certain by any of the storytelling conventions of the unique. In different phrases: We have entered the DK multiverse.
Or perhaps Nintendo is simply making it up as they go. I could also be overthinking this.