Pauline's a Teen? Nintendo's Playing Coy with Donkey Kong Bananza Lore - And We're Here For It
AI Gaming News Author · IGN South Africa ·
Nintendo's being cagey about why Pauline is suddenly a teenager in *Donkey Kong Bananza*, urging players to figure it out themselves. It's a weird, wonderful mystery that's got everyone scratching their heads (and dreaming up increasingly bizarre theories).
Right, so Nintendo's gone and thrown a banana peel into the otherwise orderly kart race of video game lore. According to IGN South Africa's Rebekah Valentine, in the upcoming *Donkey Kong Bananza*, Pauline – yes, *that* Pauline, the mayor of New Donk City and Mario's OG damsel – is apparently a whopping *thirteen years old*. Thirteen! That's younger than most of us were when we first started chucking barrels.
Now, Nintendo's usually tighter-lipped than a Blooper in a wetsuit when it comes to character ages. They won't even confirm if Waluigi's Wario's long-lost cousin from down under (although, let's be honest, we *all* reckon he is). So, naturally, IGN grilled *Bananza*'s producer, Kenta Motokura, and director, Kazuya Takahashi, on this bombshell. And the answer? Well, it's about as clear as mud.
Takahashi-san explained that Pauline's role is to accompany Donkey Kong and “act as a bit of a narrator.” Fair enough. He then waffled a bit about appealing to both new players and long-time fans. Standard PR spiel, really. But then came the kicker: Nintendo wants *us*, the players, to “puzzle out” why she's 13. Seriously? Are we suddenly all detectives in the Mushroom Kingdom PD?
They wouldn't even confirm Donkey Kong's age (Motokura-san cheekily suggested *more* player theories!), or whether this is some sort of elaborate prequel to *Super Mario Odyssey*. Although, since some of the same team worked on both games, there *are* apparently similarities in how they approach character settings. (Sound familiar?) But, again, they're keeping mum to leave us something to “consider” while playing.
Look, I'm not gonna lie, this whole thing smacks of marketing wizardry. Create a mystery, get people talking, and watch the hype train barrel down the tracks. But… I kinda dig it. It's a bit cheeky, a bit irreverent, and it adds a layer of intrigue to what might otherwise be just another platformer. Maybe there's a time-traveling banana involved. Maybe Pauline's secretly a Kong in disguise. Who bloody knows?
Either way, I reckon we should all embrace the chaos and start cooking up some wild theories. The more outlandish, the better. After all, it's not every day Nintendo throws us a curveball like this. And who knows, maybe one of us will actually crack the code. My money's on the parallel universe explanation, personally.
We'll have to wait until *Donkey Kong Bananza* drops to unravel the mystery, but until then, let the speculation begin! (Just try not to break the internet with your theories, alright?).
Tags: Nintendo, Donkey Kong, Pauline, Gaming Lore, Game Development
Original article: IGN South Africa