Donkey Kong Bananza timeline explained: is it a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey?
Nintendo has always played fast and loose when it comes to story connections between games, but that hasn't stopped fans from trying to apply logic to the increasingly nonsensical.
The most notorious example is the The Legend Of Zelda, which encompasses multiple timelines and obscure multiplayer spin-offs. Nintendo has admitted it only considers this timeline 'to an extent' during development, as it doesn't want to restrain creativity based on whether or not a version of Link triumphed over Ganon in 1998.
Donkey Kong first appeared in the 1981 arcade game of the same name, alongside Pauline (no, it wasn't Princess Peach) and 'Jumpman' (later renamed as Mario). You might think an ape who throws barrels at a plumber doesn't have much complex lore to stew over, and you'd be very correct, but the latest entry Donkey Kong Bananza has thrown up some curveballs for anyone who loses sleep over the origins of Cranky Kong.
Before we dive in, here's a warning that there will be significant spoilers for the ending of Donkey Kong Bananza below. Very significant spoilers, in fact, so please don't ruin the (excellent) ending for yourself by mistake.
While Donkey Kong Bananza isn't heavy on narrative, there's one major twist towards the end of the game. Void Kong may have been sold as the game's big baddie, but King K. Rool is the true final boss. The classic DK nemesis, who was last featured in 2007's Donkey Kong: Jungle Climber on the Nintendo DS, is found trapped underground, before inevitably escaping.
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King K. Rool steals the Banandium Root and after Donkey Kong and Pauline defeat him, he steals it once again and uses it to corrupt a human city on the surface (aka New Donk City from Super Mario Odyssey). When you beat him again, he is sent flying away.
After completing the post-game content, Donkey Kong and Pauline use the Banandium Root to ascend to the surface, as the latter wishes to sing onstage at City Hall. 'Grandmother will be so proud,' she remarks. The final shot shows artwork of Pauline performing onstage in New Donk City.
While the game features a 13-year-old Pauline, it's not clear if it's the same Pauline who is the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. In fact, there's some evidence (albeit, tenuous) to suggest Donkey Kong Bananza is actually a sequel to Mario's adventure, and not an origin story for the singing mayor, as many originally assumed.
Throughout Donkey Kong Bananza, teenage Pauline makes various references to her grandmother, who we never see. In one key scene, where the pair encounter Diddy and Dixie Kong in the Racing Layer, Pauline tells DK, 'I'm glad you got to see your friends again! But if I don't get home, Grandma will worry.'
The identity of Pauline's grandma is never confirmed but there are several convincing theories. However, to understand the madness, some context is required on the history of Cranky Kong, aka Donkey Kong's alleged grandfather.
While there has been conflicting details over the years, the prevailing theory is that the Donkey Kong who kidnapped Pauline in the original arcade game is actually Cranky Kong. In Donkey Kong Bananza, there's even some evidence to support this, as the elder ape makes a reference to an old rival who wore overalls. 'In my day, rivals had charisma… even in overalls!' he remarks.
This is a reference to Mario, or Jumpman as he was known in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. The sequel was 1982's Donkey Kong Jr., which (if we're following the Cranky theory) features Cranky and Wrinkly Kong's son, as he tries to save his kidnapped father from Mario – in a reverse spin on the original premise.
A bone of contention is whether the Donkey Kong depicted in 1994's Donkey Kong Country is actually Donkey Kong Jr. or Donkey Kong Jr.'s son. However, according to the Donkey Kong Country manual, Donkey Kong is referred to as Cranky's grandson.
Essentially, this means the Donkey Kong depicted in Rare's Donkey Kong Country and onwards is actually the third generation of Donkey Kong, aka the son of Donkey Kong Jr. and another unknown Kong.
With this context in mind, it's easier to imagine that there are also multiple generations of Pauline at play. In the arcade game, Pauline is only referred to as 'the Lady' or 'Beautiful Girl' and is seen with blonde hair.
This is a different look from the mayor Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey, who has brown hair. While this might be a simple character redesign, or a flight of fancy with some hair dye, references to the original blonde Pauline can be seen on billboards within New Donk City.
Again, it might be a nod disconnected from any narrative cohesion, but the New Donk City Festival in Super Mario Odyssey – where Mario replicates the arcade Donkey Kong game under spectacular fireworks – is referred to as the 'story of our city's beginnings'. As such, this implies New Donk City was established after the original arcade game.
By extension it's possible Mayor Pauline is a descendant of the blonde Pauline, i.e. Pauline in Bananza is the daughter of Mayor Pauline and the granddaughter of the original arcade Pauline. The evidence for this is super thin but it could mean both Bananza protagonists are third generation offspring of parents with very limited imagination when it comes to naming their children.
This is certainly the most satisfying theory, but there's also a strong chance the teenage Pauline is a younger version of the mayor in Super Mario Odyssey, which would place Donkey Kong Bananza as a prequel. That would mean Pauline in Super Mario Odyssey is possibly the granddaughter of Arcade Pauline, and Nintendo just skipped a generation for some reason. More Trending
A question in Super Mario Odyssey supports this theory somewhat. During a quiz for a power moon, Pauline asks Mario 'which of these things did I actually do a long time ago?' where the correct answer is 'captured by ape'. While many assumed this was a reference to the events of the original arcade game and Cranky Kong, it's possible this refers to Void Kong and Donkey Kong Bananza's events – which is a nice bit of recontexualisation.
Perhaps the most disturbing ramification of all this is, if you buy into the theory of multiple generations, is where does this leave Mario? Is Jumpman the grandfather of the Mario seen in Super Mario Odyssey? Is he an immortal being untethered to time itself? Perhaps thankfully, these are not questions which Bananza concerns itself with.
Based on the inclusion of King K. Rool, Donkey Kong Bananza is set after the events of all three Donkey Kong Country games, and 1999's Donkey Kong 64. Redditor Espurreyes, who subscribes to the theory that Donkey Kong Bananza is a prequel to Super Mario Odyssey, has laid out a convenient timeline of the main Donkey Kong games above.
Of course, there's not enough evidence from Nintendo to roll out a definitive chronology of Donkey Kong's lineage, or exactly when all the games are set, but if you enjoy pondering the family tree of a fictional ape dressed in a tie, consider your needs served.
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Metro
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No Sleep For Kaname Date – From AI: The Somnium Files review
GameCentral reviews the newest AI: The Somnium Files game to see how it fares without series creator Kotaro Uchikoshi as the lead writer. At a time when video games need to be multimillion dollar hits to even get a shot at a sequel, it's refreshing to see a modest success like AI: The Somnium Files continue to receive new entries, despite being far from a household name. Neither the original game nor its sequel sold particularly well when they came out (certainly not enough for developer and publisher Spike Chunsoft to share sales numbers), but they've reportedly enjoyed long-term successes and have cultivated an enthusiastic fanbase. Even so, it was a shock to see a third game be announced at the June Nintendo Switch 2 presentation, as one of the console's first games. As its title indicates though, this isn't a full sequel but a shorter spin-off that puts the first game's protagonist, Kaname Date, back in the lead role. What's most surprising is that series director and writer Kotaro Uchikoshi is only involved in a supervisory role, leaving writing responsibilities to Kazuya Yamada. And unfortunately it shows, as No Sleep For Kaname Date feels like a lesser version of the games that came before. Set in-between the events of the last two games, No Sleep For Kaname Date begins with internet idol Iris (who's dressed as a sexy rabbit for reasons the game barely explains and no one even questions) being kidnapped, seemingly by an alien reptilian woman, and forced to play through a series of escape rooms. While Date can communicate with her to assist with the puzzles, he also has to uncover the truth behind Iris' kidnapping and whether aliens really are involved. Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Like the other two games, your time is split between Ace Attorney style point 'n' click investigations and escape room style Somnium sections, where you dive into a person's dreams to uncover information they're either unwilling or unable to share. In a series first, you also have traditional escape rooms where you use items to solve logic puzzles, much like Uchikoshi's Zero Escape games It's probably more accurate to say there are really only two gameplay sections, since the investigation scenes take a backseat this time around. There are no puzzles to solve in these and you spend all your time speaking with other characters to gain info and move the plot along, like an ordinary visual novel. As the series' bread and butter, the Somnium sections work the same as previous games. You move around a 3D space, interacting with objects to bypass mental locks while under a six minute time limit, with every movement and interaction you make taking precious seconds off the clock. However, you can earn TIMIEs to help reduce how much time interactions take, providing a layer of strategy to how you progress. Sometimes it can be worth picking the wrong action just to grab a specific TIMIE. Since Somniums are literal dream worlds, their biggest problem in previous games was that, sometimes, the logic you needed to follow didn't always make sense and progressing often required trial and error. That's still the case here but, in what we assume is an attempt to circumvent the issue, the Somnium sections are far more streamlined, with very few incidental items to distract you with. While this does make them more straightforward, this streamlining doesn't really solve the issue and is akin to throwing a rug over a hole in the floor. Visually, The Somniums are still surreal, but they feel toned down and less interesting compared to some of the more warped examples of previous games. There's also a real lack of fun and unique scenarios, like the second game's Pokémon Go inspired Somnium. It's easy to assume this is because more time has been put into the new escape rooms, which are structurally similar to the Somniums but don't rely on weird dream logic or a time limit… except for specific sections where you're given two unfavourable solutions to a puzzle and need to think of a third option before a timer runs out. However, these escape rooms aren't much better than the Somniums and are far more linear than they first appear. Unlike Zero Escape, where you could often solve puzzles in any order, No Sleep For Kaname Date railroads you into tackling them one after the other. This wouldn't be too much of a problem if the puzzles were fun to solve but we found most of them pretty unengaging and a few annoyingly frustrating. 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And whether it's a game, movie, book, or whatever, no audience willl appreciate reaching the end and being told by the story itself that everything they went through was 'a whole lot of nothing.' With any luck, Uchikoshi will be back in the driver's seat for a proper sequel but unless you're extremely desperate for something new starring Kaname Date and friends, you can comfortably skip this spin-off. In Short: A competently made but disappointingly inferior follow-up to the excellent AI: The Somnium Files games, featuring mediocre puzzles and an uncharacteristically simple mystery for a game with Kotaro Uchikoshi's name in the credits. Pros: Can be genuinely funny at times. Generous difficulty options. The Switch 2 version has mouse controls and runs very smoothly. Plenty of post-game bonus content. Mercifully short. Cons: The solid premise is quickly wasted on a core mystery that grows less intriguing and more predictable as it goes. Characters are borderline one-note. Somnium and escape room sections are too streamlined. Too many porno mag jokes. Score: 5/10 Formats: Nintendo Switch 2 (reviewed), Nintendo Switch, and PC Price: £34.99 Developer: Spike Chunsoft Publisher: Spike Chunsoft Release Date: 25th July 2025 Age Rating: 16 Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney Trilogy review – no reason to object MORE: Master Detective Archives: Rain Code review – the unofficial Danganronpa 4 MORE: Danganronpa 1•2 Reload review – trials by fire
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Games Inbox: Are gamers too entitled about video games?
The Friday letters page tries to figure out Nintendo's future plans for Mario Kart World, as one reader wishes Battlefield 6 didn't have a story mode. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Value for money I had a good laugh at the story about the fan trying to get a refund after playing a game for 35,000 hours but I think there's a serious point to be made here, in that it shows just how entitled most gamers are. We've seen on these pages the total lack of empathy from some people, towards the developers that make their game, but there's also this strange insistence that once you buy a game the publisher is honour bound to change it in any way you demand and make sure it works online for all eternity. There is absolutely no other product in the world that is treated this way, especially not at that price level. I'm not defending publishers for stopping support of a game early but there's got to be a sensible limit here. A video game is less than £100, often half that, and you're looking for lifetime support and instant changes? If this guy paid £40 for a video game four years ago, and he's put 35,000 hours into, I'd say he's had his money's worth. Coolsbane Split opinion I just finished Split Fiction with my girlfriend and we really enjoyed it. That developer is really good at these co-op games and I'm now automatically interested in anything else they do. But is it just me but is the story and characters kind of bad? Making writers your main characters is always a danger, just ask Alan Wake, but these two weirdos seem to have invented the least original fantasy and sci-fi worlds imaginable. The dialogue is also pretty bad. Not funny bad or anything, just really boring and obvious. Maybe it's meant to be that way on purpose, so as to not put off casual gamers, but it's so bland it really feels like a trick has been missed. Even the bad guy is terrible, and his plan is so obvious and also stupid. It Takes Two wasn't really much better either, it was just the game that was good. I hope they do better for next time. Firegon Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Unwanted story I get the negativity around Battlefield 6 but I am looking forward to the game and I think that it probably will be good, despite EA. I'm a bit worried about how they're going to handle classes, but other than that I like what I'm hearing and seeing (given the amount of footage that has leaked). The other reader was right that it's not a complicated game, but you wouldn't have thought that given how many times it's been messed up over the years. The only thing that really worries me about this game is that they're once again wasting time on a story campaign. Stop it! They've never been good, nobody cares whether they exist or not, and you're just wasting time and money on something that could be used for more important stuff. Other than that though, I'll give it a chance. Bosley Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Link to the photorealism Personally, I'm optimistic about the live action Zelda movie. Not for the film itself but a realistic portrayal of Link, if received well, could pave the way for a realistic looking game. Don't get me wrong I've loved the recent Zelda games, and The Wind Waker is one of my all-time favourite games ever, but Ocarina Of Time, at the time, just felt so groundbreaking. The game sure, but the graphics were for the time the best around. I understand why Nintendo have gone the path they chose but I long for that Link from the Space World demo. And yes, I know we subsequently got that with Twilight Princess but it's not aged well and wasn't really cutting edge at the time. Imagine a Zelda game that looks like the Demon's Souls remake, looking up and a dragon flying over the volcano in that style. With a more story driven game, where the Zelda and Link interact like Ellie and Joel. The swordplay could be exactly the same and I'll leave it to Nintendo to find that gameplay hook they do so well. Or at least an Ocarina Of Time remake will do, just give us one more realistic 4K Link, please. Phil No reason I am actually glad to hear that people are not buying Mario Kart World separately on digital. If you want a physical copy then fine but I can't see one single reason why you'd buy a Switch 2 and then, days or weeks later, buy Mario Kart digitally. You'd have to either hate Mario Kart and then suddenly come round to it (after playing it on someone else's Switch 2?) or… not know it was out and then act shocked when you find out? To be honest, I'm surprised it was even the third most popular game on the eShop, because every single person that bought it really needs to think about their money saving skills. Renton It's the children who are wrong People are right to question exactly how much the PlayStation 6 is going to cost, if it's both a portable and a home console. A PS5 Pro and a PlayStation Portal is already £900 and I don't see any chance that the PlayStation 6 combo is going to be any cheaper. I really don't see how there's that many people that're going to be interested in throwing down that sort of money for a console whose graphics are barely going to look any better and probably won't have many exclusives. At the very least a Switch style hybrid approach seems a better idea, but none of the rumours seem to say that at all. Either I'm completely out of the loop or Sony are getting high on their own fumes. I just cannot imagine any situation where they suddenly announce the PlayStation 6 and everyone goes crazy for it and starts pre-ordering. What games are they going to use to promote it? How are they going to do or look anything different to the PlayStation 5? Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe Sony has a secret plan that's definitely going to work but I don't see it at all. To be honest I'm kind of worried about the future of gaming right now. Mapes Gonna take you for a ride Bargain alert: Marvel Vs. Capcom Fighting Collection for PlayStation 4 is on sale for £23.80 (usual price £44.99) on Amazon for a limited time. The Switch version is on sale too but it is a digital code in a box. Andrew J. PS: The people who made the Rubber Keyed Wonder documentary about the Spectrum and the documentary about the PlayStation, called the PlayStation Revolution, are now making an expanded Blu-ray of the ZX Spectrum computer, covering various topics about the Spectrum including its games, the hardware design, and peripherals. It's on sale for £25 plus postage for the next seven days. Wider World Everything tells me that Mario Kart World is definitely going to be treated like a live service game, that's constantly updated with characters from upcoming games. I'd almost bet on it, except I can't think of any reason why Nintendo hasn't already told us about it. It seems so obvious that something is going on with Donkey Kong, but it's been out for a week now so why haven't they announced it? Maybe it'll be at the rumoured Nintendo Direct this month but why did it have to wait till then? I don't get it. But if it does happen, it could explain everything. It would explain all the missing characters that were in Mario Kart 8 (maybe we're getting a new game with the Koopalings!) and it would be a way to slowly introduce characters from other franchises. You could use Hyrule Warriors to add Zelda characters, Kirby Air Riders to add Kirby, and Metroid Prime 4 to add Samus, ideally with custom cars. I don't know if they'd do that many at once, maybe they'd want to wait until mainline entries, but they could just add extra costumes and cars for that. Whether they'd go as far as adding new areas of the map I don't know but if they don't I'm not sure how else bigger DLC is going to work. The ones on Mario Kart 8 did great, so they're going to want to copy that, but are they going to start plugging in new areas on the map, like a jigsaw? Or maybe this is all just too much of a good idea and they're going to do nothing. With Nintendo you just never know. Occo Inbox also-rans As usual with Nintendo I can't tell if they're being purposefully evil in cheaping out over the Switch 2 version of Mario Party or if they just didn't see how it would come across. Either way I'm definitely not getting it, if it's so half-assed. Lurch That Lego Game Boy is amazing. I imagine it'd be really easy to make it actually work too. The innards of a Game Boy must be something you could make a system on a chip for that's the size of a pinhead nowadays. All you'd have to do is get the buttons working, which I bet you can do with Lego. Qwark More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Why has the Nintendo Switch 2 been so successful? MORE: Games Inbox: Will there ever be a new Mass Effect game? MORE: Games Inbox: Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Commodore Amiga
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
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Wuchang: Fallen Feathers has got wings. Real ones. The cursed heroine of this Soulslike game wakes up with a bad case of amnesia, and then starts sprouting feathers...
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