Donkey Kong Bananza Confirms Super Mario Odyssey's Pauline Is Your New Sidekick — and DK Can Now Transform Into a Zebra or Flying Ostrich

Nintendo has revealed caller Donkey Kong Bananza gameplay details successful today's Nintendo Direct, which has besides confirmed that Super Mario Odyssey's Pauline volition beryllium your sidekick quality successful the game.

This younger mentation of Pauline was antecedently leaked by Nintendo, past rapidly scrubbed from the internet. Exactly however Nintendo's upcoming 3D platformer fits into the wider Kong storyline, though, remains to beryllium seen.

Here, Pauline tin usage her singing talents to temporarily alteration DK into respective caller forms — a charging zebra, oregon a flying ostrich that tin driblet ovum bombs. Pauline tin besides beryllium controlled by a 2nd player, turning Bananza into a co-op acquisition wherever Pauline's vocals go explosive blasts, which tin beryllium aimed via the Joy-Con's rodent controls to assistance DK with his destruction.

Using GameShare, this co-op offering tin beryllium played connected aggregate section Switch consoles — including Switch 1 — without your co-op spouse needing a transcript of the crippled themselves.

Other caller gameplay features confirmed contiguous included the quality to skate astir connected pieces of the situation that DK has torn retired of the ground, and adjacent instrumentality them unneurotic to signifier caller structures specified arsenic bridges. And past there's DK Artist, a mode that lets you get originative with Bananza's demolition effects, and carve your ain statues retired of stone.

Eagle-eyed viewers volition apt person spotted returning classical characters Cranky Kong and Rambi the Rhino, but did you besides spot Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong? They're included, though what their roles volition beryllium remains uncertain.

SPOTTED: Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong successful Donkey Kong Bananza. (They're alive!) #IGNSummerOfGaming pic.twitter.com/QgblHY4jtX

Nintendo itself has besides separately confirmed the instrumentality of Diddy and Dixie, seen present arsenic opponents successful Bananza's racing mini-game:

pic.twitter.com/Eyligdsgzg

Speaking of different acquainted elements, today's Nintendo Direct besides featured a caller mentation of the iconic DK Rap from Donkey Kong 64 that's acceptable to diagnostic successful Bananza. (Here's hoping composer Grant Kirkhope is credited for this version, aft antecedently complaining helium had been near retired of the Super Mario Movie credits.)

And speaking of credits, 1 notable omission from the Nintendo Direct was immoderate confirmation arsenic to which Nintendo improvement squad is down Donkey Kong Bananza. Fans had antecedently speculated that the crippled is the enactment of the company's talented Super Mario Odyssey crew. Whether Pauline's reappearance present is different hint remains to beryllium seen.

Accompanying the game, Nintendo besides announced a caller Donkey Kong Bananza amiibo fig featuring DK and Pauline. This volition beryllium disposable alongside the crippled and grants a costume for Pauline earlier than you'd different unlock it. All different amiibo figures are besides compatible, and volition spawn adjuvant pieces of terrain material.

"Bananza is connected way to beryllium 1 of the astir gorgeous Nintendo games I’ve seen," IGN wrote successful our Donkey Kong Bananza hands-on preview. "It truly does instrumentality vantage of Switch 2's hardware – the environments are beauteous and DK’s animations are wonderfully expressive, and I near feeling similar the adjacent procreation of first-party Nintendo games had genuinely arrived."

Donkey Kong Bananza launches July 17, exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You tin scope Tom astatine [email protected] oregon find him connected Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social