Nintendo accidentally leaks an unrevealed Donkey Kong Bananza character that might unironically have big lore implications for the Mario universe

Not many people were expecting the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct to reveal Donkey Kong Bananza, the character's first new game in over a decade and his first 3D adventure since the N64, but the game's mere existence isn't the only surprise. Nintendo itself (maybe) accidentally just showed off that an unrevealed character is front and centre in the game.

(Naturally, there might be some spoilers for the game's, err marketing, but don't worry about spoilers for the game itself since we're just going to talk about its box art.)

The Nintendo Korea website currently includes Donkey Kong Bananza's full cover art, which features what looks like a much younger version of Pauline riding and holding on to DK's iconic tie with a smile on her face, all while he smashes the ground to pieces. The upcoming Switch 2 game's reveal trailer doesn't mention Pauline (or any another sidekick) at all, and all of the game's promotional materials elsewhere have DK causing havoc on his lonesome.

Pauline is, of course, the damsel in distress in Donkey Kong's first ever video game - the arcade cabinet from 1981 that saw Mario jumping over barrels to save her from the then-villainous monke. She then took up mayoral duties in Super Mario Odyssey's New Donk City and has showed up in a bunch of other recent Mario spin-offs.

This seemingly younger Pauline then has huge implications for the MarioVerse. Were Pauline and DK pals before he decided to kidnap her? Is Donkey Kong Bananza a prequel for one of gaming's oldest icons? Did Mario get entirely the wrong impression when he decided to 'rescue' Pauline? Heck, that might actually be Pauline's relative or an entirely new character altogether who's just revelling in the chaos. There are so many possibilities, but one thing's for sure: I did not expect to be so interested in this game's story. (Also, where's Diddy Kong, Nintendo?)

For now, find out about every Nintendo Switch 2 launch game that we know about so far.