Donkey Kong Bananzamight have a bit of a confusing canon with Pauline being so young, but Diddy Kong and Dixie Kong at least give us an idea of the game’s timeline.
When Donkey Kong Bananza was first revealed, it was easy to assume that it took place after all of the Donkey Kong games. That changed very quickly after it wasconfirmed that Oddrock was actually a younger Pauline, adding a ton of confusion about where in the Donkey Kong timeline Bananza takes place.
Pauline’s inclusion in Bananza has made things very confusing, as it suggested that Bananza somehow takes place before the original Donkey Kong where Pauline was introduced. While it’s almost definitely a time displacement thing that’s not to be worried about, we do at least know for sure that Bananza isn’t a prequel.
Diddy and Dixie confirm that Bananza takes place after all the Country games
At least we can all stop saying it’s a prequel
While that might have beenobvious from the get-go considering Cranky, Diddy, and Dixie are all in the game, we finally have confirmation that Bananza is at least set after the Country games. When you first meet Diddy and Dixie at their Stampedeway shop, the pair introduces themselves to Pauline.
Diddy Kong says that he and DK are “best friends” and that they’ve been on many adventures together. That’s about as clear-cut a reference toDonkey Kong Countryas you can get, but it goes even further when Dixie Kong introduces herself by referencing the events of Donkey Kong Country 2.
Dixie says that she’s “been on a few adventures too”, before directly calling out “one time when Diddy and I teamed up to rescue DK”, which is of course a nod to Country 2. This all confirms once and for all that Bananza isn’t a prequel to the Donkey Kong games or some kind of timeline reboot, as the pair are clearly aware of their past adventures.
Diddy and Dixie even reference Candy Kong in their conversation, which is a very nice easter egg.
While that still leaves a lot of questions about how a younger Pauline has found herself in the past (if it’s even the same Pauline we know), we do at least know that Bananza takes place after the Country games. That might not seem like a big revelation, but after all the debates about Bananza’s canon, it’s a pretty big deal.
