After Wednesday’s Direct, pretty much everyone agreesDonkey Kong Bananzalooks fantastic. What people can’t agree on is when and where the game takes place on the Donkey Kong/Mario timeline. One of DK’s designers has helpfully stepped in to offer some advice, but some of you aren’t going to like what he has to say.
Kevin Bayliss worked at Rare and was responsible for the mascot’s redesign inDonkey Kong Country. Suffice to say, the man knows a thing or two about Donkey Kong lore, so if you’re confused about when exactly Bananza takes place, you should probably listen to what he has to say.
Or, maybe not. Bayliss has used a wordy, jokey approach to highlight that when any Donkey Kong games, including Bananza, take place doesn’t matter. “Cranky is DK, that was until DK becomes Cranky, who talks to a new DK, who later becomes Cranky, to then talk to another DK,” Bayliss has replied to a fan asking how Bananza’s young Pauline can meet an elderly Cranky Kong.
The Man Who Redesigned DK For Donkey Kong Country Has Something To Say
If You’ve Been Trying To Map Out DK’s Lore, Listen Up
Bayliss’s answer is a lot longer than that, and you may check out the whole thing above, as it devolves into explaining that DK and Cranky are each other’s great-great grandads or something like that. I don’t know, I don’t get it, but I’m not supposed to. It’s nonsense, and that’s the point Bayliss is trying to make. If you try to pinpoint exactly where in DK’s almost 45-year history this game falls, you’re going to give yourself a migraine.
That’s because, and here’s the kicker,Nintendodoesn’t care. Look no further thanCranky Kong’s Wiki page, which has an entire section detailing the debate over whether DK is Cranky’s son or his grandson - Nintendo has described him as both. There’s also a theory that Cranky Kong was Donkey Kong in the original arcade game, and he passed the mantle down to his son, or grandson, whichever relationship you choose to believe is the real one. Pretty harsh that his reward for doing that is being given the name Cranky if that’s the case.
As for Bananza, there are theories that the Pauline who accompanies DK in the new game is OG Pauline’s daughter or granddaughter. If so, everything would sort of line up, maybe. Again, as Bayliss has highlighted, it’s really better to not think about it too hard. That won’t stop most people, though, myself included. This feels a lot like aLegend of Zeldasituation where we’re going to end up with split timelines and having to figure out where every game neatly fits among the otherslike we had to for Echoes of Wisdom.
