Pauline, the original damsel in distress from Donkey Kong, is making a return to the DK universe in the Switch 2's Donkey Kong Bananza, now as a kid.
Developers explained that Pauline's inclusion in the game stemmed from design ideas flowing naturally at Nintendo, rather than adhering to lore.
Pauline's role in the game involves providing narrative guidance, singing unique songs for transformations, and assisting in gameplay mechanics like stunning enemies.
The decision to include Pauline was based on cool gameplay ideas, not on maintaining the Donkey Kong timeline, allowing room for fun speculation about the game's connections with other titles.