Technology

We all know about Peach, the Mushroom Kingdom’s troubled princess who has a penchant for being kidnapped. In just about every Mario game, the plumber protagonist is tasked with rescuing Peach. Again and again, she finds herself in trouble but, as it turns out, Peach is not Nintendo’s original damsel in distress. Before Peach, there was Pauline, and Mario had to save her from Donkey Kong (DK) back in the ‘80s. In 2025, the new Nintendo Switch 2’s 3D platformer Donkey Kong Bananza, and Pauline is back…but this time, she is DK’s singing sidekick. Their relationship is curious. Unlike King Kong and Ann Darrow’s awkward and unreciprocated ape-human love story, Pauline is just a 13-year-old girl along for the ride. She’s the brain to DK’s brawn and a welcome plus one in this very quirky adventure title.

Nintendo has released a ton of Donkey Kong games over the years, and I would be lying if I said I could remember any of them. I’ve never been a fan – as far as video game characters go, DK is a reckless, ridiculous,