Pauline was included in Donkey Kong Bananza because the developers found a way to connect her singing to the game’s Bananza transformations. Producer Kenta Motokura says the team had considered her as a character players could relate to, but the transformation mechanic gave her a distinctive gameplay role. Music was central to that decision—but it was not the only reason she joined Donkey Kong’s adventure.
How the transformation mechanic gave Pauline a role
In Nintendo’s July 15, 2025 Ask the Developer interview, Motokura explained that the team had discussed including Pauline before settling on what she would do in the game. As the transformation mechanic developed, the developers saw a way to tie her singing to Donkey Kong’s Bananza forms. Motokura said, “we thought we could create something new by tying Pauline’s singing to the Bananza transformations.”
The idea took shape alongside the music. Composer Naoto Kubo described working on music that would change during Donkey Kong’s limited-time transformations. The zebra form suggested a lively Latin- or Spanish-style track; Motokura then proposed bringing Pauline into the concept. Kubo said he was asked to write a song for each Bananza transformation and added vocals to the Latin- and Spanish-style music. In his words, “Not just one. He requested one for each and every Bananza transformation.”
What Pauline’s singing does in the game
Pauline’s voice is not just a musical signature. Nintendo’s interview describes several practical uses for song: it can break seals, reveal a route to a destination, and let Pauline attack enemies with vocal blasts in co-op. Those uses make singing part of the game’s interactions as well as its soundtrack.
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- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
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- Pair up with Pauline to use Bananza Transformations: smash through obstacles with the raw strength of Kong form, gallop with incredible speed as a Zebra, and more
- Team up with a friend in two-player co-op as Donkey Kong and Pauline! Blast foes and terrain alike with Pauline’s voice as you explore together
Nintendo identifies Yurianne Eve as Pauline’s voice actor in Donkey Kong Bananza. The character already had a musical association: she is the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey and sings “Jump Up, Super Star!” there. But Motokura’s explanation of her role in Bananza centers on a new connection—the way her singing could work with transformations and gameplay.
Pauline also gives the story another motivation
Music explains how the developers found a distinctive function for Pauline, but Motokura also described a separate narrative reason for including her. Once the destruction gameplay had developed, the team wanted a motivation alongside Donkey Kong’s love of bananas. Pauline’s wish to return to the surface offered another perspective and helped frame the adventure as a story about both characters’ growth. Motokura said the team wanted players to experience “Pauline’s growth and the growth of Donkey Kong, adventuring alongside her.”
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![Donkey Kong Bananza Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51Xv8olm5RL._SL160_.jpg)
- Uncover a wide variety of environments, like forest, canyon, and lagoon, as you delve underground
- Reshape the world as you tear through it, with the help of…an Odd Rock?
How the wider soundtrack supports exploration
Kubo said the soundtrack combines arrangements of recognizable Donkey Kong music with new tracks composed from scratch. Music helps establish the character of each underground layer, but the team also considered how long players might explore there: an uninterrupted stretch of high-intensity music could become tiring, so the score balances groove with atmosphere.
The interview also describes changes in mood and intensity across the story, from excitement to seriousness and dreamlike passages. For shifting environments, the team split background music into multiple tracks and adjusted their balance to Donkey Kong’s surroundings and the size of the area. Kubo explained: “Even for the background music, we split each song into multiple tracks and adjusted the balance according to Donkey Kong’s surroundings and the size of the area.”
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Best Value
- The next evolution of Nintendo Switch
- One system, three play modes: TV, Tabletop, and Handheld
- Larger, vivid, 7.9” LCD touch screen with support for HDR and up to 120 fps
- Explore a vast underground world—by smashing your way through it!
- A brand-new 3D platforming action adventure starring Donkey Kong and Pauline
Rank #4
![Donkey Kong Bananza: DK Island & Emerald Rush Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qtRWiIToL._SL160_.jpg)
- Full version of game required to use DLC. Sold separately.
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- Embark on a brand-new Donkey Kong adventure exclusive to Nintendo Switch 2.
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