In an interview with IGN, Donkey Kong Bananza director Kazuya Takahashi and producer Kenta Motokura ( Super Mario Odyssey ’s director) were asked why Pauline is riding on DK’s back in the game. Their answer was a perfect window into how game development often seems to work at Nintendo,

Donkey Kong Bananza will be releasing at midnight of your region’s easternmost time zone on Thursday, July 17. This can be a bit confusing for those who live in larger countries, but as soon as it hits midnight anywhere in your region, the game will become available to play — barring any hiccups.

The first thing players will notice upon booting up Donkey Kong Bananza is that its titular ape looks pretty different. Although DK has sported multiple styles before (and the name’s been used for different characters entirely), his core aesthetic has remained mostly the same since the series’ first reboot in 1994’s Donkey Kong Country .