New Donk City : la métropole de Mario Odyssey

New Donk City: The Metropolis of Mario Odyssey

1299 words | Reading time : 6 minute(s)

LocationNew Donk CityPauline

A city of suit-and-tie humans in the middle of a world of mushrooms. Capital of the Metro Kingdom in Super Mario Odyssey, New Donk City takes its cues from New York and owes its name to Donkey Kong. This guide covers its mayor with a legendary past, Pauline, its skyline of skyscrapers and taxis, Mario's adventure on the ground and its landmark music festival.

At the heart of Super Mario Odyssey (2017) stands a setting unlike any other in the series: New Donk City, a genuine big city populated by humans and modeled on New York. Skyscrapers, manhole covers, taxis and office workers replace the mushrooms and bricks of the Mushroom Kingdom, creating a striking contrast with Mario's usual universe.

Capital of the Metro Kingdom (Metro Kingdom), the city is led by Mayor Pauline, Mario's very first damsel in distress, back in a radically new light. Between its mischievous name, its music festival and its nods to Donkey Kong, New Donk City is a concentrated dose of Nintendo's history.

Contents

A name that hides Donkey Kong and New York

The name "New Donk City" is a pun carrying two layers of meaning at once. It combines Donkey Kong and New York City: "Donk" comes from "Donkey", while the "New ... City" structure points straight at the American metropolis. The city pushes the joke further by nicknaming itself "The Big Banana", a parody of New York's famous "Big Apple".

This nod is no accident. As far back as the original arcade Donkey Kong (1981), Shigeru Miyamoto pictured a New York-inspired urban construction site. New Donk City therefore closes the loop: it visually ties Mario's universe back to its earliest roots, those of a plumber climbing girders to save a young woman from the clutches of a gorilla.

A New Donk City intersection, skyscrapers and yellow taxis
The name collides Donkey Kong with New York, and the city owns the reference right down to the taxis.

A city of humans in the middle of a world of mushrooms

New Donk City is home to residents known as the New Donkers, humans with realistic proportions, far taller than Mario. That is what makes the place so striking: for the first time, you get to see what a "normal" human society looks like in Mario's universe, with its offices, its back alleys and its Art Deco architecture.

The look draws openly on New York. The New Donk City Hall (the city hall), the tallest skyscraper in town, recalls the Empire State Building, while other buildings evoke the Flatiron Building. This deliberately realistic approach cuts against the whimsical kingdoms found elsewhere in the game and gives New Donk City its very distinctive identity.

The New Donk City skyline, skyscrapers and an airship in the sky
A city populated by humans at realistic scale: an anomaly in Mario's universe.

Pauline, the mayor with a legendary past

At the head of the city stands Pauline, a character with an extraordinary track record. She showed up as early as 1981 in Donkey Kong, as the young woman carried off by the gorilla: back then she was only referred to as "the Lady". The name Pauline caught on afterwards, and her modernized version dates back to the Donkey Kong for Game Boy (1994).

In Super Mario Odyssey, Nintendo grants her a spectacular second life: here she is as mayor of New Donk City, energetic, mad about music and in love with her city. Producer Yoshiaki Koizumi explained that the team wanted a familiar face to embody this setting, and Pauline, a historic figure tied to Mario's origins, was the obvious choice.

The Metro Kingdom and Mario's adventure

New Donk City is the main city of the Metro Kingdom (Metro Kingdom), subtitled "Modern Commerce Center and Urban Playground". Mario arrives aboard his airship, the Odyssey, which sets down south of the city.

Once there, the city is plunged into darkness: a robotic boss, the Mechawiggler (a gigantic mechanical Wiggler), has siphoned off all the electricity. After restoring the power and defeating this boss, Mario helps Mayor Pauline gather the four musicians of her band to stage a huge festival. The kingdom holds a total of 85 Power Moons to collect, which makes it one of the densest areas in the game.

The music festival and Jump Up, Super Star!

The high point of New Donk City is its festival, tied to the mission "A Traditional Festival!". On a stage set up in front of city hall, Pauline performs Jump Up, Super Star!, the main theme of Super Mario Odyssey. This rousing swing number was a genuine hit with the public: it charted on the Billboard Japan Hot 100 and reached number one on the Japanese iTunes Store.

But the festival keeps a surprise up its sleeve: its final stretch turns into a 2D level with side-scrolling pixel art, one that faithfully recreates the very first Donkey Kong of 1981. The girders, the ladders, the barrels and Pauline's original sprite are all there. It is the only replayable story mission in the base game, and you can even switch on an 8-bit version of the song that swaps the modern posters for Pauline's historic sprite. A direct tribute to Mario's origins.

Quick facts

First appearance Super Mario Odyssey (2017)
Type Human metropolis / kingdom capital
Kingdom Metro Kingdom
Leader Pauline, mayor of the city
Origin of the name Blend of Donkey Kong and New York City
Kingdom boss Mechawiggler (robotic Wiggler)
Standout feature Music festival with Jump Up, Super Star!

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FAQ

  • Where does the name New Donk City come from?
    It is a portmanteau blending Donkey Kong ("Donk") and New York City. The city even nicknames itself "The Big Banana", a wink at New York's "Big Apple".
  • Who runs New Donk City?
    The city's mayor is Pauline, the young woman carried off by Donkey Kong back in 1981, who returns in Super Mario Odyssey as an energetic mayor and singer.
  • Which game does New Donk City appear in?
    New Donk City makes its debut in Super Mario Odyssey, released in 2017 on Nintendo Switch, within the Metro Kingdom.
  • What is the song of the New Donk City festival?
    It is Jump Up, Super Star!, the game's main theme, performed by Pauline on a stage in front of city hall.
  • Why does the festival switch to 2D?
    Its final stretch recreates in pixel art the very first Donkey Kong of 1981, with girders, ladders and barrels, as a tribute to Mario's origins.
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