>>716019349I don't think it really matters, Nintendo rarely if ever cares about having concrete timelines and whatnot. It makes even less sense because REAL ACTUAL SPOILERS FOR DK BANANZA: DK1 Arcade, DKC 1-3, 64, Returns, and Tropical Freeze are heavily implied to have already happened, New Donk City already has its name and DK-themed references throughout the level, even adding in even more like Lanky having his own advertisement billboards, but there's nothing for Pauline and Mario to be seen. Coupled with the implication that K. Rool was apparently imprisoned for several years (but the Kremlings are apparently still alive during the entire time) there's just too much conflicting information to really try and put the game into a linear timeline.