I never played the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong, released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. So I didn’t bring any nostalgia or past experiences to the new version Coming out this week, it feels modern in every way except the gameplay. Mario is limited — he can’t run fast, he doesn’t jump very high, you lose your life with one mistake. coming from brand new Super Mario Bros. Miracle Since there are no Elephant powers or Wonder Stars here, it can hit you hard. But if you don’t compare Mario vs. Donkey Kong More modern adventures of the plumber, it has some charms of its own for your enjoyment.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong has more in common with the original Donkey Kong more arcade games than your usual Mario platformer. Each level has two parts, but they aren’t sprawling side-scrolling adventures. Instead, it’s a puzzle that requires special moves and clever use of the enemies and tools scattered throughout. First, you have to get a key, and then you have to rescue a cute little Mario toy that Donkey Kong has stolen and placed in the level. Sometimes, you have to throw the Shy Boy into a spike pit and get over the danger; other times you activate switches specifically to make the platforms appear where they are needed to advance. As with many of the best Mario games, nearly every level introduces a new mechanic, enemy, or tool that either hinders or helps you complete it. These levels extend both horizontally and vertically, but they are small, self-contained little worlds.
As always, Nintendo’s polish is on display here. Bouncy orchestral music options abound; Mario, DK and all the baddies that happen are lovingly rendered and the controls are tight and precise. That is, after getting used to Mario’s limitations. I didn’t have a problem with Mario being a little less skilled, since it’s a completely different style of play, but I definitely forgot that Mario didn’t have jumps to get over some of the cliffs.
There is a surprising amount of content in this game as well. There are eight worlds, two of which are brand new for the 2024 re-release. Each has six stages, plus a bonus stage and a boss fight. After beating the main campaign, there’s a remixed “Plus” version of all the levels that use the same elements and common features as the original, but with a new, more challenging objective – you have to control a sentient mini Mario toy. output and these toys are less capable than the big Mario. It’s a good way to mix up the very familiar formulas when I completed the first 64 stages.
Completing the base game also unlocks 16 new expert stages that are totally in line with this title. They are quite difficult and will require some skill to complete since the game doesn’t constantly feed you 1-Up mushrooms (I just started this new challenge). Finding the puzzle and completing the solution without making any mistakes before is a tall order for some of these later levels, both in expert stages and Plus levels.
That’s good, because the first eight worlds were so easy to beat that I was worried this game wouldn’t have any real value. I made it through the first four worlds and only faced significant challenges in the last two. Plus worlds, so far, haven’t been too hard, though I bet that will change. As it was, I received a worldwide “perfect” rating within 30 minutes. 2-6 would have been 20 minutes if I hadn’t run into a problem that took some time to train. I wish there were more levels like this – as it is, the game felt either too easy or surprisingly difficult, without as much of a difficulty gradient as I’d like to see. All that said, I’m looking forward to seeing how the Plus worlds progress with difficulty.
Given the simplicity of this game, it’s fair to say that its target audience might be younger or less experienced than I am. Nintendo also included some features to make the game more accessible. There’s a “random” mode where you can get not just one, but six hits in a scene before you lose a life. It also removes the time limit, which didn’t stress me out in the previous levels, but was definitely a problem as the game progressed. If you do As you try to beat the clock, there is a “time attack” mode where you try and beat a target time in the level. No matter which play style you choose, you can always just hit the ‘retry’ button to start the stage without losing a life. Finally, Nintendo has also included local co-op multiplayer that experienced and novice players can enjoy.
At first I felt it Mario vs. Donkey Kong it would be a very trivial game to recommend people spend $50. It started out cute and clever, but very simple and with little apparent depth. But Nintendo surprised me – while it’s definitely a throwback game, there’s a solid mix of difficulty and depth here. As with many Nintendo games, this game should be fun for players of all ages. Just don’t expect Mario to have the moves and tricks that he does Super Mario Miracle.
