Mario vs. Donkey Kong is neatly slotted between Super Mario RPG Remastered and Paper Mario: The 1000 Year Door, giving us a new look at the classic Mario spin-off. If you haven’t checked out the original Game Boy game from 2004, don’t worry, I haven’t either, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from having fun with this vibrant puzzle platformer.
What’s worth highlighting here is the puzzle aspect of this game. Mario vs. Donkey Kong might initially make you think it’s going to be some kind of fighting game, but it’s actually a solid puzzle game. Each level is made up of two small areas with different mechanics for you to fiddle with depending on which world you’re in. You can explore a bit by holding down the R button to see where collectibles are on the map, but other than that, what you get is pretty much right in front of you.
Gameplay requires less precision jumping and running, but more planning on the part of the player. For me, there haven’t been any real headaches yet, but putting your strategy together and then executing it can take time, which is crucial in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. So far, the timer hasn’t been too stressful, but if you need to spend more time on a level, there are plenty of ways to get around it.
Every time you succeed in a level, you get closer to tracking Donkey Kong, who has stolen a bunch of Mario toys called Mini-Marios. Even 20 years after the original game was first released, the story feels incredibly relevant, because in the age of Funko and Amiibo collectors, it was easy to imagine someone chasing an oversized ape to collect plastic figurines. Plus, I like to imagine that Mario will make a ton of money from this merchandise, so it gives him even more reason to chase Donkey Kong. At the end of each world, you have a chance to fight Donkey Kong after another puzzle where you guide your mini Mario to collect some letters. Typically, these fights with DK have you avoiding falling obstacles, barrels, etc. until you can pick something up and throw it back to him. Rinse and repeat until he moves on to the next world. It’s simple, but it works, and the levels are fast enough that I didn’t find myself getting bored yet.
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In addition to figuring out what to do in each puzzle level, you’ll also need to get used to some simple mechanics to make everything work. Mario can pick up anything from trash cans to enemies (as long as he lands on their head first) to get ahead. Throwing things around is just as fun as you’d imagine, and you can launch enemies off the map if you want. In fact, I recommend against doing this, as enemies that disappear completely will respawn on the same platform they started on, which has resulted in multiple embarrassing deaths.
Mario’s handstand is probably my favorite thing in the game so far, if only because of how impressive it is to see that chubby little plumber walk on his hands and then transition into a double front flip . His core strength must be insane. As you might have guessed, Mario’s handstand allows you to reach higher platforms, but it also makes you immune to falling objects, even if they seem to hit you right on the head. These simple mechanics are detailed in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, but they don’t really add a lot of depth to the gameplay.
If you’re looking for a suitably mind-bending challenge, Mario vs. Donkey Kong hasn’t delivered it to me yet. I’m still in the early stages and expect the challenges to get bigger, but other than a few simple mistakes in Donkey Kong’s scrap, it’s been smooth sailing. I’m pretty sure a serious challenge isn’t the goal here, though, so I won’t be too harsh on it. The bright and lovely visuals, as well as the solid level and enemy variety, plus the adorable “yippee” sound each mini-Mario makes after saving, keep me from spending a lot of time in Mario vs. Donkey so far Kong, I’m looking forward to plowing the rest of this latest example of Nintendo’s commitment to plumbers.
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