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| March of the minis. |
The follow-up to 1994's GameBoy Color Donkey Kong, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a modern take on the classic game on the GameBoy Advance, released back in 2004. Donkey Kong is up to no good again and this time, he's after something else: toy versions of Mario! It's a puzzle-platformer that caught my eye having played Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini Land Mayhem on the Nintendo DS, so naturally I was interested in checking the game out on the Wii U's Virtual Console lineup. Is it any good?
The story follows Mario who opens up a toy factory and sells his new "Mini Mario" toys. When the infamous Donkey Kong is mesmerised by them after a TV commercial, he's finds that the minis are all sold out entirely. So what does he do next? He steals all the minis from Mario's factory for himself and naturally, it's up the red plumber to get back his toys. Mario will chase DK through his toy company, a haunted mansion, hot mountain, lush forest, and a busy city, so variety is no issue here.
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| It's yet another adventure for Mario! |
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a 2D puzzle-platformer where you control Mario as you guide him through a series of stages that are packed with puzzles and hazards to reach the Mini Mario at the end. Each level tasks you with finding the gold key to unlock the door to the next section of the level where Mini Mario is housed. Getting the key is easier said than done as levels gradually introduce new gimmicks like you hitting buttons to unlock bridges, swinging on ropes, climbing up ladders, flipping conveyor belt switches, and jumping on platforms to escape the rising lava that'll make reaching the goal a fun challenge.
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| Levels start-off easy, but gradually challenging with new twists being introduced. |
Enemies range from Mario series staples like Shy Guys, Bomb-ombs, and Boos to more generic bats and animals that will make platforming tricky but thankfully, you've got items like the hammer to knock them away. Also, levels are timed so you'll need to find the fastest way to the door before a game over. The game took 6 hours to beat and replay-value is high with you playing through bonus, more harder stages of the main game-- so the game will last you quite a while. My biggest gripe was that the controls weren't the most precise as often I'd make a jump, only to find that the input wasn't registered and I'd lose a life, which got annoying as it happened frequently.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong looks decent for a mid-life GBA game, though characters are in this odd 3D mixed with retro sprites that didn't age that well. The backgrounds were good with nice details like moving sprites to make them feel more dynamic. Mario vs. DK is also packed with static cut-scenes featuring Mario and DK fighting in-between worlds, which were cool to see. As for the soundtrack, it was good with a few catchy tracks such as the title screen, level select, and toy company theme.
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| The game has held-up well with the backgrounds and colors being standouts. |
Mario vs. Donkey Kong was a good time and I enjoyed the puzzle solving a lot. While the controls weren't always the most reliable, I did enjoy the platforming and even the later levels, while challenging, felt great after beating them. It's predecessor might be considered to be the better game, but Mario vs. Donkey Kong remains a fun game if you're a fan of puzzle-platformers.
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