Mario vs. Donkey Kong

"One of the best Mario games in a long time."

Well, this game certainly isn't what the average person would expect in a Mario game, but that's for the best, trust me. Mario vs. Donkey Kong takes the best from the older and newer Mario games for an awesome new puzzle game that will keep you hooked for hours on end.

Story: 7/10

The game starts out in Donkey Kong's house, where he's kicking back and watching television. He flips through the channels and stops at one playing a commercial for the latest fad, the new Mini-Mario toy. He becomes infatuated with it, and runs out to the store to get his own. Of course, they are all sold out by the time he gets there. So he does what any huge gorilla would do, he breaks into the Mini-Mario factory and steals himself a sackful of the little buggers. Since the Toads are much too cowardly to confront him, he's about to get away with it, when Mario comes onto the scene. Mario's not one to let his profitable merchandise be stolen, so he chases Donkey Kong through various worlds, aiming to get his toys back. Not the most involving storyline, but it's not half bad for a Mario game, and pretty original to boot.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is the reason why you buy the game, folks. As with any puzzle game, Mario has to make use of various objects and his own jumping ability (which has been severely toned down to make the puzzles more of a challenge) to complete the levels and rescue the Mini-Marios from Donkey Kong. The game is composed of a number of different worlds, each with it's own unique theme. Each world has six regular stages where the goal is to retake the Mini-Marios, a Mini-Mario stage where the goal is to guide the Mini-Marios into the safety of a toy chest, and a showdown with Donkey Kong.

The stages have two parts. The first part has Mario looking for a key that he must use to open the door to the next part of the stage. This key is always in a certain place, and should Mario lose possession of the key at any time, he only has a few seconds to retrieve it before it resets and returns to its original location. The second part of the stage has Mario looking for the Mini-Mario. He must grab it and break it out of its crystal ball to complete the level.

The game uses several aspects of various other Mario games to enhance the puzzles. For example, in one stage Mario might have to jump atop a Shy Guy and pick him up, and throw him in a large pit of spikes. The Shy Guy is unharmed and continues to waddle back and forth. Mario can now jump atop the Shy Guy once more and ride him across the spike pit. Some puzzles have ropes that Mario can use to climb to a higher level. If there are two ropes, he can use them both and climb even faster. If the rope is strung horizontally, Mario can cling to it and swing faster and faster until he lets go, launching him high in the air. And just about every level has red, yellow, and blue platforms and ladders. To make the platforms solid, Mario must press the corresponding colored switch. But once Mario presses the switch, the platforms of the other colors become transparent. Thus the puzzle aspect becomes apparent.

Naturally, Mario also has some of his jumping moves to help him. Besides his regular jump, Mario also has access to the Backflip, a much higher jump that is more difficult to perform, and the Handstand. Mario is invulnerable to falling objects in the Handstand, and can jump out of the Handstand into a sort of Long Jump and then into a higher Double Jump. Sorry folks, no Triple Jump in this game, but it wouldn't be very useful anyway, with the layout of the stages and all.

You won't ever be in trouble because you don't know how to pull off one of Mario's plethora of moves, either. At the start of each stage, a small tutorial plays demonstrating one of Mario's abilities that will be useful in the level, as well as what button commands are required to execute said abilities. This nice little feature comes in especially handy in the later levels. Actually pulling off the moves is more difficult, like tossing a trash can to a higher ledge while jumping horizontally, but that's just me.

Graphics: 7/10

This isn't the game's strong suit, but then again it's not supposed to be. Even so, the game has decent graphics. The 3-D effects on Mario, Donkey Kong, and the various enemies seem kind of "blocky" at times. There are also some funny "movies" that consist of a series of excellent stillshots with voice acting thrown in. Those are a nice addition and serve to set up the story.

Sound: 9/10

The sound tracks in this game are mostly short looping tracks. The main theme is a remix of the classic Mario and Donkey Kong Country themes, very good in my opinion. Mario speaks more in this game than in any other, and with great clarity as well. Imagine my surprise when I heard Mario say "All you, it's all you baby!" The Mini-Marios' voices are high-pitched, squeaky versions of Mario's, and they come equipped with several of his catchphrases. Donkey Kong's grunts are what you'd expect, and the Toads' scratchy squeals are as annoying as ever.

Play Time: 8/10

It's not the longest game ever made, but some of the puzzles will have you stumped for a while. It is easy early on, so you can blaze through the first few worlds quickly. However, once you get to the difficult puzzles, you'll surely be using up all those lives you got early on. That is where the game really shines. Some of the puzzles are very difficult, and the time limit only makes it worse, especially if you keep messing up, losing the key and having to go back and get it, etc. Difficulty is definitely a plus.

Replayability: 8/10

Even after you complete the main story and complete all the worlds, you're not done. Every stage in the game has a preset high score. If you manage to beat the high score, you will receive a star on that stage. Receive enough stars, and you'll find even more, Expert stages to play. That's all I'll say on that topic.

Final Recommendation: Buy

Is this game for everyone? No. This is not the average Mario game. It is a puzzle game. Those of you who enjoy puzzle games, get this game now. You will have a great time with this game. Even if you dislike puzzle games as I do, you should still at least rent this game. It's highly addictive and enjoyable, and you just might be surprised.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/21/04