Mario vs. Donkey Kong

"Luigi's not even in it, which is another Good Thing"

Before we begin, some questions. Has anyone ever actually seen Mario do any actual plumbing? Doesn't he have any clothes aside from those overalls? How did Donkey Kong get his name, and most importantly of all, why does he wear a tie? For answers to these questions, please write to your local games magazine or website, or indeed, anyone but me.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong, then. It's terrific, if you'll forgive me for getting straight to the point. I really thought we'd seen the last of this type of puzzle platform game, and I've never been happier to be proved wrong. It is my firm belief that Mario games should have never been made 3D - the Nintendo 64 game was pretty boring, and the less said about Super Mario Sunshine, the better. Super Mario World on the SNES, however, is one of the best games ever made, and I've recently been revisiting it's re-release on the GBA, and I'd better finish this sentence before I can cram another word starting with 're' into it. Some of my favourite games of all time have been of the single-screen, old-school, kill-bad-guys-and-reach-the-exit-before-the-time-runs-out kind. Bubble Bobble? Rodland? Parasol Stars? The unforgivably forgotten Amiga classic Naughty Ones? Stupendous titles all. But Mario vs. Donkey Kong is perhaps the best yet.

Yes, yes, I'm getting on with it. The plot is this: there are a new selection of Mini-Mario toy dolls on the market, and Donkey Kong has taken rather a shine to them. So much, in fact, that he has stolen them all. Naturally, the real Mario won't stand for such behaviour and so he gives chase in the hope of getting them back again.

The game is divided up into 6 worlds (plus some others, of which more in a minute), each containing 8 levels. The first 6 levels are each made up of two screens - in the first, you must find the key which then needs to be taken to the locked door allowing you to progress to the second screen, in which you must get to an imprisoned Mini-Mario. In the seventh level of each world, you must guide the six Minis you've freed to a toy box, Pied Piper style. Then you move on to a showdown with Donkey Kong. After the six worlds, you are pitted against DK in another battle, this time reminiscent of the original Donkey Kong game. However, after winning, you must then go through each world again, except this time your goals have shifted slightly. This time, there is only one screen to each level and it combines bits of all the others - now you need to find the Mini, who is holding a key, and guide him Pied Piper style to the exit.

There are baddies littered among most of the screens, which can either be killed or 'used'. Baddies here work in the same way as the baddies in Super Mario 2, in that when you jump on them, rather than die, you merely land on their backs and get to ride around on them, which makes a handy way to get across spiky pits and suchlike. You can also pick up baddies (and other objects) and throw them. Also present are the other typical ingredients of platform games - collectibles, moving platforms, electrical pylons, ladders, conveyor belts and so on. The levels start off very simple, but by the time you get to the 4th world or so, you'll be starting to scratch your head. Eventually, they become indescribably tough and you might spend ages staring at one level, and then suddenly a solution will drop into your head fully formed and so simple, that you'll wonder how you missed it for so long. It's that type of game. Mario himself has a few extra skills that are immediately available to him but that you won't need until later in the game (but whenever you're about to start a level that requires a skill you haven't needed before, you'll be given a short tutorial telling you how to do it).

So, opinions. The bite sized levels make this a great game to pick up and play, and it really will last you a long time once you take into account the extra worlds and the 'expert' levels that you get access to by completing the other levels well enough. You can go back to previous levels and try to improve your score at any time as well. Replay value a-go-go, then.

The graphics are lovely - everything's got a really nice semi 3D look to it, and there are some great looking backgrounds. The sound effects give the game added character as well - the trash cans sound like trash cans, if you know what I mean. The Minis have really cute (albeit rapidly annoying) high pitched voices, and Donkey Kong's roars are suitably scary.

Right then, I believe the scene is set nicely for some summarising.

GOOD BITS
Oodles of character, lovely looking and sounding, and great fun as well. The sort of game you can play for 5 minutes or an hour. The ideal Game Boy game, in fact.

BAD BITS
On the later levels, success or failure hinges too often on the AI of the Mini-Marios, which often leaves a lot to be desired. It's not a major problem, but it does cause annoyance sometimes.

ALL IN ALL
It's an old-fashioned game, but it's new. I loved it. You could argue that 3D Mario games have more depth and are therefore more fun to play, in which case you'd do well to avoid this game. But, of course, you'd be wrong and you'd be missing out on a beautiful game. Your loss. The less narrow-minded among us will have a great time, though.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/22/04