Mario vs Donkey Kong brings back the iconic Nintendo mascot match-up to the Switch on a delightful puzzle platform. Join Mario chasing the mischievous ape who has stolen Mini Toy Marios across varied levels.
Though lacking major innovation, it compensates through polished gameplay and charming presentation, retaining the series’ spirit across modern or retro visual styles. Read our review to see if this revival hit delivers enough jumping thrills!
The Toy-Snatching Adventure Begins
The absurd premise begins with Donkey Kong storming into Mario’s factory and pilfering new Mini Mario toys as collectibles. An incensed Mario immediately pursues to reclaim his tiny doppelgängers across DK’s treacherous island domains filled with spiky enemies.
Despite random monkey hijinks jump-starting events, the platforming stages are crafted masterfully around central “guide Mini Mario” mechanics.
Mastering Creative Mechanics
Core gameplay involves manipulating and protecting wind-up Mini Mario figures, which follow wherever players lead them. Solving levels means:
- Carrying Mini Marios to Goal Doors by lifting/tossing/guiding them safely around hazards.
- Rescuing additional Mini Marios trapped inside locked cages using keys. It would help if you ferried freed wind-up toys as well.
With only dash jumps and hammer-pound moves available, players must carefully ration actions when collecting and safeguarding vulnerable Mini Marios. Creativity becomes key since toy companions mimic movements but cannot attack or defend.
For example, utilizing elevators may allow lifting Mini Marios to higher platforms quickly but leaves them stranded if power-ups expire before retrieving them. Risk/reward calculus adds engaging complexity.
Navigating 6 Island Worlds
Donkey Kong has scattered 72 Mini Marios needing to recuse across six distinct island environments, each with 12 stages. Layouts feature signature themes:
Overgrown Island
Vine-filled tropical jungle featuring breakable brick corridors, rolling logs acting as transporters, and sprinklers triggering plant bloom platforms.
Desert Hills
Sand and stone zones house labyrinth ruins with ancient pulley systems, hidden alcoves behind erodible walls, and rolling boulders.
Chaos Tower Hotel
Dilapidated tower with winding staircase, teetering platforms, and randomly roaming hazards like ghosts passing through walls.
Wild West Jungle
Cactus-dotted canyons and mines with multiple elevations are linked by ladders/poles, minecart tracks, and swinging mine anchors.
Pipe Works
Industrial pipeline networks with active presses, awkwardly moving components, and areas only accessible via unlocking water flow.
Lava Dome
Precarious volcanic caverns lined with molten magma house iron girders, cranes, reflective mirrors, and air blowers that cool passageways.
The visual/mechanical variety across areas keeps gameplay feel fresh while retaining familiar Mario staples like bouncy mushrooms.
Run and Jump with Finesse
Core movement mechanics will be instantly familiar to platforming veterans. Mario retains iconic nimble jumping behavior, allowing tackling challenges including:
- Jump Adeptly Across Floating Platforms
- Bounce Off Walls for Aerial Control
- Slide Under Low Clearances
- Employ Momentum from Dashes
Completing stages rewards players with stars based on:
- Bronze – Finish without losing any Mini Marios
- Silver – Recover all Mini Marios from level
- Gold – Achieve fastest clear time
This creates incentive for perfectionists to fully master levels through repeated attempts.
Modernized Classic Visuals
The game features a crisp remastered presentation, retaining the retro pixel-era Mario charm while adding depth and vibrancy.
Players can toggle between modern and classic graphics on the fly using handheld or docked mode. Key visual upgrades encompass:
- Stereoscopic 3D Backdrops – Adds layered depth with foreground/background contrast
- Enhanced Lighting – Spotlights/glow effects amp cinematic flair
- Fluid Animations – More intermediate frames for buttery-smooth motion
- Warrm Color Palette – Vibrant tones augmenting overall joviality
The polished interactive environments filled with responsive controls emulating classic Mario movement engraved into gamer instincts deliver a pleasurable, almost Zen-like reliable gameplay experience.
Sounds To Match Pratfalls
Equal care extends towards the auditory landscape from iconic chirpy music riffs welcoming players as levels load to 8-bit sound effects punctuating every jump.
Whimsical compositions get interspersed with threatening percussion when hazards approach ratcheting tension. Pounding drums signifying timing out elevate urgency.
Mario’s signature voice clips like yelping when colliding into obstacles alongside the rapid clap of hammer pounds or wooden thunk from lever pulls provide satisfying aural feedback attuned to gameplay feel.
Mini Mario Mayhem
Beyond the main campaign, Mario vs Donkey Kong introduces brand new playable characters with the Tower and Palace DLC expansions.
These add-ons provide fresh remixed challenges to the formula by letting you control and guide different wind-up toys. New mechanics keep gameplay feeling fresh while retaining the strong puzzle-platforming foundations.
The Tower DLC lets you maneuver boxy Mini Toy Cans by tilting platforms to roll them towards the Goal Door. Their cylindrical shape allows navigating inclines easily but limits jumping capacity requiring creative pathfinding.
Meanwhile the Palace DLC offers the tallest Mini Toy yet – a toy palace robot which can extend its body horizontally or vertically. You must pinpoint when to stretch upwards to reach higher paths vs sideways to create bridges across gaps or form barriers protecting Mini Marios.
These new character packs provide delightful remixed experiences atop the base game. The toys display amusing slapstick reactions to stunts like careening uncontrollably down slides eliciting laughs.
With excellent value between replayability of existing stages and additional DLC content introducing unique quirks, Mario vs Donkey Kong offers plenty of bang for the buck. Fans seeking a reliability fun retro platforming fix need look no further for accessible family-friendly MAYHEM with or without company.
Verdict: A Playful Puzzle Platformer
Mario vs Donkey Kong lacks ambition regarding pushing genre boundaries or introducing unprecedented ideas compared to earlier 2004 Game Boy Advance version.
However, the flawlessly fun gameplay foundation centered around escorting sentient wind-up toys retains charm across new visual backdrops or retro sprites. Imaginative mechanics result in bite-sized puzzle box challenges testing creative application of basic movesets without contrived complexity. This streamlined design eschews filler allowing quick yet amusing level replayability for mastery incentive.
So if you crave no-frills jumping hijinks, swapping roles as guide/protector of vulnerable Mini Marios against DK’s whimsical obstacles, it perfectly delivers uncomplicated smiles. Or the option to curate ideal background play session combining your favorite visual mode with catchy melodies and vibrant sound effects.
At under $30 with plenty replay value across 6 worlds alongside unlockable time-attack challenges, this successor recaptures the zany unpredictable fun of an iconic 90s mascot rivalry to delight retro platformer fans in want of reliable charm.
