Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Nintendo Switch)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Release Date (EU): February 16, 2024
- Publisher: Nintendo
- Developer: Nintendo
- Genres: Puzzle, Platform
Game Features:
Review Approach:
It’s difficult to believe that 2004 was two decades ago, and even harder to believe that Mario vs Donkey Kong is just as old, originally releasing for the Game Boy Advance as a semi-sequel to the original 1994 hit Donkey Kong. Since then we’ve seen the two butt heads in kart racing, tennis, and just general fighting, but outside of that there’s actually been six dedicated Mario vs Donkey Kong entries ranging from the DS all the way to the Wii U. Back in the present we see the first game completely remade for the new generation, complete with a fresh time attack mode, two-player coop, refreshed graphics and more. Does this recent release do enough to justify its £40 price tag though?
A Revitalised Classic
My last look at this series was Tipping Stars all the way back in 2015 when it came out. Tipping Stars was an incredibly safe and incredibly short game, bringing little of note to move the franchise forwards. Compared to that, Mario vs Donkey Kong is an absolute breath of fresh air. The game gives you the option to play both via a classic and casual mode. As you might expect, classic mode preserves the original 2004 experience with just some fresh new graphics to bring it into the current decade. Casual mode by comparison adds in some more modern touches to make the game more accessible than ever, with checkpoints in levels and the lack of a timer make the game less stressful. It’s by no means a difficult game even when played in classic mode, but these changes make it even easier for anybody in the family to hop in; this is especially great when you consider the inclusion of a full coop mode too.
The puzzles on offer feel timeless. Having forgotten much of the original game, I had a great time figuring things out again and occasionally having moments of enjoyable familiarity. The first world acts as a tutorial for the game ahead, introducing your basic movement and goals. From there you’ll see each of the worlds that follow introduce new ideas under set themes, with both the difficulty and complexity steadily increasing too. The levels themselves are split into two sections, where you’ll first have to find a key to progress through a locked door, and then rescue your toy counterparts. This formula is stuck to for the first six levels of a world, with the final two being made up of you guiding your newfound mini companions back to the toy box while collecting tokens to spell out “TOY”, and a confrontation with DK himself to serve as a conclusive boss fight.
If you’ve only seen Mario in any of his Super platforming sagas, you might find this game feeling a little off at first. Though slower and more intentional, you’ll see him maintain most of his standard toolkit, with the addition of fun extras like handstands to stop falling bricks from hurting him. He must be wearing steel toecap boots! You’ll see a good variety of hazards as you play through the game as you ride on enemies, jump on switches, and slowly free the mini mess of marching Marios. I personally found the the later stages to be pretty taxing, with there being no apparent solution until the penny inevitably drops and things just fall into place. I had a great time with this blend of lateral thinking and escape room-esque puzzling; it did a great job of keeping me engaged, to the point of an overrun lunch hour or two!
Over Too Quickly?
Despite being a good time, I do feel it necessary to address that the included content adds up to maybe six hours of playtime, even for those eager to collect everything in each level. This isn’t an especially long game and I can understand some being underwhelmed to some extent, especially when you consider this doesn’t feature the Japan-exclusive e-reader levels of the original.
I feel there are higher expectations of games in 2024 compared to when the original game released 20 years ago, and this is especially true for remakes where there’s expected to be reasonable and tangible justifications for the price of buying the game again. Mario vs Donkey Kong feels like a well-rounded remake in a number of ways, but I can understand the argument of there not being enough to warrant the £40 asking price. Especially so when you consider the alternative of just adding the original game to a service like Nintendo Switch Online. It’s a fantastic game, don’t get me wrong, but if it were just a touch cheaper at £30 or £35 I could see it being a far more enticing package, especially when stood next to Mario’s more recent adventures at a similar asking price.
Verdict
- Progressively challenging levels
- Two player cooperative
- Two extra worlds to explore
- Free demo available
- Just 5-6 hrs of gameplay
- No e-Reader levels!?
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