N-Philes

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Posted by Archived.

Over twenty years ago, Nintendo's perennial ape first debuted on arcade consoles across the nation. He quickly followed this up in the classics Donkey Kong (appearing as part of NES Classics Series) and Donkey Kong 3 (available on Animal Crossing). What many people forget is that, before he made a heroic turn in 1994's Donkey Kong Country, Donkey Kong was a villain, not unlike Wario. Since then, he has gone on to star in such acclaimed titles as Donkey Kong 64, Donkey Konga, and the upcoming sure-to-be classics Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat and Donkey Kong: King of Swing. Mario vs. Donkey Kong, released this week for the Game Boy Advance, marks the first time DK has played the villain since the under-appreciated Game Boy classic Donkey Kong '94, released almost ten years ago.

A Continuation of Donkey Kong ‘94

Mario vs. Donkey Kong has been marketed as a re-imagining of the original Donkey Kong, but that's not exactly accurate. The original featured four levels where Mario had to simply jump to the top of the screen. Nothing of that sort appears in Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Instead, the game borrows heavily from the model of Donkey Kong '94, where Mario must brave through obstacles to bring a key to a locked door through which DK has escaped.

However, this is where it slightly veers off course. Each level is divided has two parts where the first follows the DK '94 model and the second is a simple platforming level where Mario must locate the hidden Mini-Mario. After six of these such levels, the lovable plumber then must lead the pack of Mini-Marios to a toybox while avoiding such obstacles as Shyguys, spiked floors, and Thwomps. The number of Mini-survivors then determines how many lives Mario has at his disposal in a battle against the big ape himself. However, unlike the original Donkey Kong, the goal is not to simply reach the top of the screen, but to actually hit the ape with a barrel or a Shyguy, depending on what ammunition the level provides you with.

Donkey Kong of the 21st Century

The main game has six worlds and I beat it in one afternoon. After ten years of waiting, a few hours of some sub-par platforming disappointed me greatly. In fact, the only thing that didn't feel like a retread was the new Mini-Mario addition. It was fresh and different because not only do you have to look out for Mario, you have to look out for a bunch of computer-controlled Mini-Mario's and have to cater to their needs like the fact that they can't go down ladders or jump to high platforms. This cooperative gameplay idea is seeming to be incorporated into more and more Nintendo games, like Wind Waker (the Medli and Makar dungeons), Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga, and Four Swords Adventures, and I, for one, am a fan of it.

After beating the game, players are treated to a Plus Mode featuring an extra thirty-seven levels. In most games, the Plus Mode is simply recycled maps with different enemy placements, but that is not the case with Mario vs. Donkey Kong. All of these levels follow the model of the Mini-Mario levels and are far more interesting and exciting, because they aren't a botched rehash of Donkey Kong '94.

To increase the replayability factor, there are twelve Expert levels that make for some hardcore platforming action, but they can only be attained if you receive a Star on each level (Plus Mode included). To get a Star, a level must be beaten in a certain amount of time, so you have to be exceptionally on your game. For the Donkey Kong nut in me, this was much appreciated.

This game gets an N-Philes score of B+.

I'm torn here because Donkey Kong '94 is one of my favorite games of all time, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong just isn't as good. I would still recommend it to anyone who is in search of fantastic platformer, and the Mini-Mario levels throw a delicious twist on the tired genre.

Posted in: Reviews

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