Throughout history, there have been many iconic rivalries throughout pop culture history that still exist today. From comics like Batman and the Joker to movies with King Kong and Godzilla, one of the first iconic video game rivalries to grace the age of arcades in the 80s was Mario and Donkey Kong. These two icons have gone from rivals to stars in standalone games to competitive friends to rivals again and even now Illumination movie icons. One of those peck rivalries came in the form of a game boy game that was released in the early 2000’s Mario Vs Donkey Kong which has now been remade for modern audiences on the Nintendo Switch.
The story of Mario Vs Donkey Kong is that Donkey Kong wants to buy an exclusive Mini Mario toy at the toy store, but the store is sold out. Hence, he goes and steals a bunch of them at the factory where they are being produced and now Mario needs to do everything he can to get them back from Donkey Kong a very simple but still very fun premise for a Mario game that both adults and children can enjoy.
The game has many unique levels in eight different worlds. Each world has eight levels, six main levels where you find and collect the Mini Mario’s that Donkey Kong has hidden in each one while the last two levels are unlocked after finding all the Mini Mario’s. The first of the two involves Mario using the Mini Marios to gather up three letters that make up the word Toy once the letters are collected and Mario collects his mini selves he can progress to the next level which involves an arcade-styled boss fight with Donkey Kong that is unique and different to whatever world they are in. Another element of each level is the three yellow, red, and blue bonus presents that can be collected in each of the six main levels, collecting all three presents factor into gaining a perfect score for each level. Once the player gets enough perfect ratings they unlock bonus levels that offer more challenging puzzles and enemies. Each main level also grows more challenging which incentivizes the player into learning more skills and special moves Mario can utilize in the different worlds.
There are two modes in Mario vs Donkey Kong Classic and Casual. In classic mode, each level has a timer if that timer reaches zero before achieving all of the objectives the player must start from the beginning of the level. In casual mode however, the main timer gets removed and there are added checkpoints in each level so Mario can take extra hits instead of just starting from the beginning which is good for new players who are looking for a fun but still challenging experience. For the more hardcore players who are looking for an extra challenge, there is a Time Attack mode that becomes available after completing all of the main levels which essentially is just replaying the campaign but with less time to complete the main objectives.
For those looking for some quality time with friends or family, the game also features a CO-OP mode that allows another player to take control of Toad rather than Mario’s iconic brother Luigi. Having Toad instead of Luigi is certainly a weird choice and I’m not the only one who believes that as many other comments and reviewers I’ve read share the same sentiment, but it doesn’t affect the game especially since Co-Op doesn’t change anything aside from how fast levels can be completed and that it adds an extra lock on the door that allows Mario to progress the different stages.
When it comes to the art style of Mario games there is usually a simplicity to them meaning that they aren’t always very complicated but that’s not a bad thing. Mario games do not need ultra-realistic graphics. They just need eye-popping visuals and nothing is more popping than the colors and environments of a Mario game. This game makes it very clear what areas you are in whether that is an abandoned toy factory, a jungle, or even a fire mountain. Each environment very much establishes its own identity and gives very fun and innovative gameplay to fit those environments. That’s something I normally enjoy about Mario games is that they can take something as simple as a forest and make it vibrant and colorful making you feel like you’re going on a pleasant walk traversing into an environment that is filled with very spooky imagery with ghosts imagery that can give any child goosebumps.
Overall Mario vs Donkey Kong is an enjoyable adventure to relive for those like me who never got a chance to experience it. While the narrative of the game is simple that’s something most Mario fans expect especially if it means that there is more to the game that incentivizes players to return over and over again.
Score: 9 out of 10
Reviewed on: Nintendo Switch