WHAT IS IT?

An amusing if occasionally brain-breaking puzzle game with the sheen of a first-party Nintendo title.

IS IT GOOD?

It’s a lot of fun but probably shouldn’t be devoured in one go; your brain might leak out of your ears.

WHO SHOULD PLAY IT?

Mensa members.

1-UP

The longstanding feud between Super Mario (né Jumpman) and Donkey Kong dates back to the latter’s title debut, the 1981 arcade classic which saw the red-suspendered plumber jumping and dodging barrels flung by the angry gorilla after kidnapping Mario’s girlfriend Pauline. (Whatever happened to Pauline? After a very long absence, she resurfaced in a delightful supporting role in Switch masterpiece Super Mario Odyssey in 2017.)

Nintendo’s latest, the beautifully touched-up remake of the 2004 Gameboy Advance game of the same name, once again pits man vs. ape, only this time as a platforming-based puzzler emphasizing brains over brawn. Each mini-stage of Mario vs. Donkey Kong represents a brainteaser, a challenge to figure out which buttons to press in which sequence, which enemies to jump on when, and how to navigate the fiendishly difficult traps that Donkey Kong, with too much spare time on his hands, has devised to slow Mario’s progress.

An added two-player mode adds even more ways to tackle challenges, while also introducing additional challenges which might be a bit much for some. Other improvements include the requisite high-def graphics, a “casual” difficulty which removes time limits, and, crucially, the addition of two new worlds with multiple new puzzles to overcome.

2-UP

I still fondly recall the glory days of the GBA, whiling away the hours with classic titles like Mario Kart Super Circuit, the incredible Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 2 port, and WarioWare Twisted. Twisted in particular was a great benchmark for the pre-iPhone era of quick-fix mini-gaming which could be fooled around in on the bus ride to work (provided you didn’t mind looking like a dork, twisting and twirling your Gameboy to use the cartridge’s built-in accelerometer).

Twisted paired nicely with the more classically minded Mario vs. Donkey Kong, which looked like a standard Mario platformer – green trees, big beautiful sprites, lots of platforms to hop on – but which played like a Mensa logic puzzle. (Many years later, Braid would take major inspiration from Mario vs. Donkey Kong with its single-screen platforming puzzles superficially resembling the Nintendo game.)

While it would have been nice for a proper sequel all these decades later, this remaster/light remix of the GBA game is a great way to get (re)introduced to this title. The model of short levels – similar, in certain respects, to the Toad’s Treasure Tracker challenges baked into Super Mario Odyssey – is perfectly built for the Switch’s hybrid home/portable format. Take it on the subway for a half hour’s worth of puzzling, then bring it home to team up with your roommate for the added difficulty of the two player challenges.

About that: unlike the original, the Switch port has a new two-player mode which allows for some (occasionally frustrating) collaboration on puzzles. Player two is Toad (no coincidence in that choice), and while it’s fun to team up, some odd choices make it less thrilling than it could have been. On the one hand, having two players makes it easier to time your actions and reach items, while a Super Mario Wonder-style “extra life” bubble means it’s not an instant fail if one character dies. On the other hand, all two-player levels add an extra “key” that needs to be unlocked, adding a needless layer of difficulty.

3-UP

I’ve had a lot of fun in my time with Mario vs. Donkey Kong. While it doesn’t reach the heights of the main line Mario titles like Odyssey or Wonder, it’s a nifty collection of brainteasers that’s good for either a quick mobile fix or a longer evening at home. The two-player option encourages cooperative play, but the added difficulty might be a barrier to really sticking to that mode.

Hopefully, next time this series resurfaces, it will be in a fully-fledged sequel. Maybe even Luigi will show up!

***
Final score: 8/10 goombas.

Visit the official website for Mario vs. Donkey Kong here.

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