he original Mario vs. Donkey Kong has a neat concept behind it: Lead Mario through some mazes with his platforming skills, collecting helpless toys along the way. Unfortunately, I didn’t think that game lived up to its potential, and its underachieving sequel is even less successful. Dropping the platforming elements completely, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis focuses squarely on the Mario toys and mazes, and is closer to a simplified version of Lemmings than the original game.

Every level is basically the same: You must lead two to eight Mario Minis to a maze’s exit by guiding them around with touch screen controls. Unfortunately, there is very little challenge to any stage (even at the end of the game), as there are multiple solutions to each puzzle. In fact, the hardest thing about the game is failing to complete a level. There are point goals based on time and item collection that are intended to drive multiple replays, but I finished nearly every level with a gold or silver star, and never felt compelled to try to best my score.

But my main gripe with March of the Minis isn’t that it’s too easy – it’s that it’s boring. To me it felt like it was designed to ensure that any player could pick it up and blast through the game in a couple hours – bland, safe, and dull. The touch controls, while simple, can be occasionally imprecise and frustrating. When a game manages to be simultaneously aggravating and boring, that’s when I know it’s definitely not for me.

I’m sure some people will dig March of the Mini’s all-ages gameplay, and the chance to share player-created levels via Wi-Fi is a nice touch, but unless someone comes up with stages that are more interesting than the ones in the main game, I’m certainly not interested.