ears from now, people’s memories of this game will probably outshine its reality. Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a quick romp that has you using Mario’s impressive action moveset to complete a series of puzzle rooms. That being said, the speed of the game seems to highlight its brevity – I was smoking through worlds in no time, but didn’t get all of the collectibles. I guess I could go back later to be a completist, but I’m not really that kind of girl.
Instead, I enjoyed my time collecting the toys that Donkey Kong had stolen from Toad’s little factory of joy. Each of the worlds follows a basic structure: six puzzle levels each composed of two sections (get the key to the door and grab a wayward toy), followed by one Mini-Mario level where Mario gets the little Lemmings-like versions of himself to a toy chest, and the boss battle. In these sections, DK will flip color switches and drop debris on you – players have to hit the ape a certain number of times before they die. It’s pretty basic stuff, really.
Where Nintendo’s quality truly comes into play, though, is the level design. Large-scale puzzles with a perfect ramp up of skill acquisition and difficulty carry players through the whole quest. There are few outside the Big N who could consistently deliver this caliber of action/puzzle gameplay, and I took great joy in using each new skill I received. They are easy to use, make sense, and the level design generally makes it really apparent what move players should use in which situations. Genius!
I guess that this game doesn’t bowl me over just because I felt like I was always going to finish a level in two (at the most three) attempts. Doing the math, that means a few hours of gameplay for most players – some more if you’re intent on unlocking everything. I wasn’t, so its time in my GBA will be limited.
Despite my hesitance to proclaim this a miracle of modern handheld puzzle gaming, I don’t want to understate how well executed this title is. Mario vs. Donkey Kong offers a really good time for everyone, while it lasts.