There have been so many Mario vs Donkey Kong entries that, ahead of the Switch remake, some younger players may not even remember the original GBA game that was a more active puzzle game with Mario as the star. Now that I’ve had a chance to go through some early worlds, including one of the two new ones, it all feels quite comfortable and familiar.
As a reminder, Mario vs Donkey Kong does include the toy minis, just like the more traditional puzzle games, but they’re something you collect instead of guide. Donkey Kong wanted some, they were sold out, so he raided the factory and stole all of them. Mario was walking past when it happened, and so he then chases Donkey Kong through various worlds recovering the missing toys.
Mario vs Donkey Kong on the GBA and in the Switch remake plays more like the Game Boy Donkey Kong game than something like Mario vs Donkey Kong: March of the Minis or Minis on the Move. Each world has eight levels. The six main levels are divided into two parts. The first half involves finding a key and getting it to a door while avoiding obstacles, and the second sends you to reach a missing Mini Mario toy to recover it. When you get the six from each world that Donkey Kong dropped, you then unlock a stage where you guide the Mini Marios behind you to a shipping container. After that puzzle stage is done, you fight Donkey Kong himself.
Aside from the Donkey Kong boss fights in each world, the goal is to find a way to get from point A to point B in each stage. Since there are no power-ups, it really becomes about plotting out a course via holding the R button to view the map, then hitting switches in order to make certain blocks and platforms appear and disappear. The first three worlds I went through were all direct Switch remakes from the original Mario vs Donkey Kong, but the fourth was a taste of one of the two new worlds, Merry Mini-Land. The three returning ones looked and felt much like I remembered. The recreation is very accurate, albeit looking more stylish. It also can be a bit less stressful, should someone go with the more casual option that removes the time limit or strict penalizations for being hit by an enemy or touching a stage hazard.
However, my first impression of Merry Mini-Land is that it felt much more challenging. A lot of the hallmarks from the previous levels were there. So it did feel like it fit in. However, the inclusion of stage elements like flowers that provide gusts of wind when the switches that correspond to their colors are flipped felt a little more fresh.
It honestly was a good place to leave off on ahead of heading further into the game. Mario vs Donkey Kong always was a fun puzzle platformer, and it feels like this Switch remake is paying tribute to it in a capable way.
Mario vs Donkey Kong will come to the Nintendo Switch on February 16, 2024.
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