The first four worlds of Mario vs. Donkey Kong are puzzle platforming magic
The Nintendo Switch’s first big Mario game of 2024 might be a remake, but it’s one that's shaping up to be nicely polished and neatly packaged, if not a bit safe.
Whether tearing up the track in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe or trading fists with Nintendo’s most celebrated characters in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Mario is a man of many talents. Before he became a multi-talented icon, though, the plumber made his name scaling heights and dodging obstacles in 1981’s Donkey Kong. And true, the legacy of this arcade classic somewhat trailed off over the years, but its DNA remained in the rather niche Mario vs. Donkey Kong series of puzzle-platformers – not seen last since the days of Wii U. Could a remake of this original game flourish in today’s climate? Very much so actually, at least judging by the first four worlds I recently got to play.
The first thing that struck me about this remake of 2004’s Mario vs. Donkey Kong was the art style. The original game being stranded on Game Boy Advance means there’s been plenty of room for improvement on the visual front, and in this area, Nintendo has mostly got it right. Whereas last year’s Super Mario Bros Wonder was a fantastic reinvention of what a 2D Mario could look like, this Mario vs. Donkey remake plays it safe by sticking to the New Super Mario Bros. school of character models and environmental detail. What saves it from falling into mundanity, then, is the expressive animation layered on top of both.
The first section of every Mario Vs Donkey Kong level tasks you to find a key and bring it to a door. (Nintendo)The original Mario vs. Donkey Kong is still a great-looking game in its own right, and well ahead of its time in terms of how it was pushing the handheld hardware. In the remake, however, seeing Mario pull off odd manoeuvres you don’t typically see him do elsewhere, such as handstands, double leaps, and rope slides is always a genuine joy. Seeing him happy doing it equally made me happy – and more inspired to push on when the puzzles got particularly tricky in the latter half of World 4. Better yet, as before, all these cool moves you have him do to navigate each level end up being key to completing them in some form or fashion.
For those unaware, the basic setup of Mario vs. Donkey Kong sees the latter steal a bunch of mini-Mario toys from a factory. Your job is to try and get them back by progressing through different world locations and completing increasingly complex puzzle boxes that will test both your problem- and puzzle-solving ability. It’s refreshingly strategic!
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Playing a Mario game where jumping isn’t the main mechanic felt weird initially, I’ll admit. Yet by the time I reached the second world in this remake, finding each section’s key, present, and then ultimately mini-Mario toy became second nature.
Born to plumb
Each world is made up of six levels, themselves split into two distinct sections. The first sees you finding a key to unlock a door, while the next section tasks you to complete a specific series of obstacles needed to reach the elusive mini-Mario toy. This unique bifurcated structure always kept me on my toes, testing my ability to think a few steps ahead when it came to moving the platforms, activating colour switches, or throwing the enemies I needed to reach my goal.
The first World is a toy factory, appropriately, and it did a good job introducing me to the concepts I’d never seen in Mario games outside of Mario vs. Donkey Kong. This included the way Mario jumps on enemies without disposing of them, through to how carrying a key to the exit door limits his ability to jump down through platforms. In all these ways and more, it’s like learning a different puzzle-platforming language. The same can be said for the use of the plumber’s handstand, which as well as allowing for his handspring jump renders him unaffected by falling obstacles above.
Every world in Mario Vs Donkey Kong is punctuated with a boss against Donkey Kong using a new mechanic. (Nintendo)Ideas like these are expanded and built upon in Donkey Kong Jungle, Fire Mountain, and Merry Mini-Land as the three other worlds I was able to play. None particularly stretched my lateral thinking skills or had me stumped too harshly, but then this is indicative of a puzzle platformer that’s meant to be equal parts charming and approachable to players of all ages. Each world is punctuated by a Pikmin-like challenge, where you must guide the mini-Marios you’ve gained to safety, as well as a boss battle against Donkey Kong that helps break up the structure nicely.
Having just had a small taste of what to expect from this Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake, it’s looking like a safe and faithful reinvention of the Game Boy Advance original primed to please a newer crowd. I can’t wait to see if Nintendo has elected to shake up or indeed add any more mechanics to the existing formula in later levels and Worlds, but the good news is with the full game releasing this February 16, 2024, we don’t have to wait too much longer to find out.
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