Product Description

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong - When Mario decides to open a toy factory, his old enemy Donkey Kong shows up on the scene to sabotage the business. The old grudge has started up again -- help Mario pursue Donkey Kong and retrieve the stolen toys, while avoiding the dangers of a factory!

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9762 in Video Games
• Brand: NST
• ESRB Rating: Everyone
• Platform: Game Boy Advance
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 2.00 pounds

Features

• Multiple dangers and obstacles to avoid - Over 100 levels of conveyor belts, switches, spikes, ladders, and more
• Fun animation, graphics and gameplay take you back to the classic feel of early games
• Use the recaptured toys as clues to solve puzzles and move to the next level
• Mario has great new moves -- Double-jumps, backflips, handstands, even catching barrels with his feet
• Supports the GC-GBA link cable - link your GBA to your GameCube and use the level editor on your TV screen

Game Informer Review

Years 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.

Concept:
Update the Mario/Donkey Kong puzzlers with new moves, graphics, sound, and situations

Graphics:
Nice 3D hero models and the now-standard Super Mario Advance series' graphics

Sound:
Mario is one chatty little bugger, and the sound effects are useful for gauging the play field

Playability:
Timing is crucial and some of the puzzles are deliciously mind-bending

Entertainment:
Short, but sweet

Replay:
Moderate

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Lisa Mason
Issue: June 2004

2nd Opinion:
This is one of the rare Mario titles that seems like it was tailored for a specific audience, rather than the masses. The feeling is very reminiscent of the arcade classic Mario Bros., and the puzzle-oriented gameplay makes me flash back to the glory days of the original Game Boy. The graphics and sound are great, but the stages only offer one ideal path through them, so most won't feel compelled to revisit them often. Of course, Mario fanatics will love this title for its clever amalgamation of classic Mario and Donkey Kong elements, and puzzle gamers will enjoy the non-repetitive levels, but others won't be so impressed. The Mario titles are famous for pushing gaming forward, while this title looks squarely backwards.

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Jeremy Zoss


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Customer Reviews

The DS version is slightly better
Great game, overall. I'm a huge fan of Mario games (especially the original ones) and this one was a lot of fun to play. I think the DS version is slightly better because it's easier to scroll through the level (so you can see what items you need to find and where you need to go), but that's a minor inconvenience. Overall, I give it an A- because there are better Mario games out there but if you're a Mario fan, you'll like this one.

Great game for older gamer.
This game reminds me of the old Donkey Kong games that I used to play. It is easy enough for my 7 year old and me to play, but challenging enough for my 13 year old daughter. One of my favorite Game boy Advance games.

Interesting Arcade/Puzzle mix
Ever since I bought this game, I've barely set it down. It's a highly addictive arcade-platformer with quite a bit of puzzle strategies integrated with the gameplay. The game's 100+ levels (yes, there are that many when you count all the difficulty levels) range from simple jumping-and-climbing rooms to enormous chambers where one badly-timed movement could mean game over. The game takes several recognizable elements from the classic Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. arcade games, including climbing up and swinging between ropes to knock items down and climbing ladders and moving platforms while jumping over incoming barrels. It also introduces some new concepts, such as leading a troop of half a dozen half-size Marios past enemies and obstacles into a toybox.
Unfortunately, the game also has a few weak points. For instance, the controls are sometimes less responsive than they need to be, making levels more difficult thatn they need to be (not that some of the later ones aren't already that way). Also, when picking up and throwing items, it's difficult to get the game to register which direction you are throwing the item/object/enemy in. You might try to throw it straight up and end up tossing it off a ledge. Still, with probably the best graphics seen in any GBA game and a fun soundtrack that fits with the gameplay and doesn't distract the player, this is definitely worth a shot for anyone who likes classic arcade-style games with a bit of a puzzle spin.