Game Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA)

Written by: Jens

It has been quite a while since I last picked up my Gameboy Advance. But it still remains a fun toy. Recently, I discovered a commercial that featured 3 new Mario games: Mario Ball, Mario Golf 2 and Mario vs. Donkey Kong. At that moment, I was thinking, 'Boring!', so I switched the channel. There, a gaming program was playing. I like those game review programs, so I, of course, watched it. It featured Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

At first it seemed like a normal Mario game (you know, like the original), until it showed some of the game itself: the graphics- I mean, the animation- is far more realistic and cooler then the first Super Mario. I started to like what I was seeing. Then suddenly, it even got nicer, when 'Mini Marios' appeared and started to follow the big guy, Mario. I thought: oh my! I've got to have this game! So without any further thinking, I bought it. It wasn’t that expensive, after all.

The intro begins as Donkey Kong is watching television, bored. He suddenly sees a commercial for a Mario toy. He instantly wants one, so he leaves to see if there are any Mario toys still for sale. The toy shop is sold out, so Donkey Kong became mad and went to the toy factory and stole all the Mini Marios. Your task, as big Mario, is to get back all of the Mini Marios. But is it more then just Donkey Kong wanting Mini Marios? No, it isn't! The story is indeed very simple, but it can also be fun after playing a few hours of Final Fantasy…

As I said before, the graphics are truly marvelous. Even when Mario is standing still, you can see him breath realistically. The Mini Marios are also groovy when you open a glass ball where a Mini Mario is in. The animation of the enemy, on the other hand isn't perfect, but is still quite good. But then, the animation of Donkey Kong… I think it's four different frames for a boss level. Overall, the animation remains good.

The thing that could not be missing in this game is the typical Mario comical note. The stereotypical shouting at Donkey Kong, the 'Come on, little guys!', and other phrases that will make you laugh a lot are indeed in this game. Also, the music is very different every level. For each world the music has different instruments being played, and for every world, there's another theme. In every level that theme is being played on a different way and this gives a fun touch to the game that will put music in your head you’ll never be able to get out again.

Then there are the controls. Mario vs. Donkey Kong gives us a very acrobatic Mario. Not only can he climb, he can do loops, walk on his hands, pick up enemies to throw at other enemies or even use his enemies as help to walk across spikes on the floor. And that does makes it a puzzling and complex game. In a few levels there even are more then five ways to get to the exit with tricks you've learned before, while in other levels you have to press combinations with speed so you can throw a key up to the platform above you, while at almost the same moment you must do a loop jump to grab the key again on that platform so you can continue, and to top it all off, this happens while you're being chased by lava. Not what you would call trivial, but nobody ever said difficult was bad...

So, overall, I give this game the following ratings:

Story: 6/10

Graphics: 7.5/10

Music & Sounds: 9/10

Gameplay: 8/10

Controls: 8/10

...Which gives us an average total of 7.7/10!

If you're a fan of Mario games, you should like this. If you're a fan of little cute voices saying, 'Oh Mario?', or you're just incredibly bored, then this game will be perfect for you. I guarantee you: the levels are always different (there are over 80 levels). However, I must warn you: it's incredibly addictive.