[ad_1]
A developer can take many different approaches to remaking a game, but their primary goal always remains the same: to create a new experience that honors the spirit of the original. With Mario vs Donkey Kong, a remake of the 2004 Game Boy Advance title of the same name, Nintendo achieves this goal. Combining new worlds and modern quality-of-life features with the game’s classic and delicious puzzle design, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a great start to Nintendo’s 2024.
In the game’s opening, Donkey Kong attacks a toy factory where they make Mini Marios, the hottest new product on the market. To retrieve them, Mario must chase him through eight worlds, each with two different halves. In the first piece, he must bring a key to a locked door, and in the second, he must reach the Mini Mario located somewhere in the level. On paper, it runs the risk of becoming repetitive, but in practice, there’s so much variety from level to level that I never got bored. With only six standard levels in each world, there’s plenty of room to play around with the mechanics and level design, and I was consistently impressed by how well the game kept me engaged. It’s nothing revolutionary, it’s still 20-year-old puzzles, but it holds up better than many games from the same year.
The element of the game that I liked the most was the versatility of Mario’s movement. Between handstands, pivot jumps and triple jumps, it’s great to move from one side of the stage to the other. These are necessary techniques in later levels, but early on, you can become the master of space and skip entire sections if you know what you’re doing. Combining this with its intuitive puzzle design, Mario vs. Donkey Kong makes players feel smart and skilled even when the puzzles are relatively simple. Triple jumping from a handstand onto an enemy through the final collectible present and at the end of the level is exciting every time you get it.
The game makes up for its age with a number of new features, my favorite being a “casual mode”. When activated, Mario no longer resets the level when he dies. Instead, he has a limited number of bubbles that he can use to respawn at nearby checkpoints upon taking damage. It opens up the game to younger players or anyone who can get stuck more easily. The puzzles aren’t any less difficult, but the platforming becomes more forgiving, making the game less frustrating, especially in some nail-biting post-game levels.
This remake also adds two new worlds: Merry Mini-Land and Slippery Summit. While I found them to be a bit easier than the existing levels, they fit the style of the other stages well and are welcome additions that slightly expand what was once a short game. After beating the game, you also unlock a time attack mode for each completed level, adding a new challenge for players who want it. Add in the + worlds (harder versions of the eight core worlds) and a number of expert stages, and the game has a good amount of content if you’re willing to dive in. Completing most worlds was enough of a challenge for me. , but I was glad to know there was more to play if the mood struck.
mario vs. Donkey Kong is a simple game, but as is the case with the best Mario titles, this simplicity has an elegance. Nintendo has done a stellar job adding features to make it more palatable for a modern audience, but it only comes together because of how well the classic levels hold up. Mario and Donkey Kong have been rivals for over 40 years, and this game carries on that legacy admirably.
Source: gameinformer.com