Mario VS. Donkey Kong

In a time when remastered versions of classic games are gaining more traction it is pretty amazing to see some titles stand out well, and one of them is none other than a GBA classic which has found a new lease on life on the Switch: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong.

Originally released for the Game Boy Advance – and I believe one of the last ones – this title had become one of my personal favorites way back when, and now with the Switch version I get to experience it again, as many others have as well.

It all starts when Donkey Kong is at home watching TV and then he sees a commercial for a Mini-Mario toy and decides to go and get one, only to end up grabbing an entire bagful of them. Needless to say Mario isn’t about to let DK get away with this, and so begins the quest to get the Mini-Marios back from the titular gorilla.

In each stage you as Mario have to navigate through different obstacles to try and get the Mini-Mario who is trapped in that stage. Once you do you get to go on to the next stage until you get to the final part of the toy factory and face off against Donkey Kong himself. But even should you beat him, it’s not over. For all DK does is pick up the bag of Mini-Marios and continues on to a new area with Mario chasing after him.

For those who have played the original this will be like jumping back into familiar territory. Especially if one also has played the original Donkey Kong for the Game Boy or even the original Arcade classics like Donkey Kong and DK Jr. The gameplay mechanics from those titles will definitely come in handy here. And the simplicity of it allows for a short learning curve. The design aesthetics are also intact here as well, with a more polished look to it that befits what the Nintendo Switch can do.

One thing that isn’t talked about regarding this game is that while Nintendo did develop and publish it, Mario VS Donkey Kong was created here on this side of the Pacific, specifically by Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, or NST for short.

Originally founded in 1998 by the founder and first President of Nintendo of America Minoru Arakawa along with Claude Comair and Scott Tsumura, the subsidiary was formed with private University Digipen to help create first-party games for the U.S. market. The initial staff was made up of top doctorate instructors and DigiPen graduates who had worked extensively with NoA designers before.

(I think they should nickname NST Nintendo EAD USA. Looking at their resume the folks there have quite the talent and the body of work to go with it. 😉 😄)

In all, this is one game that is worth getting. Whether it be doing an entire level or more, or even just doing it one stage at a time if one’s on a tight schedule.

So if you haven’t already gotten this game, I highly recommend you do. Like the best Mario/Donkey Kong games, it will pull you in for hours on end.

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Also, check out this play through of the original! For a GBA title, it definitely pushed the limits of what the system could do, as well as deliver a fun gameplay experience.