“Mario vs. Donkey Kong” in the test. The game for Nintendo Switch is that good

Review

Nintendo continues to ride the remake wave and is now bringing a new edition of “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” onto the market. The platformer puzzle fun not only delights the hearts of Nintendo fans.

“Mario vs. Donkey Kong” was released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance mobile game console and then spawned a number of spin-offs with the same gameplay principle.

Now Nintendo has decided to give the original form of this game series a general overhaul in order to delight both connoisseurs of the original and newcomers at the same time. The result is an astonishingly entertaining puzzle video game that you’ll enjoy playing again and again and that puts a lot of strain on your brain cells when you want it to.

Looking for toys

While Donkey Kong is chilling on the sofa, he becomes obsessed with collecting. Because when an advertisement for the new Mini Mario toys flashes across the screen, the desire to own one of these lively little guys is immense. So, full of anticipation, he sets off to the nearest toy store, where he quickly realizes that the object of his desire is sold out.

So, full of greed, he breaks into the production factory to steal a whole sack full of mini Marios. Of course that’s not possible and as luck would have it, Super Mario discovers this crime and from then on chases him across colorful scenes to save the little toys.

Donkey Kong greedily steals all the mini figures that fit in his sack.picture: zvg

Over 130 levels!

In short levels that are thematically and visually different, Mario is always looking for a key that will pave the way for him to finally get hold of one of the countless mini-Marios and thus free him. Once six of them have been found, a section waits for these little guys to be directed into a large box without any damage.

Super Mario must first grab the key before he can advance to the next level.picture: zvg

This is followed by an obligatory boss fight with Donkey Kong, who runs away again after the defeat and waits for the repeating procedure in a new section. Over 130 levels want to be completed by the players, while the level of difficulty constantly increases and demands our puzzle and jumping skills.

With handstand and backflip

Eight worlds are waiting to be mastered. And if you think that’s somehow not enough, be reassured. Because after the normal story run, there are still a lot of additional worlds waiting to be played through.

Just like in the original, our dear Mario runs, jumps, climbs and swings through clear levels and presses lots of switches so that he can continue his way in the limited area. He can even do a handstand to block falling objects. With a backflip he reaches higher levels, which becomes more and more important in order to complete the tricky puzzles. To make the whole thing even more exciting and challenging, different gift packages are distributed per level that provide additional points and items.

Super Mario is protected from falling objects by doing a handstand.picture: zvg

Pure stress or pure relaxation

Anyone who chooses the original game variation at the beginning will quickly work up a sweat and will soon become acquainted with the frustration factor. Because a nasty time limit causes one or two beads of sweat on your face. In addition, in this mode Mario is not protected from attacks or contact with traps. This means that if Super Mario is injured, he has to start the level again from the beginning.

All of this costs a lot of nerves. But if you don’t want to face these negative feelings, you can now switch to relaxed mode in the new edition, where there is no time limit and Mario has several lives per level.

If you play in the original mode, you’ll always have a nasty time limit breathing down your neck.picture: zvg

New dress and other knick-knacks

And what else is actually new? Of course, the remake comes in a new, optical dress that delights the eyes in razor-sharp detail. The music has also undergone a major overhaul to please the ears.

There are also new worlds, new bonus levels and a best times mode to delight the competitive heart. The game also has a nice two-player mode, where one player takes on the role of Toad to support Mario.

The remake also offers a nice two-player mode where you can support each other.picture: zvg

“One more level to go!”

Conclusion: What fun! I really didn’t think that this remake would captivate me so deeply to the screen. The original mode is unforgivably hard and nasty in places, but in the relaxed mode you play through one level after the other with ease. The hours go by and you keep thinking “One more level is possible!”.

In addition, the high cuteness factor always puts a smile on your face. When one of the little mini Marios goes missing and screams for attention from the bottom of the screen, the heart of a Nintendo fan melts. If you are looking for a suitable game for in between, you have found a superb game here that is very entertaining and gets your brain cells going at full speed.

If you’re still not convinced, you can take a look at the free demo and you’ll quickly have to admit that you’ll want more afterward.

“Mario vs. Donkey Kong” will be available for Nintendo Switch from February 16th. Approved for ages 3 and up.