Let’s do the time warp all the way back to the year 1981. A small Japanese company known as Nintendo saw the tremendous success of arcade games such as Space Invaders and they decided to change the company’s direction from making traditional Japanese playing cards to making video games. One of their first attempts was an arcade game known as Radar Scope, a mild success in Japan but a horrible failure over in the US. Nintendo needed a new game, and quickly. Every designer at Nintendo was busy with other projects except an artist they hired and reluctantly he agreed to help create a new game. His name would soon be known throughout the world for changing the industry, Shigeru Miyamoto. The game Mr. Miyamoto created was Donkey Kong; released in 1981. Donkey Kong was a huge success; it sparked an unprecedented amount of sequels, such as Donkey Kong Jr, Donkey Kong 3, and the even the more popular Mario Bros. games. With at least 14 direct or indirect games spawning from the original Donkey Kong, this is the longest lineage in video game history to date.

Fast forward to the present, Nintendo has quietly released a new version of the classic Donkey Kong game on the GBA, entitled Mario vs. Donkey Kong. Well, in truth Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a pseudo-sequel to a classic Game Boy game called Donkey Kong that was released in 1994. DK’94 as it soon would be called had 100 levels of puzzle solving gameplay that was set in the world of the original Donkey Kong. Imagine switches, and conveyer belts in the original Donkey Kong arcade game, and you have got the basic idea.


I have the key!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong differs greatly from DK’94. First, instead of rescuing Pauline the original damsel in distress from the clutches of that hairy ape, this time you are saving little Mario toys from Donkey Kong. These mini Mario toys are little clockwork versions of our favorite plumber incased in glass spheres. You must collect these mini Marios, free them from their spheres, and towards the end of each world lead them to safety. Mini Marios will follow your general direction and movement pattern, even if you are on a different level then they are. However they can become lost and confused. The way you complete these levels is to lead your band through 3 blocks that are scattered throughout the stage. These blocks are not difficult to spot since they are labeled T, O, and Y. Once all three blocks have been activated, you can then lead your toy army to the their destination -- a toy box -- and the level is complete.

This game features 6 preliminary worlds to explore. I will explain more on that later. Each world is broken down into 8 smaller sub-levels. These sub levels are divided into one of four basic parts. We have already talked about the Mini Mario leading levels, so I will explain the other sub-levels. Some have you finding a key and returning it to a locked door to progress. While others just have you avoiding obstacles and retrieving a Mini Mario toy. Finally, the last type is a boss fight with the one and only Donkey Kong. This boss fight sub level only occurs at the very end of each world, and every fight with the hairy one is different. But chances are he will be chucking some kind of object in your direction, be it a bomb, or a barrel.


The color is fantastic!

Mario has been given special moves to add to his already growing repertoire. He can perform a handstand, double jump, and even spin on wires. You will also need help from different items in the game, some new, and some are very familiar that includes hammers, trash cans, springs, and the always fun switch blocks. This time Mario is not just up against Donkey Kong ; the big ape brought an assortment of friends to help dish out the hurt. Shy Guys and Boos are here along with Sir Shovalot (new), and one of my personal favorites, Bob Ombs.

Bonus items come in the form of three different gift boxes that are scattered throughout each stage. Collecting these boxes will allow you to play one of two mini games that reward you with extra men. These bonus games just have you either choosing a particular gift box, or switching the boxes so that Donkey Kong doesn’t crush the one you want. These are the only bonus games to be found on this title, and they are really the same, except for a slight variation in control. Nintendo in the past seemed to write the book on adding bonus games to their titles, but this time I guess they opted not to on this go around. So this just leaves the main quest, but believe me, there is more than enough challenge to be had.