Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Developer	Nintendo Software Technology
Publisher	Nintendo
System	Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console (3DS, Wii U)
Release Date	Game Boy Advance US May 24, 2004 JP June 10, 2004 EU November 19, 2004 3DS Virtual Console December 15-16, 2011 (Ambassador) Wii U Virtual Console JP July 23, 2014 PAL September 17, 2015 US February 9, 2017
Genre	Adventure / Puzzle
Gallery	GH Gallery
Rating	ESRB: E

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a Game Boy Advance action/puzzle game pitting Mario against Donkey Kong in a revival of their rivalry that started in the original Donkey Kong arcade game. However, it is based more on Donkey Kong GB with its puzzle-like gameplay.

Story

A line of Mini-Mario toys has been made by the Mario Toy Company due to Mario's popularity. Donkey Kong sees a commercial for the toys and becomes obsessed with collecting them all. After finding the toys sold out everywhere, he breaks into the Mario Toy Company and steals all the Mini-Mario toys. Mario initiates a pursuit in order to retrieve the toys.

Gameplay

Each different 'world' contains eight levels. In the first six levels of a world Mario collect has to collect the key to the doorway and the Mini-Marios, and he can also collect three different packages for bonus points. In the seventh level, the player has to lead the collected Mini-Marios to the end of the level, with the number of surviving Mini-Marios determining the amount of Mario's lives in the boss battle. Then, the player faces Donkey Kong one-on-one in the eighth level. These take on the form of a variety of different-themed boss levels.

The game features a host of unlockable levels. These include a new set of worlds, where the player has lead a Mini-Mario bearing a key to the door hole, as well as a host of incredibly hard levels to test the player's skill.

Legacy

This game spawned a new subseries of Donkey Kong-based video games for the Nintendo DS and later platforms. However, the sequels shifted to a different Lemmings-like gameplay style in which the player controlled the Mini-Marios and had to guide them through levels.

Ports and Remakes

• In 2011, it was included in the set of Game Boy Advance games that were released for free download on the 3DS to those participating in the Ambassador Program. It did not receive a normal eShop release on the 3DS, but in it eventually was released for download on the Wii U as part of its Virtual Console: for Japan in 2014, Europe and Australia in 2015 and America in 2017.

Sequels

It was followed by Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis for the DS, which changed the gameplay style.