Mario vs. Donkey Kong (Game Boy Advance) Playthrough
224A playthrough of Nintendo's 2004 puzzle-platformer for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, Mario vs. Donkey Kong.
1:10 New game start
1:39:58 Plus game start
2:39:47 Expert game start
In 1994, Nintendo released Donkey Kong (https://youtu.be/f_fKDQeG9Dg), a brilliant reimagining of the original 1981 arcade game, for the 8-bit Game Boy. Ten years later, they tasked their North American development branch, Nintendo Software Technology, with updating DK94. NST began work on a project that would be announced at E3 2002 as "Donkey Kong Plus" for the GameCube. You can see some footage of it here: https://youtu.be/juSJS6jDU8c.
The game underwent some changes over the following year - the art style was changed, the DK94 level maps and themes were removed, and a few new mechanics were introduced - and it was later reintroduced as Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the Game Boy Advance.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is to DK94 what New Super Mario Bros. is to the original SMB: it's essentially a remake with prerendered CG graphics, new levels, and a few tweaks to the mechanics. Mario still backflips and somesaults over obstacles as he tries to get the key to the door, but MvDK introduces the Minis, a troop of windup Mario dolls that have to be saved in each stage, as well as color-coded buttons, laser traps, bombs, and a few new enemy types.
The minis are a fun addition to the formula, the GBA's wide screen gives a much better view of the stage layouts, and despite the lack of any meaningful challenge, it plays well enough.
But I think Mario vs. Donkey Kong would've sat better with me if I hadn't already played the game it was based on. MvDK's gameplay feels uncannily similar, and the "new" elements feel like they were included for the sake of being new, and not because they innovated or improved upon what was already done in DK94. It rings a bit hollow for a Nintendo game - it veers awfully close to rehash territory - and the tacky plastic facelift robs it of a lot of the personality that made DK94 so likable and memorable.
Nintendo EAD themselves made DK94, though, and their legendary spark can be seen clearly woven through every fiber of that game. Without their signature touch, MvDK is a major comedown, but it still ends up being a good game from a capable developer.
Not classic. Not inspired. Not memorable. But good.
*Recorded with a Retroarch shader to mimic the look of the original hardware.
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