Mario vs. Donkey Kong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mario vs. Donkey Kong |
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North American box art
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo Software Technology |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Yukimi Shimura |
| Producer(s) | Shigeki Yamashiro Shigeru Miyamoto |
| Designer(s) | Wing S. Cho |
| Programmer(s) | Yoonjoon Lee |
| Artist(s) | Kunitake Aoki |
| Composer(s) | Lawrence Schwedler |
| Series | Mario vs. Donkey Kong |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance |
| Release date(s) |
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| Genre(s) | Puzzle-platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a fun puzzle-platform game that came out in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance. It was made by Nintendo. The game is a follow-up to the 1994 Game Boy game, Donkey Kong.
In the game, you control Mario as he solves puzzles and jumps through levels. The main goal is to get back the Mini-Mario toys that Donkey Kong has stolen.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong was a hit with players and critics, who loved its clever gameplay and cool graphics. It started its own series of games, and the first sequel was Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis for the Nintendo DS. A remake of the original game was released for the Nintendo Switch in 2024.
Contents
How to Play the Game
In Mario vs. Donkey Kong, you play as Mario. He's chasing Donkey Kong through a toy factory to get back his stolen Mini-Mario toys. The game is a mix of a puzzle game and a platform game. This means you have to think carefully and have good timing to jump and climb.
Mario has many cool moves, like doing a handstand to protect himself from falling objects, a sideways somersault, and a triple jump. These moves help you get through the tricky levels in different ways.
Types of Levels
There are several kinds of levels, each with a different challenge:
- Main Levels: In most levels, Mario has to find a key and carry it to a locked door. After unlocking it, he must find the Mini-Mario toy to finish the stage.
- Mini-Mario Levels: In these levels, Mario must guide six Mini-Mario toys to a Toy Box. He has to protect them from dangers along the way.
- Boss Levels: At the end of each world, Mario must fight Donkey Kong to move on.
- Plus Levels: These are harder versions of the main levels. Here, a Mini-Mario is holding the key, and you have to guide it to the door.
- Expert Levels: After you beat the main game and collect enough stars, you can unlock these super-hard levels. They are the biggest challenge in the game!
The Story of the Stolen Toys
Mario owns a successful business called Mario's Toy Company. He makes popular wind-up toys called "Mini-Marios." One day, Donkey Kong sees a TV commercial for the Mini-Marios and wants one right away. He rushes to the toy store, but they are all sold out.
Angry and disappointed, Donkey Kong breaks into Mario's factory and steals a whole sack of Mini-Marios. Mario sees this and starts chasing Donkey Kong to get his toys back.
Mario follows Donkey Kong through many different worlds, rescuing the Mini-Marios along the way. After Mario gets all the toys back, Donkey Kong doesn't give up. He kidnaps Mario's Toad workers and traps them in a tall tower. Mario climbs the tower, saves the Toads, and fights Donkey Kong again.
After the battle, Donkey Kong falls onto a truck full of new Mini-Marios and steals them too! The chase continues until Mario gets back all but six of the toys. Donkey Kong guards these last few toys with a giant robot. Mario must defeat the robot in one final battle.
When Mario wins, he sees that Donkey Kong is sad. Feeling sorry for him, Mario gives Donkey Kong a Mini-Mario toy of his own. Donkey Kong is finally happy, and he, Mario, and the Mini-Marios all celebrate together.
Making of the Game
The game started as a different project called Donkey Kong Plus, which was shown at the E3 gaming event in 2002. This version would have let players create their own levels on the GameCube and send them to the Game Boy Advance.
Later, the developers changed the idea. They added new graphics and gameplay features, and it became Mario vs. Donkey Kong. The level creator was removed from the final game but was later included in the sequel, Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.
Nintendo Switch Remake
| Mario vs. Donkey Kong | |
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Key art
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| Developer(s) | Nintendo Software Technology |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) | Vivek Melwani |
| Producer(s) | Shinya Saito Takao Nakano |
| Designer(s) | Philip Brodsky |
| Artist(s) | Brian McNeely Erica Hanson Marcos Gomes Takashi Ogomori |
| Composer(s) | James Phillipsen Eric Pansulla Ina Almacen Lawrence Schwedler David Kitay |
| Series | Mario vs. Donkey Kong |
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch |
| Release date(s) | February 16, 2024 |
| Genre(s) | Puzzle-platform |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
A remake of Mario vs. Donkey Kong was released for the Nintendo Switch on February 16, 2024. This new version has updated graphics and a local co-op multiplayer mode where a second player can join as Toad.
New Features
The remake adds new ways to play and new levels:
- Play Styles: Players can choose between "Classic" and "Casual" modes. Classic mode is just like the original game with a time limit. Casual mode removes the timer, adds checkpoints, and lets Mario take more hits before losing a life.
- New Worlds: Two new worlds were added: Merry Mini-Land (an amusement park) and Slippery Summit (an icy mountain). With these additions, the game has over 130 levels in total.
- Time Attack: After beating the game, you can unlock "Time Attack" mode. This challenges you to finish each level as fast as you can.
This was also the first Mario game to reuse the voice of Charles Martinet as Mario after he stepped down from the role in 2023.
Reception and Sales
The Nintendo Switch remake was well-liked by critics. Many praised the fun and challenging puzzles. Game Informer and GameSpot said the controls felt great and natural. Some reviewers felt the main game was a bit too easy, but they enjoyed the challenge of the harder Expert levels.
The game was a big success in stores. It was the top-selling physical game in the UK when it came out. By March 2024, the game had sold 1.12 million copies worldwide.
