Hands On: Mario Vs. Donkey Kong’s New Co-op Rekindles An Old Rivalry

Image: Nintendo LifeYou can tell as soon as its snazzy intro cutscene kicks in that Mario vs. Donkey Kong, a remake of 2004’s Game Boy Advance puzzle-platform classic, doesn’t intend to reinvent any wheels whatsoever. It fully and faithfully recreates the 20-year-old original’s opening movie (albeit with a nice lick of paint) and then moves swiftly on to serve up modernised versions of all the levels you’ll have played if you’ve been through this one before — every one of them almost identical to how you’ll remember.

Yep, we’ve been spending plenty of time getting acquainted with Mario’s latest (re)adventure over the past week or so and, four worlds in, it’s pretty much as expected for the plump plumber thus far. This is an exacting retread in how it serves up levels that stick to the layouts, enemy positioning, and traversal options of its source material. Nothing much has changed here in terms of the core mechanics, puzzles, and so on that make up the bulk of the game, which is a good thing when your source material is so delightfully addictive.

Of course, it’s not all rehashed levels — far from it, in fact. There are now two entirely new worlds to get stuck into that bring the total number of courses up to a generous 130. There’s also local co-op (much more on that in a bit), a casual setting for those amongst you who like to chill to the max, and even a new time attack mode thrown in for good measure. And all of this is on top of tougher Plus levels and challenges that open up once you’ve done your first playthrough. Now, unfortunately, we’re not allowed to discuss the new worlds just yet, so you’ll have to wait until our full review to find out what goodies await in Slippery Summit and Merry Mini-Land.

Before we dig in any further, let’s rewind a little for those who are new to the party. The original Mario vs. Donkey Kong was a clever expansion of the core gameplay found in 1994’s excellent Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, itself a huge expansion on the basic setup of 1981’s Donkey Kong arcade. Donkey Kong has stolen a bunch of minifigures from the Mario toy factory and it’s up to you to gather them up again by bounding through levels that are split into two areas. You’ll need to find a key to open a door in the first section, which then gives way to another area where the mini Mario you’re after sits ready to be collected.

Each level is populated by a variety of colourful enemies who can’t be stomped in the usual Mario manner but can be picked up and thrown, alongside various items that can also be chucked about to see off foes or reach ledges. There’s also the usual mix of spikes, ropes, shifting blocks, moving platforms, and all the environmental obstacles and invention that you’d expect from a typical 2D Mario joint.

It’s up to you to traverse these often delightfully tricky little mazes by utilising the Italian maestro’s various jumping manoeuvres. There’s a slower pace than you’ll be used to here if you’ve only played the mainline Mario games, and focusing in on how Mario employs different jumps for different challenges — even more so than the regular games do — gives this spin-off its own unique vibe. It’s more relaxed, purposeful, and focused on small challenges, rather than running a gauntlet of tricks and traps at full pelt.

As you can see from the screens (and if you remember these various original worlds in detail, you’ll spot it straight away), everything in Mario vs. Donkey Kong is pretty much as it was when we played it back in the day, everything except for a quite glorious paint job here that brings it all in line with the most modern of adventures through the Mushroom Kingdom. We’ve been dipping in and out of this new remake and the original to compare and contrast and, although they play the same, it really does make a big difference to the experience overall to be able to take in these worlds with so much added clarity and detail.

Each world in Mario vs. Donkey has its own theme — you know the drill — and if you’re playing solo, you may find yourself surprised (given the game’s very kid-friendly vibe) that there are some rather decent challenges to be had as you move from jungle to construction site, spooky house and so on. Fear not, this is still a fairly chilled game overall, and the new casual mode is there to make it even more so, with its checkpoints and unlimited timer, but there is definitely enough to it to warrant the real showpiece addition to this remake – cooperative play.

We had assumed that the second player here would take a very minimal role, as Nintendo has previously added options to get kids/parents/siblings/friends involved that gave them precious little to do or control. However, what we’ve played with a pal so far in Mario vs. Donkey Kong has really benefited from having two people working together to make it through the game’s levels before the timer runs out.

Add a second player via drop in/out co-op and these levels generate a silver key alongside the regular gold one you’ll need to open their doors, giving each player their own goal. Either player can collect either key, interact with every enemy, and so on, and you’ll always respawn after an accident so long as your partner hasn’t also come a cropper. There are also a few new obstacles thrown in in this mode, with crumbling platforms and such making for new challenges as you attempt to stick together and clear a stage.

This remake also sticks to the overall layout of how worlds flow from the original, giving you six basic levels to work through one at a time – you’ll get a shiny gold star for gathering all presents in each one. These are then topped off by a stage that sees you guide mini Marios through a gauntlet of obstacles as they mirror your movements, and a good old boss battle against DK himself to wrap things up.

It’s simple, intuitive, fun times for the family — fun that young children will have no issue joining in with, and, honestly, Mario vs. Donkey Kong feels better with a friend along for the ride. Indeed, once the challenge steps up — even just a little bit — you’ll find that essential teamwork and communication makes for a lot of silly laughs. It’s still a great time solo, but it’s surprising just how much co-op adds to the fun factor here.

We can’t currently go into any detail on the game’s new time attack mode or those two new worlds, but we’re now officially psyched for the full release of this one. The original Mario vs. Donkey Kong — and doubly so if you haven’t ever played it before — is a genuinely great spin-off that’s been updated here with a bunch of meaningful changes, new modes, and a modern look-and-feel that should see it top the 2004 original as the best way to experience this particular slice of Nintendo magic.

Will you be grabbing Mario vs. Donkey Kong when it launches on 16th February? Make sure to let us know, alongside any other thoughts you have on this remake, in the comments below.