Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is a strange creature. It's almost a sequel to Donkey Kong -- the Game Boy Donkey Kong, that is, which was in turn something of a sequel to the original DK arcade game. But while DKGB expanded upon Nintendo's breakout hit with breathtaking ambition, turning a 4-level platformer into a 100-level brain-teasing action puzzler, MvsDK is content merely to reprise the previous handheld adventure while casually introducing a few new elements during the course of the quest. It's somewhere between a remake and a full sequel; call it an expansion pack, if you will.
As a game rooted firmly in arcade tradition, MvsDK won't be to everyone's tastes. But it deserves respect as a fine specimen of that sadly rare breed of game, the action puzzler. Those who remember what puzzle games were like before Tetris redefined the genre as "falling blocks" will feel a warm fuzzy feeling in their heart with each new challenge. MvsDK provides a refreshing opportunity to test the dexterity of both your fingers and your mind, and being wrapped up in the trappings of a classic Nintendo franchise makes it all the better.
Granted, the only real references to the original arcade DK come in the form of the occasional sound effect (and of course the main characters' endless chase); this is definitely the child of the Game Boy classic. The graphics are much more eye-catching than they were in the 1994 title -- Mario's world is now prerendered in vivid (albeit somewhat plastic) color and magnificently animated. Don't be put off by the flat-looking screenshots; the graphics look much better in motion, full of parallax scrolling and pleasantly cartoonish animation. The plot has been updated as well: DK has given up on kidnapping Fay Wray lookalikes and instead taken up collecting miniature Mario dolls. ("Collecting" here is used in a sense that means "breaking into a factory and stealing," and of course it falls to Mario to recover the goods since all those annoying Toads are good for is making a mess.) There's a certain self-congratulatory air about a plot that revolves around recovering stolen Nintendo merchandise that borders on hubris, but it works.
The size of the game is impressive. While at first it seems to be entirely too short with only 36 puzzle stages, you'll quickly realize the numbers are deceptive. For starters, each stage is divided into two completely separate sections, each a puzzle in its own right. The first portion of every stage always requires bringing a key to a door, while the second half is simply a matter of recovering a Mario doll. In addition to the puzzle stages, each world has a single "Mini Mario" level. These have an almost Lemmings-like feel to them as you solve the usual puzzles while trying to guide and protect half a dozen helpless toy Marios to the exit. Your success in the MM stages determines your strength for the subsequent showdown with DK, adding a new twist that provides one of MvsDK's major innovations over its predecessor.
Even better is the fact that these 84 different scenes don't account for even half the game -- there's an insane amount of unlockable content available, more than doubling the actual number of stages to be conquered. Estimating the time necessary to fully master the game is practically impossible as certain stages can only be unlocked by completing every level in a world with scores above a predetermined mark. If obsessive replay value is what you want in a game, MvsDK will keep you happy for a very long (and very frazzled) time.
The game has a few rough patches, particularly where the control scheme is concerned. There's a certain lack of consistency in how Mario reacts, and sometimes he's slow to respond to inputs -- making for the game's most frustrating moments. Mario often refuses to act unless you really mash the buttons, and when you need split-second timing to leap across conveyer belts and avoid falling into a pit of spikes, this is a very bad thing indeed. Of all the holdovers from the original incarnation of DK, the clunky control is the least welcome; Mario has become the flag-bearer for interface excellence over the years, and MvsDK is an unfortunate step backward.
MvsDK has been given a surprisingly low-profile release considering it revives the oldest rivalry in video games. The titular characters both made their debut together more than two decades ago in a fast-paced girder chase and went on to separate superstar careers, their original antagonism all but forgotten. Nintendo seems intent on revitalizing the DK brand, with nearly half a dozen games starring the big grouchy ape due in the next year alone, and this nod to the past makes a perfectly fitting cornerstone. It's not a particularly original adventure, but MvsDK is a classy reminder of where these games all started. And as it happens, it's pretty fun, too.
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