Introduction:

Mario is back at it with Donkey Kong. Can't they end this feud? I have eagerly been awaiting it's release, I don't play many Gameboy games, so when I find one that appeals to me, it better be a great game. I did a little research and to shorten it down, this seems to be a dramatically updated version of Donkey Kong for the Gameboy. It seems that if they did base this game off that one, they have DRAMATICALLY updated it.

Story:

I really like the story, Donkey Kong isn't evil, he's not gonna go kidnap the Princess like Cranky Kong, but rather get a little too addicted toward Mario toys. He is watching TV, he's just flipping through the channels when he stumbles upon a commercial for these little Mario toys. Well, he just instantly gets hooked, so he runs to the store, but there all OUT!!!! So he gets mad, and goes to the Mario Toy Factory and steals all the Mario Toys. Now, he's off, but Mario sees him and is now chasing after Donkey Kong. But Mario will have to go through various stages before the toys will be finally returned.

Gameplay:

The gameplay is very fun and addicting. It has action but also a puzzle element. There are 6 Worlds and each world is divided into 8 levels. So you will start by entering level 1. Once you click the button to enter a level there will be a little demo movie giving you tip(s) on how to conquer that level. You can skip the demo, its up to you. But once you enter the level you will be faced will various comics. You will have to get a hold of a key and then bring the key to a locked door, to pass the level. But there will be various obstacles throughout the level. The game is mainly action, but there is a definite puzzle element present. There are also little wrapped gifts that you can collect, you don't have to, but if you collect all 3 you will get a little bonus game for extra lives. (I always love those little bonus games.)  After you manage to get the key to the locked door, you will enter a the second part of the level. So, that makes level 1 more like 2 levels. In the second part of the level you will still have to avoid enemies and think, but now you are not trying to get a key and bring it to a locked door, you are trying to find a Mario toy. Once you find the toy, you have conquered the level. To conquer each level you will have to do various things, climb ropes, jump, swing on bars, hit buttons. Climbing ropes reminds me of in Donkey Kong Jr., how Donkey Kong Junior would climb vines. The hitting buttons part is what brings in the puzzle element, you will have to hit these buttons to make certain blocks disappear and appear. Now, lets get to the jumping. The jumping is WAY more than I expected from this game. You have lots of jumps. I was just expecting a basic jump, but he does hand stands and others. I was blown away by the great jumping part of the game. There will be a variety of enemies, you can jump on some enemies and then pick them up and throw them at other enemies. You can even pick up a rhino and throw him on some spikes, then jump on the rhino and let him safely bring you across the spike trap that would have surely killed you if you were to cross alone. Each level has a time limit and the faster you defeat the level the more points you will get. After each level the game will tally up your high-score and you can try and beat the pre-set High Score for each level. Well, I said there are 8 levels in each world, the first 6 levels are just as I described, and the first 6 are divided into two parts which makes those 6 levels, like 12 levels. When you get to the 7th level, you will be guiding your Mario Toys that you have saved in the previous levels to a Toy Box. The guiding of the Toys is fun, that is basically all thinking than action. After you get the Toys to the Toy box you have conquered that level. You will then be at the last level of the World, this is where action really takes over, and it can get REALLY fun. You will be battling Donkey Kong face to face. The first time you battle him you throw barrels at him. (How ironic.) After you defeat him in the last level of the world, he will manage to get away and will lead you to another world with more puzzles and more things to do. Each world has its own theme, maybe you will like the Jungle World or the Fire World.
This game gave me hours of fun. After you beat the game you would think there would be nothing left to redo, but you can go back and try and get the High-Score for every stage. I found the game very fun and don't regret for a minute buying it.

I give the gameplay: 8/10

Graphics:

1 Word, AMAZING! These graphics were not what I was expecting, I was expecting some good graphics, but not this good. I had even seen commercials of the game, and I still didn't realize how good the graphics are until I played the game. The graphics blew me away. Mario looks incredible, phenomenal, he's amazing, he's 3-D, a very well done 3-D. The enemies look great too, there familiar such as the piranha plants and shy guys, they are done well in 3-D. The environment is very good, a nice colour and design. There is even a cool background, depending on the world you will see some cool backgrounds. Well, to sum it up on graphics, they were WAY better than I expecting, there amazing.

I give the graphics: 9.5/10

Sound:

The background sound is very good. It fits very nicely with the levels, and it will change  throughout the game, you won't be listening to the same thing the whole game. Also, its original, not the same old Mario theme re-done. (Not that there's anything wrong with the Mario theme song.) There is also really good sound-FX, this bumped the sound up a point or 2, you will hear the great Mario voice! Also, the Mario voice's quality isn't degraded at all, its great quality. It's just so nice to hear Mario's voice on the Gameboy Advance.

I give the sound: 9/10

Replayability:

The replayability isn't that bad. After you beat the game, you can re-do the stages and try and beat your old high-score or the pre-set ones. Usually I wouldn't bother with such a task, but it was kind of fun to replay these levels and try and be very quick. Also, even though the game is new, I can tell that I will re-play the whole game in a few years. I know in 3 or 4 years, I will turn on the Good, and by that time Old, Gameboy Advance and replay the entire game.

I give the replayability: 6.5/10

Challenge:

The challenge is good. After beating the first world with ease I was kind of worried that the game would be so very easy and I would beat it in an hour. But the challenge does go up to a nice challenge as your progress through the game.

I give the challenge: 7.5/10

Value:

The value of this game is very good. I bought the game new and don't regret it at all. It has already given it's worth in all the fun and intense play, and since I will be replaying this game in a few years, that surely bumps the value up.

Overall:

Overall this game is great. It has a very fun and unique style of play, combing action and some puzzle. The graphics are amazing, I was blown away by how good they are. The sound is good, the Sound FX is awesome. The replayability is good, You can re-play the levels after you beat the game and try to get a new High-Score for each level, and then you can replay the entire game in a few years. The challenge is very good, you will die a few times by the end. The value is great for the enjoyment you get from the game. Overall this is a must play and a must get game for the Gameboy Advance.

I give Mario vs. Donkey Kong: 8.5/10

Conclusion:

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a really fun game, it's the kind a fun game that you just love to play from Nintendo. I don't play many Gameboy Games, but this was a very fun game to play. I have enjoyed playing it and I know I will enjoy playing it a few years from now.

Written By: Joey Anderson

Date Written: June 13th, 2004