Mario vs. Donkey Kong Reviews
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a solid remake of the original Gameboy Advance game that successfully modernizes it for today’s audience. The overall puzzle experience is interesting and the addition of new features plus its co-op mode helps round out the gameplay more. The platforming can feel wonky at times and you can go through the game rather quickly. If you enjoyed the original or are looking for a fun puzzle game, however, this is a Mario and Donkey Kong rematch that might be worth buying into.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a great puzzle platformer you can play on the go. It's not on the level of Mario Wonder or Oddysey, but it can entertain just as much.
Review in Czech | Read full review
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong marks a competent and, above all, fun return to one of the most underrated subseries by the famous plumber. Most levels are simple and short, but very well designed, offering a wide variety of challenges. The game's new paint job is also appealing, the new levels add several new elements and the single player mode (along with the cooperative mode) can be the perfect gateway to show a younger person how fascinating the world of video games can be. It suffers a little from some inconsistency regarding the quality of the Plus levels and some problems in detecting collisions and contact with enemies. But overall, it's a quality experience, which will please new players as well as those nostalgic for this type of monkey business.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Whether you played the 2004 version of Mario vs. Donkey Kong or are just stepping into the series, I recommend giving this remake a go. It’s a fun game that feels great to play and offers a good challenge, and because it was a game initially made for GBA, it’s good for pick-up-and-play bursts. It’s also a nice change of pace from typical Mario games, and a great example of the sort of creative, unique titles that came out of the GBA era (and have aged well).
Mario vs Donkey Kong is a fantastic game even today, and anyone who has never played this sort of escape room hijinx before should definitely take a look, because it's devilishly addictive!
Mario vs. Donkey Kong brings the classic GBA title back with new crisp graphics, but there has not been enough changes to the mechanics or controls to make this feel contemporary on the Switch.
Cost aside, Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a perfectly delightful, charming and enjoyable puzzle-platformer that doesn't overstay its welcome. Taken entirely on its own merits, it is an excellent game that is a perfect mix of platforming and puzzle gameplay. It doesn't break any molds, but it provides an excellent arcade-style experience with minimal muss and fuss. Only its short length keeps it from being a strong recommendation, but if that isn't a flaw to you, then pop it into your queue.
Nintendo brought back the 20-year-old game, but forgot to include the appropriate content for the price. Couch Co-Op is fun to play, but you can buy an ox for this money, Nintendo...
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Super Mario remains one of Nintendo's most important brands today. While games continue to evolve with technological innovation and captivate a new generation of gamers, Mario himself remains an unchanging pop culture icon. The journey of this legendary plumber has gone down in history as a living example of how video games can evolve into an art form and a cultural phenomenon.
Review in Turkish | Read full review
Overall, Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the Nintendo Switch is a game I couldn’t put down. It’s a remaster of an iconic puzzle game that’s a direct upgrade and even adds features. There’s over a hundred stages, creative level design, expressive characters, and it’s just simple and clean fun.
Mario vs Donkey Kong is a charming puzzler that’s great in short bursts, but the repetitive formula, short length, and occasionally frustrating controls leave it paling in comparison to other top-tier Mario outings on Switch.
While it's been pleasing to see Nintendo revitalise certain parts of their back catalogue, Mario vs. Donkey Kong feels a bit dated, despite the modern graphics. I just wish there had been a slightly grander effort to modernise the feel of the game.
An inoffensive and at times charming puzzler that won't take over your life. Bundling it with part 2 might've been a good idea.
Review in Arabic | Read full review
In what the last months of the Nintendo Switch will be, if we have to believe the rumors, Nintendo gives us a nice encore. After Super Mario Bros. Wonder At the end of last year, a slick remake of a Gameboy Advance classic: Mario vs. Donkey Kong. In the twenty years after the release of the original, the Italian plumber and his ancient rival seemed to have grown at each other, but in this remake the battle between the two can be tasted again.
Review in Dutch | Read full review
I honestly could not recommend this more. It’s faithful to the original and has a ton of quality of life improvements that make it so much more fun to play
Overall, I wouldn’t say Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a challenging game. It’s a nice puzzle and platformer that urges you to want to collect all the collectables in each stage for that gold star marking your completion. I would say it’s a good introduction to some puzzle games for younger audiences, or if you just want something to relax with and play, Nintendo has you covered with this release.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is an excellent remake that enhances everything from the visuals to adding new worlds to the inclusion of two-player co-op. The bite-sized levels are perfect for short play sessions and especially well-suited for kids.
Given that it can be comfortably completed within a few days, even with the heightened difficulty of later levels, Mario vs. Donkey Kong can’t help but feel like a featherweight experience. That, though, is consistent with my experience of the original Game Boy Advance version, a sturdy-for-its-time puzzle-platformer whose set of issues prevented it from approaching greatness. Playing the remake, it’s easy to rue that the developers missed the chance to enhance and expand upon the original. This, along with other glaring deficiencies like the lack of substantive new material outside of two new worlds, proves that the transition from handheld to home console has done Mario vs. Donkey Kong little to no favors.
While Mario vs. Donkey Kong has a charming concept and visual direction, the twenty-year-old puzzle platformer shows its age through frustrating level design, bizarre controls, and very little content that improves upon the original. Further, with its $49.99 price point, it's hard to justify purchasing the remake unless you're a die-hard fan of the original GBA title.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a great looking remake of an already fun game, which is made better by the inclusion of two new worlds to complete. Unfortunately, the game is quite easy, and the entire experience ends too quickly, which may hamper replayability. Still, it is well worth grabbing a friend or family member and dedicating a weekend to completing the game.