Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars Reviews

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is ranked in the 48th percentile of games scored on OpenCritic.
Eurogamer
Top Critic
No Recommendation / Blank
Mar 25, 2015

And as a game in its own right? You can't accuse it of being short on content, features or ideas, but it's hardly long on them either, and it's a shade overpriced for what it is. Perhaps worse, you can tell that Tipping Stars is a game made with care but without passion, a game that isn't its own raison d'�tre. Like the little clockwork Marios marching toward their goal, it's got purpose, but it's not the real, joyful thing.

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IGN
Top Critic
6.8 / 10.0
Mar 12, 2015

The amount of content in Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is great, but its lack of new ideas isn't.

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Mar 5, 2015

Mario vs Donkey Kong remains a compelling concept and series veterans will find more of the same brilliant puzzling. It's a particularly good fit for 3DS

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Metro GameCentral
Top Critic
5 / 10
Mar 10, 2015

A disappointingly familiar entry in the long-running puzzle series, that comes across as very cheap (in terms of production values, if not price) but not particularly cheerful.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2015

By trimming the fat and focusing on solid puzzle gameplay, Nintendo turns in another good entry. Some fans, however, may be disappointed in the lack of new trinkets to play with

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GameSpot
Top Critic
5 / 10
Mar 4, 2015

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars takes too long before it truly tickles your brain.

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5 / 10.0
Mar 4, 2015

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not bad. It is essentially Mini-Land Mayhem! with visual and technical upgrades. It never instills any sense of wonder or accomplishment, and it often feels more like work than play. It's a very paint-by-numbers affair; for a puzzle game it doesn't actually require much thinking, only doing. It is a game that exists, and that's about as much as there is to say about it.

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Mar 5, 2015

But hey, for what they were building, Tipping Stars does a lot of things right. My time was spent primarily on the 3DS version, but both look fantastic on their respective screens and play just as well. Some of the puzzles caught me offguard at first, but the challenge level is never overwhelming. It's just the right amount of challenge. The layouts could have probably used more diversity, but the backdrops help to alleviate any possible staleness going into later levels. The whole package is just… nice. Pleasant.

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7 / 10
Mar 9, 2015

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is an enjoyable and involving puzzle game, particularly for younger gamers, which despite its relatively short campaign has a number of tricks up its sleeve to guarantee that you'll be returning to it many months later. The level editor is a great example of empowering players with clear and solid tools, which allow you to to work creatively and effectively without being hampered by overly complicated systems.

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7 / 10
Mar 6, 2015

Nintendo has released an all-new Mario vs. Donkey Kong title for both the 3DS and Wii U that not only offers more of the same, addictive puzzle gameplay, but new features that will improve its replayability a great deal.

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Mar 3, 2015

A perfect cross-buy option for puzzle lovers, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is the next great entry in the long running series. This time adding new mechanics and the online level sharing to create near infinite possibilities.

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9 / 10.0
Mar 5, 2015

A superb puzzle game that has the added bonus of being cross-buy.

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6 / 10.0
Mar 6, 2015

The conundrums are clever, the characters cute, but there's precious little inspiration in Mario and Donkey Kong's latest puzzler

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Game Rant
Top Critic
Apr 22, 2015

'Tipping Stars', Nintendo's latest installment in the 'Mario vs. Donkey Kong' series, offers up tons of content and compelling central mechanic, but struggles to justify its price point.

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65 / 100
Mar 10, 2015

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not a bad puzzle platformer, it just doesn't bring anything new to the table. The cross-buy between Wii U and 3DS is a welcome bonus, but perhaps this was done because the game feels very much like mini game for your phone and is not very well suited for either of the two systems.

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8 / 10.0
Apr 29, 2015

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is enjoyable but rather easy, even in later stages.  The main attraction here is the stage builder where after unlocking everything you can build practically any kind of stage you wish.  While some people tend to make stages simply to give easy stars in the hopes of getting easy stars in return, there are stages where a lot of thought was put into them and are challenging.  If you like the series, you'll enjoy Tipping Stars, but you might find it a bit too easy.

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Mar 30, 2015

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars might not be the smash-hit the Wii U needs to lift its sluggish sales figures and lacks the graphical flourishes we've seen in other Nintendo first-party software, but for pre-existing fans of the series and puzzle-lovers alike it's sure to provide more than its fair share of entertainment. Besting all of the single-player stages is no mean feat, but its the level creation tool - along with the online community which accompanies it - that are certain to make this a release which continues to attract attention months if not years from now.

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Mar 4, 2015

Charming and inventive, "Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars" is one of the best sequels to own in 2015 on the 3DS and one of the most enjoyable Wii U games you can play with kids and friends. With a top-notch level editor, it's never been more fun to jump right into a game and discover what makes it so great.

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7 / 10
Mar 24, 2015

The level editor is an excellent choice to add to the game and the possibility to download its version released for the other console upon purchase is a welcoming sign from Nintendo. It could improve, though, by showing more original content when compared to its predecessors.

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8 / 10.0
Mar 5, 2015

While some gamers might be put off by the relatively low amount of content and all-around simplicity, for its price, including the aforementioned cross-buy, the title is worth its value in stars.

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