I've been playing a lot of this game over the couple of weeks since I got it (used, $13 card only, nice
), and it's a great game. I beat the final boss of Normal mode several days ago, but there's more game after you beat DK "for good" than there is before it, so I'm stilly playing. I have gotten everything in Normal mode now, but most of Plus mode remains, and it's harder. Apparently it's very, very similar to the other two DS MvDK games, but I haven't played them so I wasn't certain what to expect from this game. I was kind of thinking it'd be more like DK'94 than it is, but once I got used to it I have come to really like the game.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: March of the Minis is a quite good puzzle game for the Nintendo DS. While the presentation is clearly "inspired" by Donkey Kong '94 for the GB, the gameplay is not; instead of being a puzzle-platformer, this is a pure puzzle game, in the vein of Lemmings crossed with Donkey Kong '94 and with some unique elements, I guess. The goal is to get all the minis to the goal door without allowing any of them to die. There are enemies, obstacles, and traps in the way, but you can't control the minis; instead they move on their own. All you can do is place environmental objects, which you have limited numbers of, in specific, pre-selected spots. Objects include ladders, platforms, spring blocks, and more. There is a trophy and a medal to get in each stage, and to get both you will have to figure out how to collect the items and get all minis to the exit in as fast a time as possible.
The game starts out very easy. In fact, through most of Normal mode the game isn't much of a challenge. It spikes up in a few stages here and there, but I got through a lot of the main game quickly without much trouble. This concerned me somewhat, but the game made up for it later, with some tricky unlockable bonus stages, and with the harder Plus Mode you unlock after beating the game which requires you to get all minis to the goal in a specific order. This makes some stages much harder, and really becomes quite a challenge, particularly if you want to get the trophies... good luck getting all of them to the goal quickly in the right order! Still though, that you do have to get quite far into the game before it becomes a challenge is an issue with the game, and it would be my main complaint I think. That the game makes up for it later one helps a lot, though.
In addition to the main single player game, the game also has level creation, where you make your own levels. It doesn't just let you make levels though, it also lets you download maps other players made over the internet. This is a pretty cool feature to have; MvDK 4 here has no multiplayer, but even above the map editor, online map sharing is a fantastic feature that really adds a lot to the game.
Oh, the graphics, which are entirely 2d (prerendered characters, drawn backgrounds), are simple, but look good enough. Similarly the music is solid but not exceptional. The game looks solid, though not anything special. It's really the gameplay that carries the game, and not the graphics. Fortunately for it, the gameplay's more than good enough to keep me playing for quite a while. I'm currently in world 3 of the Plus mode, it certainly is more challenging when you always have to get them to the door in order.
