Mario vs. Donkey Kong (series)

Mario vs. Donkey Kong
Developer(s)	Nintendo Software Technology
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
First Game	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2004)
Latest Game	Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2024)
Genre	Platformer Puzzle

Mario vs. Donkey Kong <sup>(JPJapanese: マリオVSドンキーコング

Romaji: Mario tai Donkī Kongu)</sup> (known as Mario and Donkey Kong in Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move) is a sub-series of the Mario and Donkey Kong franchises. The first game, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, was heavily inspired by the Game Boy follow up to the original Donkey Kong game, and was initially planned as Donkey Kong Plus. This series features a comeback of Pauline and Donkey Kong's rivalry with Mario. In many ways, they are the successor to Donkey Kong '94. Almost every game in the series plays on a 2D plane similar to the Lemmings with the goal to get the Minis to the end. The only deviator is Mario and Donkey: Minis on the Move, which plays more like a Pipe Mania game, focusing on the top down perspective instead of sidescrolling, though being 3D.

Gameplay

The original Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a puzzle-platformer where Mario is the sole playable character. Here, he must traverse various courses to obtain a key to unlock the level's door, then collect the Mini-Mario within the second part of the stage. There are also levels where Mario has to lead all the Mini-Marios he collected to a toy chest, whilst protecting them from obstacles along the way. The final level in each world is a boss-fight against Donkey Kong.

From Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis onwards, the player takes control of the Mini-Toys instead. The Minis can be controlled using the stylus and the touch screen, and must be guided to the end of the level, usually represented by a door. In these games, various items can be moved around or added from an in-game inventory in order to clear a way or make a path for the Minis.

Games

Title
Cover, original release, and system	Synopsis
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
May 24, 2004 Game Boy Advance	Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a 2D puzzle platformer and the only game in the series to star Mario as a playable character, putting the rivalry between him and Donkey Kong in the limelight. After seeing an advertisement for Mini Mario toys on television, Donkey Kong rushes to the toy store to buy one of them. He soon learns that the store is out of stock and decides to steal all Minis from the Mario Toy Company across the street, prompting Mario to chase him through several worlds and retrieve the toys. As it was originally intended to be a remake of Donkey Kong for the Game Boy, Mario vs. Donkey Kong features many of the mechanics present in that game, including Mario's extended moveset consisting of the handstand, backflip and wire spin. During each level, Mario has to carry a key to the goal door and unlock it in the first part, then reach and free a captured Mini Mario in the second part.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis
September 25, 2006 Nintendo DS	Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is an action puzzle game that continues the rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong with a new story. The newly-renamed Mini Mario Toy Company expands its Mini collection and opens a theme park, inaugurated by Mario and his friend Pauline. Donkey Kong, also present there, kidnaps her out of jealousy for choosing Mario's toy gift over his, taking her to the roof of the building located many floors above. Mario then employs the help of the Mini toys to rescue Pauline. In the same year the game was released, a promotional browser game appeared on the Nintendo Arcade website called Mario vs. DK 2: Cannon Kaos. The game marks the transition of the series to a style of gameplay reminiscent of Lemmings. In each level, the player has to guide a number of Mini toys to the exit door. They start moving automatically upon tapping them, although they can be kept under control for the remainder of the level using the touchscreen. They can be swept sideways to change their direction or upward to make them jump, or tapped to bring them to a stop. The levels are scattered with various mechanisms, switches or enemies that can be manipulated by the player or the toys themselves to help them progress. Even though levels can be finished with only one Mini left, bringing as many Minis as possible to the goal increases the player's score with a significant amount, awarding them a star rating which contributes towards unlocking extra levels.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!
June 8, 2009 Nintendo DSi	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! is a retelling of the game's previous story with a different gameplay. Mario once again sends the Minis to rescue Pauline from Donkey Kong, who has kidnapped her on a whim for being declined a Mini toy after they sold out. The player no longer has control over the Minis after activating them, and can only modify the environment so that the toys are safely escorted to the exit door. Unlike in the previous game, no Mini has to be lost or destroyed on the way to the goal, as this lowers the amount of retries the player has until they reach a game over. A characteristic mechanic of this game, the Pink Block, has been adjusted from the previous game to be individually removed and placed in special slots throughout a stage, acting as walls or platforms for the Minis.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
November 14, 2010 Nintendo DS	In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, Mario and Pauline open a new amusement park, the Mini-Land, where the public comes for a chance to obtain the brand new Mini Pauline toy. Donkey Kong arrives late and learns that there are no more of these toys, making him kidnap the real Pauline out of spite. As such, Mario and the Minis set out once again to rescue Pauline on the Super Mini Mario Express, a locomotive which they use to commute from one attraction to the other. The gameplay takes after the predecessor, in that the Minis start marching uncontrollably after being initiated and the player must form a path for them to the exit, avoiding obstacles and collecting optional items. However, the extra life mechanic is ditched. The key mechanic of the game is constructing various platforms and walls to direct the Minis, making use of a limited stockpile of resources to build them. Red Girders are introduced to the gameplay and would form a main-stay feature in the following titles.
Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move
May 9, 2013 Nintendo 3DS	Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move pauses the conflict of the series' main characters, as Donkey Kong joins Pauline to run a carnival. Although the objective of guiding the Minis to the goal remains intact, it is now presented in a three-dimensional environment with a gameplay influenced by the Pipe Mania video game. In this game, the player must construct a pathway by placing tiles on a field and guide Mini Marios to the goal. Besides the main game, three extra modes and four minigames are available.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars
March 5, 2015 Nintendo 3DS/Wii U	Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars retains many aspects of Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, such as the graphics and the construction gimmick. It is based on the Mario vs. Donkey Kong demo shown at Game Developers Conference in 2014. The story becomes minimal, with Donkey Kong simply kidnapping Pauline to lure Mario and the Minis to a surprise party. Levels created in the editor could be shared online and commented on through Miiverse before it was discontinued. Along with the online functions, the game allows the concept of rewarding other players for their levels by tipping them stars, which form a collectible entity earned according to their performance in a level or by receiving them from other users. The tipper is in turn rewarded with stamps for offering a certain number of stars. In addition, players can use stars to buy new parts for the level editor in the Workshop Store and customize more levels based on the unlocked elements.
Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge
January 28, 2016 Wii U/Nintendo 3DS	Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge is a spin-off that presents no story. Players have to use amiibo in order to play the game, and only certain Mario amiibo unlock Mini toys designed after the scanned amiibo. The game contains a general overworld map with levels that can be explored by any Mini. However, some of these levels conceal special exit doors or bonuses that only specific Minis can gain access to using their abilities. An exit attributed to a Mini directs it to a set of levels with mechanics that rely on the character's abilities. Due to the incorporation of amiibo, levels are only played with one Mini at the time, as opposed to managing multiple toys at once like in the previous games. In the same year of the game's release, a browser game on the Play Nintendo website emerged titled Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Trivia Quiz.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
February 16, 2024 Nintendo Switch	Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a 2024 remake of the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong game, released for the Nintendo Switch.

Characters

• Mario
• Donkey Kong
• Minis
• Pauline
• Toads
• Shy Guy
• Katakata Kaen Heihō
• Polterguys
• Katakata Yarihō
• Katakata Spanner Heihō
• Mummy Guys
• Snifits
• Spy Guys
• Pokeys
• Piranha Plants
• Thwomps
• Nitpickers
• Monkey Robots
• Cannon Kongs
• Capture Kongs
• Circus Kongs
• Cool Kongs
• Crash Kongs

Trivia

• All the games in the series were initially released outside Japan, usually in North America, before any other regions. This is due to the fact that all games were developed by Nintendo Software Technology Corporation, which is a division of Nintendo located in North America.
• All of the handheld games can be played on the Nintendo 3DS, as the first game can be played in the Ambassador Program, the second and fourth are Nintendo DS games, the third can be system transferred or bought on the eShop, and the fifth, sixth, and seventh are eShop exclusives.