With great features and solid game play mechanics, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong 2 March of the Minis is a must have for the DS.
Three years ago, or so, a game entitled Mario vs. Donkey Kong was released on the Game Boy Advance. It was a simple puzzling plat-former that didn’t require much effort to beat. With complaints and complements, Nintendo soon got to work with a sequel to this original Mario game. A few months ago, the game had finally been created. Nintendo must have noted the complaints and complements, for they have made everything in this game improved and much more of an enjoyable experience. Sticking with some of the popular roots and improving on the not so great parts of the game, March of the Minis surpasses it’s predecessor by a long shot. Game-Play: If you’ve played the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong, you probably had your experience with March of the Minis major objectives as far as a story line goes. March of the Minis has a story very similar to the original game, and the way you get to goals of the levels is exactly the same. The story starts with Donkey Kong stealing Pauline and you as the Minis must save her, by completing 8 floors, each containing 10 rooms (levels). This plays off of DK stealing the Mini Marios in the original game and you have to free them as you progress. Anyways, you start off on a floor, and then a room. Once you clear out the 9 rooms of each floor, you face the boss. Donkey Kong is the boss of every floor, and he always has 6 hit points. You must fire the Minis at him to defeat him. However, he throws things at you to destroy your Mini lineup. If you lose all of your Minis, which is usually about 25, you will lose. Another more common way of losing is by running out of time. So not only do you have to be conservative, you must also be able to keep as many Minis as possible. Thus, boss fights are trickier than they may seem, especially as the challenges in each fight grow as you progress. The control of the Minis is all about the Stylus. This is the only tool needed in the game, besides using the control pad as camera views. Many complained about the use of the Stylus only in older DS games such as Yoshi Touch and Go however MVD2 is simply great with the Stylus. You must tap and drag to execute different abilities of the Minis. They jump on their own and move/stop when designated to. Through each room, you must simply navigate your minis to the next room. This is the exact sane way you complete levels in the original game, thus, the objectives are identical. You are always required to get more than one Mini to the exit, however, only one is required to make it. The others can also reach the exit if you wish to have a greater score. The rooms aren’t simple either. You must know certain techniques you learned in the past, as you do in many popular games such as the Zelda series. From walking across platforms of all different kinds, to hammering down the numerous supplies of foes provided, you must perform specific things to get past the obstacles met in each room. Despite just playing through each room, you may also try to get star ranks. There are bronze, silver, and gold, and all are eventually required to be achieved to unlock bonus levels/events. Aside from the main story, there is a great thing known as Construction Zone, or something like that. You can create your own levels! This is an awesome feature that I simply enjoy. From seemingly unlimited options, you may create your own levels. You also may trade levels with friends via Wi-fi, which is another great feature. So, although the 80 level puzzler proves to be short lived and only takes 3-5 hours to complete, level editor can keep you occupied for the same amount of time. That’s it on the Game Play.
Graphics: The simple bright and cheery graphics in March of the Minis proves to be incredible. No one can say no to Nintendo’s sprites used in their fantastic 2-D plat formers/puzzler. You will love the almost 3-D looking objects/enemies in what appears to be a 2-D world. I love these graphics, especially for the Nintendo DS. So the graphics are great for portable game standards as of today.
Sound: If you like Mario’s famous tunes then look no further. March of the Minis has a great sound system, and each floor has their own slight alliteration on the same beat. I love the sounds, especially as they are projected through the Nintendo DS. The Minis and enemies also make their great sounds. So sound is fantastic!
Value: For a 30 dollar deal you get about 15 hours of fun. I really don’t think you can let down this offer. The 5 hours (or for me 3 hours) of story mode are memorable, and some of the best moments you’ll have on your Nintendo DS. You may then be asking for more, and then find yourself killing more time playing the fun level editing. Without the level editing option, I admit this game would not be close to as good as it is. Thank the Lord for the addition of that fun mode. However, Value may vary depending on if you are hardcore and enjoy things the hard way, or you are a gamer looking for fun memorable moments. Thus, certain gamers may or may not be turned on by this game.
Overall: If you are a fan, definitely get this game. Graphics, sound, game play, and value all look great in my eyes. I liked this game for the fun I had with it. So I hope this helped you with your choices. That’s all for now, peace!
-Oblivion