Ok, let's see. The original Donkey Kong first released into arcades in 1981, where it became a smash hit that also happened to introduce us to two of Nintendo's most enduring mascots in the form of a great big agitiated ape and some springy little plumber guy. The game, in this very first incarnation, involved bounding around simple walkway platforms, dodging barrels, and moving ever upwards to smack said angry ape on his bonce before rescuing Pauline.

Fast forward to 1994 and Game Boy players are treated to an updated version of this original arcade escapade. Donkey Kong '94 (as all the cool kids called it back in the day) added some fresh mechanics that introduced a little more variety, platforming, and puzzling to proceedings, and it is this Game Boy adventure that laid the mechanical groundwork for 2004's Mario vs. Donkey Kong on Game Boy Advance. Ok? Good. And now we have a remake of that game in the form of Mario vs. Donkey Kong on Switch.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

At the outset of this particular adventure, Mario is alerted to a robbery at the Toy Factory and it isn't long before he's on the tail of Donkey Kong, who's scurried off with a sack full of Mini Marios, which you'll need to collect. Each level is split into two distinct sections; the first area sees you hunt for a key to open a door, and the second is where you'll find your Mario Mini waiting beyond a bunch of enemies and environmental obstacles. Complete the first six stages of each world and you'll unlock two final challenges comprised of a Mini Mario level, where you'll need to collect three letters to make the word TOY, and then a final boss face-off against Kong himself.

Rather than indulging in his typical super-style of freeform platform bounding, in Mario vs. Donkey Kong our Italian hero is much more grounded and heavy to control. Movements are more purposeful, and you need to focus on the type of jump, somersault and so on that's required to pass obstacles and keep moving forward. Timing is key, waiting for the right moment to move, and even jumping on your foes works a little differently than you might expect. Mario can no longer dispatch an enemy by bouncing on its head — instead, you can now jump on them to use them as makeshift platforms and lift them to throw into each other or onto spikes so you can then stand on them to get across.

The 2004 version was a solid enough game, offering a good mix of exacting platform action, light puzzling across six fun worlds, and some pretty cool variations on the age-old boss battle between Mr. Mario and Mr. Kong to dig into. This shiny new Switch remake serves up all of the content from its predecessor, here presented in a graphical style that brings it in line with modern Mario titles. It also adds two brand-new worlds (more on those in a bit), 'Plus' versions of each world make a return, expert challenges, casual mode, Time Attack, a big fancy orchestrated soundtrack, and, most importantly, a new two-player co-op mode.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Now, if you've played the Game Boy Advance effort and you're diving in all over again here, especially solo, brace yourself for the fact that the original six worlds, beyond a touch-up in the looks department, are exactly as you remember them. There haven't been any changes of note to how these areas play out. It should also be pointed out for newcomers that this is a game that (for the vast majority of its running time at least) is 100% aimed at younger players. It's not particularly difficult in the default classic mode, you will rarely find yourself pausing for thought, and it's only once you get into the post-game content here that head-scratching becomes a possibility.

Those brand new Plus (+) versions of each world, which you can bound through once you're done with the campaign, challenge you to slightly tougher versions of each level which require guiding a single Mini Mario through the gauntlet with you. It adds just enough spice to give you pause from time to time and, from an adult perspective, it's a more engrossing experience when the heat gets turned up slightly.

Time Attack mode, as expected, serves you the vanilla stages with a timer to see how quickly you can re-run areas, no surprises there. Expert levels, which we don't want to ruin here, are the biggest challenge you can unlock, and you'll need to have beaten the game before you get into them. Adjust your expectations if you're an adult, is all we're saying — you will not be mentally taxed in any way until late into this package.

But this isn't about the adults, so let's not get too hung up on the lack of difficulty. If you're expecting a firm challenge for a seasoned player, it's time to go pick up a different game. This one is all about the younger gamers and, fittingly, the star addition to this remake happens to be that new cooperative play mode. If we sound a little surprised, it's mainly because we've gotten used to the second player's role being severely downgraded to simple support in some recent Mario games. Here though, Player Two gets a decent amount of control, with total freedom of movement and objectives to take care of, meaning that in co-op — with a young child in tow — Mario vs Donkey Kong finds the magic it needs to elevate it from a decent experience to something easier to recommend.

Playing this game with our kids has been a good time (this writer's six-year-old had zero issues picking up the controls and diving in), and by adding secondary keys to pick up in levels, and some new obstacles such as crumbling walkways, there's enough teamwork required to ensure moments of hilarity and chaos as a level's timer runs out whilst you struggle and fail to get your act together. Speaking of timers, the new Casual mode removes the need to rush, a perfect choice for your first run with a younger gamer, with death in this mode seeing you return to life in a protective bubble, giving you the space and time you'll need to figure your way through a level at a child's pace.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

The two new worlds, Merry Mini-Land and Slippery Slope, follow exactly the same format as the old ones, whilst flinging in a few new enemies and obstacles (which we won't spoil here), and they've been crafted to fit into the overall flow without appearing obviously new. There are no great big leaps, advancements, or fancy modern tricks, just more of the reliable same. And hey, as long as you are aware of the easygoing, child-focused nature of this one, more of the same is just fine.

Fine isn't a word you want to see too much in a review, though, is it? It doesn't inspire confidence, and we use it here because at every stage of Mario vs. Donkey Kong there's a feeling that not enough thought has gone into utilising all the potential of Mario's revised skillset. We talked about the slower, heavy movement employed already — the game wants you to slow down and think, to use your moves, but it just never forces this side of things enough. It never gets to a level of 'clever' or 'challenging' that really lights a fire under things. 99% of levels can be worked through without considering your moment-to-moment movements much at all, and so it all feels a little inessential once you step outside of playing it with kids.

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Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

As an example of this, take how Mario can walk on his hands to avoid damage from falling debris with his shoes. We're introduced to this mechanic in a tutorial that has bricks falling down on our location. This never gets investigated any further, and levels stick to chucking a few bricks down from time to time. There's no requirement to combo moves or skills or think fast from one input to the next. Again, perhaps you'd expect that from a game targeting younger players, but we would have liked to see more of the all-ages Nintendo magic, more of that trademark ingenuity across the full running time of the campaign (around about five hours to the initial credits).

On a more positive note, all of the new additions do make for a much more robust package than the 2004 original, and one that performs flawlessly in docked and handheld. The revamped art style and orchestrated soundtrack make it all look and sound very appealing and slick, and overall this one comes off as a safe and solid experience for a younger audience playing solo, or for co-op play with an adult. It might not set the world on fire then, but Mario vs. Donkey Kong does enough through its new co-op mode and post-game challenges to garner a fairly hearty recommendation from us.

Conclusion

Mario vs Donkey Kong serves up a slick return to the 2004 GBA adventure that finds fresh fun in cooperative play. Yep, the new co-op mode really is the star of the show this time out and, alongside two new worlds, 'Plus' versions of each level, a Time Attack mode, and fancy new looks and sounds, there's plenty to dig into and enjoy with a core puzzle/platforming setup that has aged quite well. Just be aware that, if you're a more seasoned player looking for platforming challenges, this game finds its strengths as an experience for younger gamers or as a co-op title to enjoy with your kids. Taken as such, it absolutely earns a recommendation.

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