Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

But hey, for what they were building, Tipping Stars does a lot of things right.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is another fun puzzle game to add to the 3DS library. If you are done with the creative levels Nintendo made for you, there is still the level creator. Add to that the cross-buy feature and this game is tons of fun.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a good new game in the series. Nothing more, nothing less.

Do not expect nothing more than the usual, consolidated formula of Mini-land Mayhem!, that will possibly offer so much more in the future. This spiritual successor is really fun and engaging, but it's high time Nintendo came up with some new ideas.

While Tipping Stars could use a few more new elements to freshen things up overall, the levels remain enjoyable nonetheless. The lack of extraneous minigames and boss battles keeps the focus where it should be – right on the puzzles.

One more time, the 11 years young Mario Vs Donkey comes back with a lemming-esque challenge that has been its signature since the first sequel on Nintendo DS. We have new elements, a return to its 2D roots, a generous quantity of levels, extras, cross-buy between 3DS and Wii U, the long-term promise of new levels made by Nintendo and a community that's already making new challenges, but the game itself takes a lot of levels to increase its difficulty, and the series trademark formula obviously needs a more intense refresh, and not just new elements here and there.

What would otherwise be a pretty bog standard platform game is elevated by the workshop option. [Issue#159, p.109]

If you’re expecting a full Mario, or even a full Nintendo game experience, you’d be better off skipping this game.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a nice, small and interesting game, with a perfect level design and cute graphics. Its affordable price, the cross-buy and cross-play options between 3DS and Wii U, plus huge social element, are enough to keep you interested for many hours.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a decent game. While it is fun to plan your moves in the various puzzles, the game starts out way too slow and doesn't break any new ground.

Mario Vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is not a bad puzzle platformer, it just doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Tipping Stars may not live up to the standards of Nintendo’s all-time classics, but it’s certainly an above-average puzzle game. If the core gameplay gets its hooks in, it can be difficult to pull yourself away.

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.