Mario vs. Donkey Kong

 Game Boy Advance
User Score
8.2

Generally favorable reviews- based on 51 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 51
  2. Mixed: 12 out of 51
  3. Negative: 1 out of 51
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  1. Trix
    Jun 12, 2004
    9
    I thought the game was too easy until I got stuck. How DO you get past that level? The game has a lot of flash, good sound effects, decent eye candy and humor. Some kids playing it were actaully laughing out loud. It's the feel good Mario game of the moment. I wish it included all the original Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr levels, but this is all about the puzzles. I liked DK94 better I thought the game was too easy until I got stuck. How DO you get past that level? The game has a lot of flash, good sound effects, decent eye candy and humor. Some kids playing it were actaully laughing out loud. It's the feel good Mario game of the moment. I wish it included all the original Donkey Kong/Donkey Kong Jr levels, but this is all about the puzzles. I liked DK94 better at first, but this one just looks better (though plays very much the same). It's like comparing an old VW Beetle to a New Beetle. The old one has authentic charm, but you'd rather drive the new one because it has all the bells and whistles.… Expand
  2. JonH.
    Sep 11, 2004
    10
    A fun silly solid mario game, the best mario game in a long time.
  3. Zilcell
    Nov 9, 2011
    6
    The puzzles are not very addicting but they amuse for a little while. The game has a lack of content which makes it feel empty. The other games in the series are better.
  4. DiscoDiva
    Jan 18, 2013
    10
    GBA at its pefection. Funny, cute, long and challenging and graphics were pleasing. The puzzels were obviously made by a genuis and as frustating it was and you'll feel like a genius after playing too! Since all the puzzels where mind squeezing and coporative., it never got boring. The cutscenes where classy too! It'll take you a while to get bored of Mario cute lil quotations.
  5. dinosauryoshi
    Aug 29, 2014
    7
    Was expecting to love it but ultimately struggled to get into it.

    This is not a bad game by any means and it shares some of the great fun of the original Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, I just didn’t like many of the ideas that were added. The levels where you had to get all the minis to the end were cool but I felt the ones where you actually collected the minis weren’t particularly    Was expecting to love it but ultimately struggled to get into it.

    This is not a bad game by any means and it shares some of the great fun of the original Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, I just didn’t like many of the ideas that were added. The levels where you had to get all the minis to the end were cool but I felt the ones where you actually collected the minis weren’t particularly exciting and never very challenging. The puzzle element was often removed and replaced with platforming. I loved the original for its puzzles and having to look at the whole map to figure out how to get the key to the door. The levels where this was still the goal in this game were generally good fun although I felt that the puzzles weren’t as inventive as in the original and the worlds certainly not as individual. This is strange as you’d have thought with the additional firepower of the GBA they could have made the worlds a little more distinctive but ultimately the levels and soundtrack are nowhere near as memorable and most worlds just feel like more of the same.

    I came away feeling slightly disappointed, though it must be re-iterated that this is in no way a bad game, the visuals look good, it controls pretty well, and the level design is good. However it’s missing that Nintendo magic that takes things to the next level and makes a game a really memorable experience. Things just feel a little stale.

    I’m interested to play the ‘March of The Minis Series’ to see how that competes with this effort.    … Expand
  6. RodrigoMan636
    Feb 26, 2016
    7
    Este Juego es uno de los que mas recuerdo en la GBA, un juego que sin duda no es 100% bueno ya por ser lento, pero tiene buenos puzzles que te pueden dejar un buen tiempo jugando.
  7. EpicLadySponge
    Apr 14, 2016
    8
    Mario vs. Donkey Kong is one of those fanservices that actually works. It's not because it's just a video game and I'm claiming video game battles to be better than movie battles, it's that Nintendo created it just the way the movies are supposed to do them.
  8. BM30
    Jul 6, 2020
    7
    Not good but not bad. Really is just a mario puzzle game and is a mixed bag for me.
  9. SpoonSation
    Oct 16, 2021
    10
    Эта вариация Марио превзошла все мои ожидания, ранее я не признавал серию Марио, т.к. считал ее конвейером, но после mario vs. DK мое мнение изменилось.

    Игра представляет из себя очень качественную головоломку, в которую невероятно приятно играть. Эта игр вышла на gba, что прекрасно вписывается в идею консоли. Взял с собой, и когда выдется свободная минута, разгадываешь головоломки, а они    Эта вариация Марио превзошла все мои ожидания, ранее я не признавал серию Марио, т.к. считал ее конвейером, но после mario vs. DK мое мнение изменилось.

    Игра представляет из себя очень качественную головоломку, в которую невероятно приятно играть. Эта игр вышла на gba, что прекрасно вписывается в идею консоли. Взял с собой, и когда выдется свободная минута, разгадываешь головоломки, а они на уровне, над некоторыми уровнями придется повозиться.

    Сюжет простой, что стандартно для Марио игр, но это Nintendo, а следовательно мы говорим про геймплей. Тут мне не к чему придраться и ставлю игре:

    10/10    … Expand
  10. GDsReviews
    Aug 21, 2022
    9
    A genuinely fun game that brings back the iconic rivalry that put Nintendo on the map with the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game. The intro is especially funny, and I still laugh watching it today.
  11. Yojimbo2015
    May 6, 2023
    8
    Enjoyable little platform puzzler with bite-sized levels that make it perfect for portable gaming.

Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
21
#21 Most Discussed Game Boy Advance Game of 2004
3
#3 Most Shared Game Boy Advance Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Generally favorable reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 37 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 43
  3. Negative: 0 out of 43
  1. G4 TV
    80
    Oh-so-close to being the perfect handheld game. Its rich, entertaining gameplay can be enjoyed in nuggets, and simply put, it’s beautifully designed.
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  2. Frictionless Insight
    80
    It's not necessarily innovative, but it is fun and particularly suited to people who have only short burst of time to play on the GBA.
    Read full review
  3. Yahoo!
    70
    Visually, this is a good example of what the GBA can do, with clean lines and solid character animation. There's a bit of slowdown on crowded screens, but the controls are tight and generally the game moves smoothly.
    Read full review
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