Over the years, DK has gone from kidnapping princesses, to looking for bananas, to saving the world, and now, to stealing large amounts of Mario dolls; And he does all of this while sporting an oversized red tie. He's a very disturbed gorilla. However, that doesn't mean this game isn't fun! In fact, this game is great. It can be compared to the Gameboy DK game released almost 10 years ago, although, this is superior in every way. Those who've played the Gameboy original will already have a good idea of how the game plays, but for the rest of you, it will be a great new experience. Let's take a look at this game.
Ok, as the game opens, DK decides to get a Mini-Mario doll. When the store's run out, he decides to go and take the whole stash of 'em! Mario can't allow him to get away with this, however, so off he chases. Through 6 worlds, each with a themed set of levels, you'll control Mario as he follows DK, to get back his dolls.
Ok, so what makes this different from platforms such as Donkey Kong Country, or Super Mario World? Well, this game isn't action-based. I mean, don't get me wrong, there's action: Hammers, throwing enemies and objects, jumps, backflips - stuff you've come to expect from a game with "Mario" in it's name - But this game sets the focus on logic and strategy, putting you up against puzzles. You'll be pressing switches to open doors, riding rhinos to get across gaps, swinging from ropes to get to higher platforms, and all sorts of things like that. Along the way, you'll also be trying to collect 3 presents from each level. You can also pick up 1 Star from each level, by obtaining a hi-score (which is sometimes very easy, and sometimes, very hard.) The level ends, when you pick up, and save the Mini-Mario at the end.
So that's how the majority of levels work. But what about the MM levels, and the DK levels? Well, I'll explain them, one at a time. MM, or Mini-Mario, levels are set up like normal levels, but there's one huge difference. a group of tiny Mario's follows the main one! The goal in these levels, is too bring all the Mini-Mario's to the end safely. How does one accomplish this? Well, Mario - The original one - can be controlled normally, as the smaller
Mario's follow. However, they can't jump as high, or perform manoeuvres, like swinging. Although, unlike the large Mario, they can fit in tight spaces. So, the idea is, to press switches, and do whatever else you must to get them to the end, then find a path that works or the regular-sized Mario, as well.
As for those DK levels: They are just boss levels. I mean, what's a good game without boss levels? I can't really explain them in too much detail, because I don't want to spoiul the game, but I'll give you the basic drift of them. You'll play as you do in a normal level, except you won't be trying to free a Mini-Mario - You'll be squaring off against DK!
This game has some strange, yet cool, voice acting, and decent graphics. Sometimes I miss the pixel-style graphics - as compared to the 3D Pre-renderings seen in this game - although, I quickly got used to this game's bright style graphics. And as aside note, it's worth mentioning, that the 3D cutscene images look awesome, even though they play a very small role in the game. The music also seems right-at-home in this game. Bright, cheery, the whole deBottom line: This game looks nice, but don't expect a Yoshi's Island.
Now, shoulfd you buy it.. Should you buy it... I'd recommend it, though, I know for a fact, that this is not a game that everyone will enjoy. If you're looking for a game, pick it up - If you liked the older game, pick it up. If you're not sure if it suits you, try giving it a renter, or borrow it from a friend. It's worth the one play, even if you decide you don't love it, as much as I do.