Based off the 1981 Donkey Kong arcade game, players take control of Mario as he ascends his way through the four arcade levels to rescue the damsel in distress, Pauline, from the dastardly monkey that is Donkey Kong. But rather than repeat these four stages endlessly for a high score as you would in the arcade game, the game takes an unexpected twist as DK makes for an escape even further, giving Mario chase through more lands and distant destinations. The true nature of the game is revealed to be a most unique puzzle-platformer in which Mario must locate and escort giant keys to locked doors to proceed in each level. The means of which obtaining and/or guiding these keys is not always so obvious, often requiring Mario to make use of the environment and other enemies around him. Fortunately, Mario is given a much more diverse move set to aid in accomplishing this task, being able to pick up and toss objects, perform back flips, handstands and more. And while all these moves are usable right from the start, the game cleverly teaches the player these mechanics through humorous little cut-scenes that take place at the end of every 4th stage, that being a bout with the Kong himself. These skirmishes vary from complex obstacle courses to fierce arenas with barrel tossing face-offs, and add a nice change of pace to the more puzzle focused stages.
And the puzzles in this game can get really intricate as the game progresses. With Mario gaining the ability to create ladders and bridges anywhere on the screen, careful consideration is needed as players decide where to place and in what order. As players chase this Kong all over the world, from sky to sea and mountains alike, what initially seemed to be a cute simple premise grows into what feels to be an epic and grand adventure, with an equally fitting and climatic finale to tell the tale. Just take a listen to that final world music. Epic.
The game mechanics from this GameBoy classic were successful enough to later bring about Mario vs Donkey Kong in 2004, to which the series has since taken a more experimental and puzzle-focused approach. And Pauline, the once damsel in distress, has slowly grown to have a more independent and leading role in the Mario universe, most recently as the mayor of New Donk City in Super Mario Odyssey. While the new Mario vs Donkey Kong series are fair fun, there is something to be missed about what this GameBoy offering displayed with such a finely tuned balance of platforming and puzzle mechanics. Until such a time Donkey Kong decides to create some more mischief though, this game is just short and sweet enough to play again and again.
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