Mario vs. Donkey Kong

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a fully 3D remake of the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong, will full modern graphics and released for the switch. It's mostly the same game, but with a lot of updates and changes. For instance, we now have a Casual Style with no time limits and a lot of changes allowing for a more relaxed style of play. A Time Attack mode has also been added, as well as multiplayer with Toad acting as Player 2. The biggest change comes with the two new worlds: Merry Mini-Land (an amusement park style area) and Slippery Summit (a snow region), mixed in with the other worlds. There's also new plus and expert levels added in for the hardcore players. Outside of that, a lot of quality of life changes have occurred, or random small details here and there. A handful of enemies have been altered to be more in line with modern Mario, like the Tane Pakkun now being mechanical Fire Piranha Plants and so on. 

That's really about it. Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Princess Peach/Stella/Radiant Peach & Stella: Stella attack, Swordfighter, Detective, Patissiere, Kung Fu, Ninja, Cowgirl, Figure Skater, Dashing Thief, Mermaid, Mighty, Radiant

Theets/Probably Sparklas: echo of the above.

Grape: dark magic, minions barrier, pyrotechnics, presents, train, Grape the Great

Sour Bunch: various implements, steal, batwings, higher ranks

Bosses:

Disco Wing

Light Fang

Purrjector Cat

Spotlion

Stages:

Sparkle Theater

Thanks for reading! Next up, one of the best Mario RPGs out there has followed Super Mario RPG's lead!

Mini-Land

The Mario vs. Donkey Kong series has never been one of the most popular franchises in the series, but it has seen a sizable life and presence throughout the years, each entry featuring the Mini-Mario’s working their way through a number of mazes to get to Donkey Kong at the end.

This stage will mirror the spirit of those stage, being a bit of a complicated level, with a number of extendable ramps, moving lifts, and springs among other common features found throughout the series.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iLEokhCpUuQ

Mini Marios

As more and more spinoff titles received new entries, there was always room for more spinoffs. For the Game Boy Advance came a brand-new title that reawakened the old rivalry between Mario and Donkey Kong. Mario has opened up a brand-new toy store, selling tiny wind-up mini-figures of himself. The moment Donkey Kong sees them, he wants them all, grabbing them and taking off into the factory, forcing Mario to follow.

These figures are the Mini Marios. Although in the first game of the series, they were mere damsels-in-distress, if you will, later games would give them the starring role, Mario sending them in his place to get through areas he is too big to pass through.

As fighters, you will control a line of five, with a leader and four followers. They will be light and quick, and their movesets will pull from all over the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, utilizing every figure in the party to pull off strong combo maneuvers.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Pauline

 

Starting from today, I will be posting these "character cards" showcasing every member of each roster in the exact order that they appeared in the Mario series (at least as close as I could approximate) four at a time. The character cards will be capped off with an approximation of what the character select would look like, followed by a series of "stage cards," that roster, an assist trophy post, and then classic, adventure, and all-star mode posts. This will be repeated through each of the currently six Mario-adjacent rosters.

Our story began in 1980, when a plan for a Popeye-based arcade game fell through and the already-developed game system had to be reworked from Popeye trying to save Olive Oyl from Bluto to a generic blue-collar worker rescuing his girlfriend from a stubborn gorilla. Gamers at arcades the day of its release turned to game on to be greeted by a short cutscene of a gorilla climbing to the top of a construction site, a blonde woman in a pink dress slung over its shoulder.

This was Pauline. Initially simply known as “Lady,” Pauline was the original girlfriend of the hero who would become Mario and the unfortunate damsel in distress of the original tale. Pauline would go on to have a long and extensive, if a little underrated, history with the Mario games. Although her boyfriend would move on to a princess of all things, Pauline would see appearances in the Saturday Supercade cartoon, a hair color change to brown and a consistent role in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong franchise, and a rejuvenation in popularity with her appearance in Super Mario Odyssey as the mayor of New Donk City, leading to her becoming a regular competitor in sports titles such as Mario Kart Tour, Mario Tennis Aces, and Mario Golf: Super Rush.

 In game, Pauline will likely be a bit of a middle-of-the-road character, without too many strengths or weaknesses in any one direction. Her moveset will pull from her initial appearance in the Donkey Kong arcade game, mixing in her iconic song “Jump Up, Superstar,” a few references to the New Donkers of Super Mario Odyssey of whom she is the primary representative, and possibly even some reference to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.

Likelihood rating: Could happen

Super Mario Roster, Updated

SUPER SMASH BROS. UNIVERSE

SUPER MARIO BROS.

Now, let's add in our newcomers from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series!

1. Mario
2. Fursuit Mario
3. Dr. Mario
3e. Dr. Luigi
4. F.L.U.D.D. Mario
5. Luigi
6. Vacuum Luigi
6e. Professor E. Gadd
7. Princess Peach
7e. Peachette
8. Princess Daisy
9. Rosalina and Luma
10. Pauline
11. Cappy
12. Toad
12e. Toadsworth
13. Captain Toad
13e. Toadette
14. Bowser
14e. Dry Bowser
15. Bowser Jr.
16. Shadow Mario
17. The Koopalings
17e. Koopa Kid
18. Wart
19. Tatanga
20. Mario Kart
21. Robo Mario
22. Wanda
23. Plum
23e. Kid
24. Alex & Nina
24e. Ace & Clay
25. Tumble
26. Brighton & Twila
27. MC Ballyhoo & Big Top
28. Mini Marios
29. Perry
30. Sprixie Princess
31. Koopa Troopa
31e. Dry Bones
32. Goomba
33. Piranha Plant
34. Boo
35. Buzzy Beetle
36. Bob-Omb
36e. King Bob-Omb
37. Cheep Cheep
38. Blooper
39. Pokey
40. Lakitu and Spinies
41. Ninji
42. Monty Mole
43. Spike
44. Hammer Bro
45. Chargin' Chuck
46. Wiggler
47. Chain Chomp
48. Thwomp
48e. Whomp
49. Mechakoopa
50. Mini Donkey Kong
51. Ghost
52. Honeybee
53. Nabbit
54. Boom Boom
54e. Pom Pom
55. Birdo
56. Mouser
57. Petey Piranha
58. King Boo
59. The Broodals
60. Super Team

Thanks for reading! Now, we're going to go through a long list of random other games that I wasn't able to separate out cleanly into groups of four to ten.

Character Sheet: Mini Donkey Kong

MINI DONKEY KONG

Today, let's start our new characters. This time we have two. They are:

1. Mini Marios

2. Mini Donkey Kong

From the main protagonist to their arguable main rival among the series' enemies, Mini Donkey Kongs are a subspecies of enemies from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series and occasionally playable in their own right. When playable, they are more often than not simply just another player. As enemies though, they tend to be much more varied. The most common are the circus kongs and the capture kongs, who will toss you into the air and grab you and trap you in their bag respectively, but other forms include one carrying a pair of cymbals that charges forward if it sees an opponent, another with a cannon body that shoots projectiles, another that acts as both a lift and Thwomp stand-in, and another with a giant tie that can carry players across gaps.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Cannon Kong

The large cannon body appears around the Mini, firing off a cannonball directly ahead. My first gut instinct was to do Circus Kong, but I feel like that fits really well as the up grab.

Side B: Crash

The Mini would pull out a pair of cymbals and drive forward at high speed, ramming into anyone in its way.

Up B: Konga

A Konga Lift will appear under the Kong, carrying them upward in a straight line. The Mini can then jump off if it wishes, but the Konga will linger for a second before slamming straight down.

Down B: Capture Kong

The Mini will grab a character and/or projectile and stuff it into a bag on its back. The character will be stuck there for a while before being able to break out.

Final Smash: Mecha-Kong

This one is based on the final boss battle from the original Mario vs. Donkey Kong game. The mech will appear behind the stage, piloted by the mini, and it will then proceed to slam its fists toward all players in the vicinity.

Entrance: It will pop out of a capsule just like the others.

Taunts: Up, it will juggle a few empty capsules. Side, it will lose power for a second before the key on its back starts up again. Down, it will display its Cool Kong, which will hang down slightly past the platform its standing on.

Thanks for reading! Now, let's add them to the roster!

Character Sheet: Mini Marios

MINI MARIOS

Today, let's start our new characters. This time we have two. They are:

1. Mini Marios

2. Mini Donkey Kong

First up, let's cover the Mini Marios, arguably the main characters of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. My concept for this character will be a multi-character, along the lines of Ice Climbers or Olimar (probably somewhere between the two), with a lead Mini and up to three following behind and mirroring its actions. Mini Peach, Mini Toad, and Mini-Spek will occasionally appear among the minis like they do in most of the games.

We have a few possibilities from their moveset. Springs, hammers, and cannons are their most frequent abilities, but in other games they can shoot fireballs, swing around on bars, wall jump, throw bombs, and use a bubble shield. We also have the various types of floors and ladders that are used frequently throughout the games as well to possibly consider.

Here's the moveset I came up with:

Standard B: Hammer

The lead mini will pull out its hammer and swing it around wildly for a few seconds, doing damage to any it hits.

Side B: Cannon

The lead mini will load one of its companions into a cannon and fire it off in an upward diagonal direction. The companion mini will act as a large projectile.

Up B: Spring

The lead mini will toss out a spring and then jump on it, launching itself high into the air at an arc. His companions will jump sequentially after him.

Down B: Bomb Block

This one makes use of the various floor mechanics from the games, specifically using the one that appeared in, I believe, Minis on the Move. The lead mini will place a bomb block down in the ground at its feet. Any who cross it will walk into a trap. I thought about a move to summon more minis, but I think I like the idea better that you start with the four, and any that get killed just respawn at starting point in their capsule and only become active when the lead mini passes that point.

Final Smash: Mini Wave

There's not really a whole lot to work with here, so I figured I could take a couple liberties. Basically, a containment unit will burst open, and hundreds of minis in their little capsules will spill out across the stage, washing all players off of it.

Entrance: The minis will pop out of their capsules.

Taunts: Up, the leader will toss one of its companions into the air. Side, the minis will wave at the player. Down, the minis will go dormant for a second.

Thanks for reading! Tomorrow, we will cover their mini-nemeses, the Mini Donkey Kongs!

Smash Character Review: Mario vs. Donkey Kong Series

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG SERIES

There's not a lot to go over this time. For the most part, Mario, Donkey Kong, and Pauline were the main recurring cast in the story. Mario only appeared as playable in the first game, relinquishing the role in subsequent games to the Minis, with Mario only acting in a commanding-type role. During that first hammer, he had a lot of moves that mostly hearkened back to those original Donkey Kong games, using hammers and springs to get around, while climbing and swinging on bars, and doing a whole lot of jumping. His handstand that protected him from falling objects was kind of a new feature, but that's about it.

Donkey Kong likewise played the role of villain throughout most of the games, but most of those fell into the same basic vein as those old arcade games. He threw barrels, swung around on chains and vines, hit buttons to make things happen, and generally had a penchant for kidnapping people when things didn't go his way. He could also toss bananas, a bit more of a modern feature of the big ape, and in at least one battle, he had a giant mech he could pilot.

Pauline was largely just the "living goalpost" character, the person Mario had to save from DK, and outside of that, her role in the games seemed to suggest a smart businesswoman using her skills to help Mario open up toy factories and run amusement parks, skills that I'm guessing later made her a shoe-in for the mayoral position a few years later. Other characters only kind of appeared. Mini versions of Peach and Toad were regular features, and minis for other characters such as Luigi, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Rosalina, Bowser, and Bowser Jr. all cropped up toward the later games, and most had some kind of skill reminiscent of their full-sized counterpart, but I guess I really can't count them much, can I?

Last but not least, we saw a handful, not many, of common enemies appear, including Shy Guys and Snifits, Boos, Bloopers, Bob-Ombs, Piranha Plants, Ninjis, Pokeys, and Thwomps. Obviously all of these have made their way onto my roster already, and I didn't really see anything here that I haven't seen before.

That's it for now! Tomorrow, we'll have two new characters to go over!

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

MARIO VS. DONKEY KONG

And now, let's move on to the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series, a series of platforming puzzle games that pit the two iconic heroes against each other, introduces the Mini Marios, and acts as the connective thread keeping the character of Pauline on life support during the three-and-a-half long decades between Donkey Kong and Super Mario Odyssey.

The story centers around Mario having opened up a toy store selling tiny versions of himself (narcissistic much, Mario?) and Donkey Kong trying to get himself one only to find that they've been sold out, leading him to go on a rampage, break into the factory and steal all the toys, forcing Mario to go in after him. Obviously, Mario acts as your main playable character with the ability to jump, pick up items, use hammers, spin around on a bar, do a handstand to protect himself from falling items, climb on ropes, and pick up and throw enemies a la Super Mario Bros. 2. The Mini Marios will do more in later games, but for the time being, they just kinda follow you around after you rescue them.

Donkey Kong is the main boss and fights you at the end of every world. He has a bag he carries the toys around in, he throws rocks and barrels, pilots a giant mech, and hits buttons to activate traps. Outside of that, really the only major secondary characters here are the Toads who bought out the stock of toys before Donkey Kong could get there.

As for the enemies, we have several regulars such as: Shy Guys (including some who breathe fire, wield spears, and throw wrenches), Piranha Plants, Snapjaws, Ninjis, Thwomps and Thwimps, Ghost Guys, Boos, and Bob-Ombs, while more original enemies include birds that fly back and forth, walking trash cans, Brickmen that drop bricks on you, rhino-like Ramrams, robotic monkeys called Monchees and Robokikis with tails you can cling onto, and Sir Shovalot, a knight that pushes you with its shield. (Is it just me, or was that last one in Wario: Master of Disguise?)

In game, you chase Donkey Kong across six worlds, including: Mario Toy Company, the factory where the plot kicked off; Donkey Kong Jungle, a jungle world; Fire Mountain, a volcano world; Spooky House, a haunted house setting; Mystic Forest, a slightly more whimsical jungle setting; and Twilight City, an ultra-modern city world. There are also Plus versions of each world after the main game.

Items in the game include springs, hammers, special buttons, keys, and so on, a lot of things reminiscent of the original arcade games, to be honest.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario: jump, handstand, hammer, climb, swing on bar, pick up and throw, springs

Donkey Kong: bag, rocks, barrels, chains, buttons, giant mech

Mini Marios

Shy Guy

Piranha Plant

Ninji

Thwomp

Boo

Bob-Omb

Stages:

Mario Toy Company

Donkey Kong Jungle

Fire Mountain

Spooky House

Mystic Forest

Twilight City

Items:

Hammers

Springs

Keys

Thanks for reading! Next up, we'll cover the game's sequel, March of the Minis!