The 10 BIGGEST Changes In Mario vs Donkey Kong On Switch
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VOICE OVER: Ty Richardson
WRITTEN BY: Ty Richardson
Nintendo made some big changes for the "Mario vs. Donkey Kong" remake. Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we'll be taking a look at the most significant changes between "Mario vs. Donkey Kong's" remake and its original release on Game Boy Advance. Our list of the biggest changes to the game includes New Worlds, Time Attack Mode, Co-op, Voice Changes, and more!
Script written by Ty Richardson
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we'll be taking a look at the most significant changes between "Mario vs. Donkey Kong's" remake and its original release on Game Boy Advance. No, we promise it isn't all visuals.
Yes, the visuals are the most obvious overhaul. This is a twenty-year-old game making a huge leap from Game Boy Advance sprites to full 3D models on the Switch. But some of the animations have been altered for the remake. Whereas the original game had some cartoon-like animations such as when Mario unlocks a door, the remake has changed it to where Mario opens the door normally. Death animations are now similar to recent Mario games; they’re more simplified and don’t show Mario getting torched when he touches fire.
Speaking of animations, we got some in the cutscenes! While we did have them in the GBA original, they weren’t exactly the kinds of cutscenes people would want today. They were still images animated and edited in a manner similar to a slideshow. The audio did a lot of the heavy lifting in conveying the story. The remake is coming with fully animated cutscenes. Of course, they are all expectedly pre-rendered, but they do help bring a lot of personality and charm. There are a few in-game cutscenes, but those are mainly for boss fights. The ending also has been changed, but we’ll let you see that for yourself.
The original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” featured a handful of enemies inhabiting the toy factory. You’d come across Boos, Thwomps, Bob-Ombs, and Piranha Plants could be found across different floors. But did it really make sense to see some of these enemies in Mario’s factory? The remake brings a little more logic to their presence by turning them into mechanical toys. Not that lore has ever been a big part of this series, but it hints at the idea of Mini-Marios having a Barbie-like lineup where you can buy sets with toys of other characters.
Many of Mario’s lines from the original game have been recycled and cleaned up for the remake. So, you could say Charles Martinet isn’t done representing Mario in some capacity. The same cannot be said for Donkey Kong and the Toads. Whereas Grant Kirkhope voiced Donkey Kong in the GBA original, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong’s” remake replaces him with DK’s current voice actor, Takashi Nagasako. The Toads are no longer voiced by Jen Taylor, who had been voicing them since “Mario Golf” on the Nintendo 64 until retiring from working with Nintendo in 2005. Since then, the Toads have been voiced by Samantha Kelly, who is, as expected, the voice of the Toads in the remake.
As with many of Nintendo’s remasters and remakes, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” features some changes in difficulty to welcome players of all skill levels. For younger or more inexperienced players, Casual Mode eases up on the challenge. Under this setting, Mario gets additional hit points and can bubble back to a checkpoint. On top of that, the timer is completely removed so that players can take their time in finishing the level. Of course, if you want to stick as close to the original as possible, you can do that, too.
If you truly want to race against the clock, you might take a liking to the addition of a Time Attack mode. It’s pretty self-explanatory; do your best to finish the level in the shortest amount of time possible. Given that the remake has removed the scoring system featured in the original, this was a neat way to preserve the arcade-y nature of the original in some capacity.
There were definitely some aspects of the original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” that felt unfair in some regards. Falling from too great of a height could result in death, and there were many falls where it didn’t make sense at all. Also, if you ever chose to exit or restart a level, you would lose a life. Kind of brutal if you ever felt like you messed up or didn’t fully understand what a level needed you to do. The remake, thankfully, is much more forgiving on the fall damage and no longer takes away a life from you for exiting or restarting a level.
The original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” featured a unique and challenging minigame to give players the opportunity to accrue more lives. That’s if you managed to collect all three presents in a level. One would hide a 1Up, another would hide more lives, and another would give you zip. Swap them around to prevent Donkey Kong from smashing the one you want. This minigame is, unfortunately, not in the remake. However, a brand new minigame is taking its place. Catch a falling key in order to unlock a chest containing a 5Up Mushroom.
You can expect the same worlds from the original to return. Mario’s Toy Company, Donkey Kong Jungle, Spooky House - it’s all still there. However, the remake is adding two brand new worlds: Merry Mini-Land and Slippery Summit. Merry Mini-Land incorporates newer mechanics from other Mario games like Warp Blocks while Slippery Summit brings in the usual ice gimmicks you’ve come to expect from games. You know, looser control in movement.
This is the biggest addition to “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”, and it is the coolest aspect in our humble opinion. The remake has added in a brand new co-op mode for you and a friend to tackle all 130+ levels with Player One as Mario and Player Two as Toad. With this mode, it does make harder levels significantly easier as Toad can just sit at switches while Mario makes his way to a door or toy. So, if you find yourself stuck on a level, just remember that two heads are indeed better than one.
Are you enjoying “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”? Are you hoping for more remakes of the series or maybe a new “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” game? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos every day.
Welcome to MojoPlays, and today, we'll be taking a look at the most significant changes between "Mario vs. Donkey Kong's" remake and its original release on Game Boy Advance. No, we promise it isn't all visuals.
Animations
Yes, the visuals are the most obvious overhaul. This is a twenty-year-old game making a huge leap from Game Boy Advance sprites to full 3D models on the Switch. But some of the animations have been altered for the remake. Whereas the original game had some cartoon-like animations such as when Mario unlocks a door, the remake has changed it to where Mario opens the door normally. Death animations are now similar to recent Mario games; they’re more simplified and don’t show Mario getting torched when he touches fire.
Cutscenes
Speaking of animations, we got some in the cutscenes! While we did have them in the GBA original, they weren’t exactly the kinds of cutscenes people would want today. They were still images animated and edited in a manner similar to a slideshow. The audio did a lot of the heavy lifting in conveying the story. The remake is coming with fully animated cutscenes. Of course, they are all expectedly pre-rendered, but they do help bring a lot of personality and charm. There are a few in-game cutscenes, but those are mainly for boss fights. The ending also has been changed, but we’ll let you see that for yourself.
Enemy Redesigns
The original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” featured a handful of enemies inhabiting the toy factory. You’d come across Boos, Thwomps, Bob-Ombs, and Piranha Plants could be found across different floors. But did it really make sense to see some of these enemies in Mario’s factory? The remake brings a little more logic to their presence by turning them into mechanical toys. Not that lore has ever been a big part of this series, but it hints at the idea of Mini-Marios having a Barbie-like lineup where you can buy sets with toys of other characters.
Voice Changes
Many of Mario’s lines from the original game have been recycled and cleaned up for the remake. So, you could say Charles Martinet isn’t done representing Mario in some capacity. The same cannot be said for Donkey Kong and the Toads. Whereas Grant Kirkhope voiced Donkey Kong in the GBA original, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong’s” remake replaces him with DK’s current voice actor, Takashi Nagasako. The Toads are no longer voiced by Jen Taylor, who had been voicing them since “Mario Golf” on the Nintendo 64 until retiring from working with Nintendo in 2005. Since then, the Toads have been voiced by Samantha Kelly, who is, as expected, the voice of the Toads in the remake.
Casual Mode
As with many of Nintendo’s remasters and remakes, “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” features some changes in difficulty to welcome players of all skill levels. For younger or more inexperienced players, Casual Mode eases up on the challenge. Under this setting, Mario gets additional hit points and can bubble back to a checkpoint. On top of that, the timer is completely removed so that players can take their time in finishing the level. Of course, if you want to stick as close to the original as possible, you can do that, too.
Time Attack Mode
If you truly want to race against the clock, you might take a liking to the addition of a Time Attack mode. It’s pretty self-explanatory; do your best to finish the level in the shortest amount of time possible. Given that the remake has removed the scoring system featured in the original, this was a neat way to preserve the arcade-y nature of the original in some capacity.
Losing Lives
There were definitely some aspects of the original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” that felt unfair in some regards. Falling from too great of a height could result in death, and there were many falls where it didn’t make sense at all. Also, if you ever chose to exit or restart a level, you would lose a life. Kind of brutal if you ever felt like you messed up or didn’t fully understand what a level needed you to do. The remake, thankfully, is much more forgiving on the fall damage and no longer takes away a life from you for exiting or restarting a level.
Bonus Stages
The original “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” featured a unique and challenging minigame to give players the opportunity to accrue more lives. That’s if you managed to collect all three presents in a level. One would hide a 1Up, another would hide more lives, and another would give you zip. Swap them around to prevent Donkey Kong from smashing the one you want. This minigame is, unfortunately, not in the remake. However, a brand new minigame is taking its place. Catch a falling key in order to unlock a chest containing a 5Up Mushroom.
New Worlds
You can expect the same worlds from the original to return. Mario’s Toy Company, Donkey Kong Jungle, Spooky House - it’s all still there. However, the remake is adding two brand new worlds: Merry Mini-Land and Slippery Summit. Merry Mini-Land incorporates newer mechanics from other Mario games like Warp Blocks while Slippery Summit brings in the usual ice gimmicks you’ve come to expect from games. You know, looser control in movement.
Co-op!
This is the biggest addition to “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”, and it is the coolest aspect in our humble opinion. The remake has added in a brand new co-op mode for you and a friend to tackle all 130+ levels with Player One as Mario and Player Two as Toad. With this mode, it does make harder levels significantly easier as Toad can just sit at switches while Mario makes his way to a door or toy. So, if you find yourself stuck on a level, just remember that two heads are indeed better than one.
Are you enjoying “Mario vs. Donkey Kong”? Are you hoping for more remakes of the series or maybe a new “Mario vs. Donkey Kong” game? Let us know down in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to MojoPlays for more great videos every day.
