Mario vs. Donkey Kong, the 2004 puzzle platformer that originally launched for the Game Boy Advance, is officially getting an updated version on February 16th, 2024.
The announcement came during today’s Nintendo Direct, and the official trailer showcases the brand-new local co-op gameplay. You can watch today’s trailer for the modernized Mario vs. Donkey Kong on Nintendo’s YouTube channel:
Mario and Donkey Kong have one of the most iconic rivalries in any franchise. It even paid off in some genuinely amusing banter for The Super Mario Bros. Movie. It’s also a delight to see a GBA staple return with improved graphics. The visuals in today’s trailer are colorful and vibrant, without losing the personality of the source material.
The addition of local co-op is a welcome surprise that looks fun, too. Co-op doesn’t always work very well in platforming games, since player skills can make the pacing uneven. However, co-op should function well with Mario vs. Donkey Kong’s puzzle elements, since it’s often fun to solve puzzles together.
Hopefully, the game will improve the original puzzles to accommodate that kind of gameplay. Although another pair of eyes will be helpful with any puzzle platformer, today’s trailer makes it seem like players don’t necessarily need to work together very much.
While this could be helpful if you want to take lead alongside a younger player, it could be disappointing for some. Adding local co-op will allow and encourage families to play together, which is true to Nintendo’s brand.
Although Mario vs. Donkey Kong isn’t the kind of blockbuster title fans may have been hoping for, it is a charming and nostalgic update that should make for some casual fun. It should pair well with the Switch OLED Mario Red Edition coming next month.
You can read more about Mario vs. Donkey Kong and Nintendo’s latest updates and titles by checking out the rest of our news section.
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