Highlights
- The release of Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake for the Switch suggests Nintendo may be reviving the spin-off series for the future.
- Despite appearing together in other games, Mario and Donkey Kong haven't been explicitly pitted against each other in many years.
- The remake introduces co-op gameplay, which hopefully leads to players controlling both Mario and Donkey Kong in a PvP setup.
The recent announcement of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake for the Switch seems to be tapping into the titular characters' classic rivalry with the potential for restarting a decades-old spin-off series. While Mario has had his fair share of nemeses over the years, Donkey Kong was and always will be his first, due to when both characters debuted in the arcade game Donkey Kong. But since the release of Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move in 2015 and Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge in the following year, the spin-off series appears to have been shelved.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong being remade for the Switch after so many years of being on hiatus could be a sign that Nintendo has plans to revamp the spin-off as part of its future plans. Especially after he also featured in The Super Mario Bros. Movie recently, it does seem that Nintendo sees promise in Donkey Kong's future, with Mario vs. Donkey Kong serving as an initial inroad to this. Whether this reignited rivalry will factor into the characters' ever-evolving relationship will remain to be seen, but it all starts with Mario vs. Donkey Kong resetting the foundations for future games.
Donkey Kong was Mario's First Rival
When Mario and Donkey Kong were first introduced in Donkey Kong back in 1981, it could never have been anticipated that both would go on to become some of gaming's most well-known and longest-standing characters. Even after going their separate ways, with Mario becoming the mascot and ambassador of Nintendo and Rare's Donkey Kong series galvanizing fans for both the character and the developer, the rivalry always persisted and characterized much of their relationship moving forward. Even Super Mario Odyssey went to great lengths to pay homage to this rivalry, featuring the return of both 8-bit Donkey Kong and Pauline herself.
But tributes and references to the relationships between Mario and Donkey Kong often seem to fall short of player expectations, as many have hoped that the next Super Mario game would reunite the adversaries once more. Even though the two characters have appeared side-by-side on numerous occasions in other spin-off games like Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and Mario Party, the duo were never explicitly pitted against one another. While Mario vs. Donkey Kong is just a remake of Nintendo's 2004 Game Boy Advance game of the same name, it is the first time the pair are truly back as in-game rivals.
How the Mario vs. Donkey Kong Remake Revamps the Rivalry
Since Mario vs. Donkey Kong was intended to be a spiritual successor to Donkey Kong on the Game Boy, the gameplay of this crossover shares some similarities with the original arcade game of the same name. Elements of this can be seen even in the recent Nintendo Direct reveal for the Mario vs. Donkey Kong remake where Mario scales multiple platforms controlled by Donkey Kong to strike the gorilla with a barrel. But with a greater focus on puzzles and platforming, Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its following sequels are a far cry from both classic Super Mario and Donkey Kong gameplay players have grown accustomed to.
One of the key changes that the remake is introducing as part of Mario vs. Donkey Kong's comeback is co-op support. Though the announcement trailer only revealed a glimpse of this co-op gameplay with Mario and Toad together, hopefully the remake will also include a choice of playable characters. But more than just friendly co-op, with this new feature becoming a series staple, Mario vs. Donkey Kong could even see players taking control of both titular characters for a true player-versus-player setup.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong is set to release on February 16, 2024 for the Nintendo Switch.
