Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
The third handheld Mario vs. DK game — and the first to feature a full level creation and Wi-Fi sharing suite. Guide Mini Marios through 200+ action-puzzle levels using girders, springs, pipes and conveyor belts, then build and share your own.
Overview
DK grabs Pauline at the grand opening of Mario’s new theme park
Mario must guide Mini Marios through 200+ levels to rescue PaulineMario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is a single player puzzle game for Nintendo DS and DSi that rekindles the classic struggle between Mario and Donkey Kong in which the fate of a pretty girl hangs in the balance. The third handheld game in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong franchise, Mini-Land Mayhem! features a unique blend of puzzle, platformer and mini-game gameplay in which players use miniature bot versions of Mario and other characters to foil the actions of Donkey Kong. Additional features include: 200 action-puzzle levels with additional levels possibly released by Nintendo, extensive level creation tools as well as local and online connectivity for sharing levels and sampling those of up to 30 friends.
Mini Marios Mean Maximum Fun
At the grand opening of Mario’s new theme park, where Pauline is a special guest, the first 100 guests will receive a mini Pauline toy. Donkey Kong is the 101st guest to arrive. Instead of walking away empty handed, he grabs Pauline and heads into the park. Now Mario must rescue Pauline by guiding Mini Marios through over 200 new action-puzzle levels filled with traps set by Donkey Kong. Grab your stylus and place girders to cross pits, build conveyor belts, set springs, or even place warp pipes to solve these puzzling levels.
Gameplay
Use the stylus to place girders, springs and conveyors to guide the Minis to the exitLike the earlier Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis, players primarily use miniature toy versions of Mario to do their bidding against Donkey Kong. These are released at the beginning of each level and can’t be stopped once unleashed. Levels are laid out in a traditional 2D platformer fashion, some of which pit you against Donkey Kong while others feature toy flunkies of Donkey Kong. The player’s goal is to facilitate the Mini Mario’s march toward the endpoint of each level.
Along the way the player can manipulate the environment with the DS stylus using objects including: springs that propel Mini Marios into the air, tap rivets that when connected create a girder bridge over a span, familiar Nintendo warp pipes which lead to other game areas, conveyor belts, ladders, and cannons. Nintendo coins are collected along the way to earn points. The game also features unlockable mini-games, a wealth of park attractions and an automatic Help Mode that will offer help when a player fails to beat a level after several attempts.
Key Game Features
- Use your stylus to strategically place items and solve different puzzles. Once you tap the Mini Marios, be ready to react quickly to help guide them safely to the exit.
- With an intuitive interface, players of any experience level will be able to enjoy the action.
- Players can access the in-game Help Mode that lets you get more information on key items. If players get stuck, the new Mini Guide demonstrates a possible solution.
- Construct your own levels in the Construction Zone with an easy-to-use level building tool. Share over local wireless or post online using Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
- Access new levels created by fellow users with the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection. Store up to 160 additional puzzles to always take the action with you.
- Participate in the all-new Challenge Mode — create a level based on certain criteria, players vote for their favourites and the top rated levels are announced.
- The new Mini Pauline toy has been added to the roster of familiar toys in the series (Mini Mario, Mini Toad, Mini Princess and Mini Donkey Kong).
Level Creation & Sharing
Although Mini-Land Mayhem! is a single player game it allows for significant interaction with other players via its robust level creation and sharing functionality. Within the Construction Zone area players can utilise a level building tutorial, create levels, view levels submitted by up to 30 friends and even participate in contests regarding submitted levels.
The built-in level editor is simple to use — once items have been found in the main game they can be placed in virtually any configuration. Players can play-test their finished levels and then share them with others, who can further edit them if they choose. Up to 160 additional puzzles can be stored on the cartridge.
Worlds / Attractions
The theme park has 8 main attractions plus two bonus areas — Rainbow Summit (bonus levels unlocked by collecting M-Tokens) and Secret Storage (expert-level challenges). Each attraction introduces new mechanics across 9 levels, a pachinko minigame, and a boss fight against Donkey Kong.
1 — Coaster Hills
2 — Jumbo Jungle
3 — Magnet Mania
4 — Cannon Yard
5 — Pirates Landing
6 — Crystal Cavern
7 — Rooftop Rumble
8 — Cosmic AdventureMini Toys
Five Mini toy types appear in Mini-Land Mayhem! Each has its own character-specific exit door and must reach the matching door to count. Mini Pauline is brand new to the series.
References to Other Games
Mini-Land Mayhem! is packed with musical and visual references to classic Nintendo games — a trademark of the series:
| Game | Reference |
|---|---|
| Donkey Kong (Arcade) | The main theme is an arrangement of “Title BGM”. Red Girders, Blue Ladders and Hammers are all direct references to the arcade game’s stage elements. Area 5-2 is a homage to 25m and 75m levels. Boss battle intros reference the iconic ladder-climbing sequence. |
| Super Mario Bros. | “Ground BGM” is arranged into the main theme. “Underground BGM” is arranged for the Secret Storage soundtrack. |
| Super Mario Bros. 2 | “Ground BGM”, “Player Down” and “Course Clear” are arranged for the Coaster Hills soundtrack. |
| Donkey Kong Country | “DK Island Swing” is arranged for the Jumbo Jungle soundtrack. |
| Super Mario 64 | “Peach’s Castle” is arranged for the Teatime Twirl soundtrack. |
| New Super Mario Bros. | Mario’s walk cycle from this game is reused in the final cutscene when Pauline is rescued. |
Glitches
| Glitch | Description |
|---|---|
| Wall pass-through | In the Construction Zone, placing a stationary cannon at the bottom of a maximum-slope causes Minis to pass through the wall and fall off screen when fired. A similar effect occurs in Area 5-DK — a Fireball sliding down a Red Girder will fall through the floor, playing the death sound a moment later. |
| Spring pass-through | In the Construction Zone, placing a spring one-and-a-half blocks above a ground tile causes a Mini Mario to attempt to jump but pass through the tile instead. |
Reception
Critical reception was positive — reviewers praised the entertaining puzzle design, charming presentation and significant replay value from the level editor and Wi-Fi sharing. Metacritic score: 79/100 (51 reviews). GameRankings: 80.08%.
| Publication | Score | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| IGN (Daemon Hatfield) | 8.5/10 | “Pure joy to play” — praised variety of collectables and replay value; noted Mini movement can feel sluggish in early levels. |
| Nintendo Life (Philip J Reed) | 9/10 | “Stellar” — “lots of gameplay, great graphics, a wonderful soundtrack and flawless touchscreen controls.” Called it a worthy addition to an often-overlooked franchise. |
| GameSpot (Nathan Meunier) | 8/10 | “If you enjoyed the previous entries enough to crave more, or if you’ve been thinking about checking out the series for the first time, don’t hesitate.” |
| Metacritic | 79/100 | Based on 51 reviews — generally positive reception. |
| GameRankings | 80.08% | Consistent with Metacritic aggregate. |