Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars In-Depth Review

Reviewed by Bob

(Played on Wii U using the gamepad)

Platforms: Wii U and Nintendo 3DS

Developer: Nintendo

Release Date: March 2015

          The Mario vs. Donkey Kong franchise has been going on for quite some time now and until this game, I have managed to skip every single one.  I picked this one up because I wanted a puzzle game on my Wii U that played differently from the other big title games like Pushmo or Art of Balance.  It is important to also note that this is one of the few games from Nintendo that allows for double downloading.  Inside the case there is a code slip for the game on the other platform (Wii U gives the 3DS code and vice versa).  Is this the Mario puzzle game we have been waiting for? Let's find out.

          The story or lack thereof is told in a single slightly animated panel.  Donkey Kong has stolen something and it is up to Mario to get it back.  I assume that is what happened.  In all honestly, the story was so thin I forgot the plot the moment that little cutscene was over.  All we know is that Mario and his Mini army must go through a number of themed levels to find Donkey Kong.  Why does he have a bunch of Mini versions of characters?  Did DK really steal something?  None of this is answered and I am not sure anyone cares.  The puzzles are the real reason we are here, although it would have been nice to have some story to give more importance to our actions in the rest of the game.

          This is a puzzle game where players must guide mini versions of Mario and his pals around stages collecting all the coins while avoiding hazards.  One of the main gimmicks in this game is creating platforms and walls by connecting two points on the screen.  Needless to say, this is why we can only play using the gamepad or 3DS touchscreen.  The game is divided up into 4 parts:

The Title Screen

1)  Main Game - This is where we start.  The main game gives you six themed worlds with eight stages in each.  As the stages progress, new tools are introduced such as movable pipes, elevator like lifts and an evil robotic monkey that takes control of a Mario mini and tries to kill you.  Upon completing each world, the next unlocks. When you have beaten all six, two extra outer space themed worlds appear.  In each puzzle, your main goal is sending all of your minis to the exit door while collecting coins.  Based on how many coins you collect and how fast you do it, you will get a ranking of bronze, silver or gold.  These reward you with stars (one per grade for a max of three stars).  These stars are used in the community portion of the game.  Most of these stages are pretty easy with only a handful requiring a large amount of brain power to complete.  The ending you get is just as bland as the opening scene with a slightly animated single image. 

The beginning stages are so nice

2) Bonus Stages - The bonus stages are unlocked as you accumulate gold trophies from the main game.  There are 88 trophies in total which unlock 24 bonus stages.  As expected, these are much harder than the main game.  Some of which I would say are near impossible without the use of a guide.  I myself did use a guide on most of them and found it hard just to do what was in the video.  I don't know what Nintendo was thinking when they made some of these because unless you are just naturally gifted at puzzles, the average person cannot do these without an immense amount of time.  From my playthrough, I think I spent about 45 minutes on one puzzle while watching the guide on Youtube.  Maybe I just suck...although I doubt I am the only one.  Upon completion of the main game and bonus stages with all gold, you just get a pop-up congratulatory message which hardly makes it worth the effort. 

Really? How do you figure this stuff out?! Took me like 30 minutes!

 

3) Edit Mode - This mode is where the replay value comes in.  Edit mode allows you to pick from a variety of parts found in the main game and lets you put together stages that are as hard or easy as you like.  But be warned, because you cannot upload them to the community unless you complete them yourself with a gold trophy.  This is also where you can purchase unlock-able parts with the stars you gained from the main game and the community.

Lots of different editing options

4) Community - The community is where the "tipping stars" part of the title comes in. Community is where you gain access to other player's creations.  For each fan-made puzzle, you can comment and use the stamps you have collected.  You can also tip stars.  You get one star for every person who played your level and that person can tip additional stars.  This is the best way to get stars for unlocking the various parts in the editor.  Some of them aren't too expensive while others are outright ridiculous (I'm looking at you 5000 star gold Mario). 

Some of these take forever to earn

 

          In the community, you can find a wide range of puzzles.  Some are art based; others are auto levels where you instantly drop into the goal for a quick and easy three stars.  I myself made 20 of these stages and that is how I unlocked all but the gold Mario part.  For the average person that buys the game now and wants all the parts, I really feel sorry for because the community has shrunk resulting in not many people even seeing the stage you created.  I played for about 20 hours and still need over 4000 stars for my final part.  I didn't like the tipping system too much.  It would have been better if you could unlock parts in both the main game and community.  Lastly, the filters for finding stages are very poor.  You can only look at popular ones, most recent and Nintendo made levels.  You can save any level you want and play them at your leisure.

Only the most popular ones get attention most of the time

 

          The visuals are very simple and clean.  The minis have a nice 3D effect on them and the stages are bright and colorful.  Being a budget release, the visuals are kept simple.  There really isn't anything that sticks out and it lacks a distinct personality.  The 3DS version is the same game, but has downgraded graphics.

Very nice looking Gold Stage

          The sound in the game is ok.  Nothing too good, but nothing that makes you want to mute the TV.  Characters all have voice clips that are pretty cute and a few of the stages have nice relaxing music.  Nothing special, but nice nonetheless.  It suits the game well by keeping everything very light in mood.

          As mentioned before, the editor and community in this game allow for a potentially never ending game.  You can be as creative and challenging in the editor as you want and the amount of created levels is staggering.  While the main game is roughly 8 hours long and even longer if you are going for gold, the other features will keep you busy for a long time.  In Japan, I paid $30 for the disc version which lasted me about 20 hours.  So despite being very frustrating in the later levels, it had a good dollar to hour ratio.  I also can go back to it whenever I want if I have the itch to design a cool new stage.

          In conclusion, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is a decent game that lacks a worthwhile story and has a learning curve in the later levels (especially in Bonus challenges) that will make you want to break the disc and cut yourself with it. The overall display and longevity of the editor and community would make it worth the purchase.  Especially if you have nothing to do until big games like Splatoon or Xenoblade X comes out.  If you like puzzles and want something that helps pass the time and gives you a reason to turn on your Wii U or 3DS, I would definitely recommend this game.

Dollar to Play Ratio: $1 per Hour (28 hours total)

Do you agree with my review? Post in the comments section and let me know what you think.

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Yoshi's Island DS Quickie Retro Review

Reviewed by Bob

Played on a Nintendo 3DS
Platform: Nintendo DS (also on Wii U 's Virtual Console)

Developer: Artoon

Release Date: November, 2006

          Yoshi's Island DS is a sequel to the critically acclaimed Super Nintendo game: Yoshi's Island.  The story goes that Luigi and other babies are being captured by Bowser and it is up to Yoshi and Baby Mario to go through various platforming stages to get them back.  In the DS adventure, there are four new babies that join Yoshi and Mario, each having their own special ability to help gather the three various collectables in each stage (20 red coins, 5 flowers and 30 stars).

Plenty of new babies, plenty of wasted opportunities

          The DS game takes advantage of the dual screens by allowing players to see what is high above or below Yoshi.  The game consists of 5 worlds, each including 8 stages and three unlockable stages that you can obtain by beating the game, gathering a hidden baby coin in each stage or accumulating a certain amount of points by collecting everything in each level. 

The divides don't even match up

 How does this sequel to a beloved classic fare?  Let's look at the pros and cons:

• The visuals are very nice and colorful.  Sprites look and animate very similar to the original SNES game.The music in a few stages are catchy and nice to listen to.  I found myself whistling along with the game several times during my playthrough.
• The stages are varied and for the most part they each offer something slightly different from the previous stages. 
• Four babies means there are different ways to explore the levels.  Adds more variety.
• Plentiful lives.  The player gets extra lives like candy being tossed at a parade.  I ended my playthough with about 226 lives.  I didn't farm lives or anything, the game is just very generous. 
• Has a certain amount of charm to it.

(This is the point where you discover how much I disliked this game)

•   There are only 5 worlds.  This makes the game much shorter than its predecessor.

5 Worlds and 3 Worthless Bonus Stages

•  The game is boring! Boring, Boring, Boring! 
• Granted there are slightly different things in each level, the game is just so bland.  Despite several good music bits, most music just blends into the background.
• The babies allow you to do different things in the stages. However, of the five total babies, only three are with you most of the game.  Wario and Bowser only have about 3-4 stages and then you never see them again.
•  Wario comes in more than 3/4 though the game and Bowser only in the last world. 
• The DS/3DS screen divide is a nightmare.  In some levels, collectables are hidden behind the divide and you miss them.  Sometimes Yoshi was behind the bar during auto-scroll levels which was also nightmarish.  Aiming your eggs past the divide is terrible because the projectile angle slightly moves when past the bar.
• Terrible level design on many stages.  Things like cheap deaths, one hit kills, confusing maze design, etc.  I was mostly angered by the fact that for some flower collectables, you barely get a second to react in order to get it, then you miss it and have no opportunity to get it again unless you kill yourself or restart the whole level.

•  The camera is so zoomed in on you, Yoshi is forced to makes leaps of faith all the time and flying enemies pop out from nowhere and hit you because of your limited vision. 

If I drop down, will I die? Who knows?!

•  Unlockable stages are a waste.  Two of the three are just mini-games to gain more lives (like over 200 isn't enough) and the last are just bonus stages that take the most infuriating parts of the game and combine them into one.  Most of these unlockables just are not worth the time.
• Adult Bowser looks as if he came out of a CD-i game.  He does not fit the rest of the game's art at all.

  

  Silly Bowser, this isn't the CD-i

          As you can tell, I did not like this game.  I wanted to, I really did.  But with the boring gameplay, terrible level design, underutilized characters and lackluster bonuses, the game is really hard to recommend.  If you really love Yoshi and don't mind putting up with very frustrating elements, give the game a try (the cartridge and VC versions are dirt cheap).  If you would like to play a better platformer, there are certainly many out there that are much better than this piece of garbage. 

Total Play Time: 9 hours 30 min

Do you agree with my review? Post in the comments section and let me know what you think.

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Steamworld Dig HD In-Depth Review

 

 

Reviewed by Bob
(Played on Wii U using the gamepad) 
Platforms: Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, PS4, Vita, PC

Developer:  Image & Form

Release Date:  Aug 2014 (Wii U Version)

            Do you enjoy digging?  What about games where you dig and occasionally find stuff?  That pretty much sums up the experience I had with Steamworld Dig HD for the Wii U.  The game, originally released on the 3DS in 2013, has been called a hybrid of Dig Dug and Metriodvania style games.  You take on the roll of Rusty in a steampunk influenced world inhabited by robots.  Upon receiving the deed to his dead uncle's mine, Rusty begins his journey by digging deeper into the mine uncovering various materials and secrets while meeting new friends in the town that acts as the main hub for the game.

Diggin' in the dirt looking for material

          The story, while simple, is enough to keep you going in the game.  While it serves this basic function, don't expect to find yourself too involved in what's happening.  I found that while the townsfolk had personality, I didn't much care for them outside of using them as the shops or material trading services they offered.  Rusty himself only has a few lines of dialogue while other characters tend to speak much more.  The story is functional and is well paced, but don't expect too much.

Rusty in the hub town selling materials

          The gameplay can be summed up as responsive and tight.  Gameplay consists of three things, digging, attacking and jumping.  The flow of the game follows this pattern:

Step 1)  You enter the mine and use your pickaxe to make paths in the dirt.  Every now and then you will find raw materials that you can collect and bring back up to the surface to sell.

Step 2)  With the money you receive from trading, you will level up which unlocks an ever increasing variety of digging tools, health upgrades, water upgrades (water in the game is what powers most of your add-ons), and light upgrades which allows you to see for a longer time in the mine before it gets too dark and you have to resurface.  As you get more money, more townsfolk will appear to offer you more items to buy. 

Step 3)  Re-enter the mine and use your new equipment.  You will find random caves with special treasures inside and numbered caves which lead to enhancements like running faster or double jumping.  With these, you are able to explore the mines faster and reach places you couldn't before.  While exploring, you will find a small variety of enemies to kill, but none of them are too hard and only take a handful of hits to destroy. 

Step 4)  Rinse and repeat steps 1, 2 and 3.  With each visit to the surface you get more money and continue your steady progress of upgrading.  The pacing is very good because just when you reach an area that proves too difficult to dig or too high to jump, there is usually an upgrade waiting for you. 

About death:  My tip to you is don't carry around too much money.  If you die, you lose half of it and all your materials drop where you died.  If you die too often, you will not be able to buy everything in the stores which can make for an extremely difficult time.  I died once in my play through due to negligence, so you surviving shouldn't be too hard.  

Cranky has a lot of upgrades for you to use in the mine

          Visually the game is very crisp and clean.  The original version on the 3DS looked good for being on a handheld, but the HD port looks very nice.  The characters have good cartoony detail to them, the environments (of which there are three) all have personality to them and the various monsters you fight all stand out nicely in the mines that you'll be spending all your time in.  My only complaint is that while the environments do look nice and the developers tried to vary the look of the mines, there is only so much you can do to make dirt look different.  That being said, there is still good visual variety, even if what you are looking at half the time are rocks and brown squares of dirt.

The mine gets more dangerous the deeper you go

          Sound in the game does a good job at portraying what you are doing.  The mines have an ambiance that encourages the player to explore while also giving the feeling of solidarity as you are alone in the mine to deal with its many dangers.  In town, the music is straight out of a western.  There isn't any voice acting; instead we hear the various robotic sounds of the townsfolk.  Most of them are fine and add a distinction between characters, one in particular is torture to the ears and you'll want to avoid him whenever possible.  Overall, the music and sound effects are good, but nothing that will keep you whistling after you're done.  

          Each new game randomly generates the world.  The material and unmovable block locations are changed around.  The game itself also never changes difficulty. The true replay value comes from how you want to play the game.  You can go through it buying items in different orders or try to beat the game without upgrades to your health, steam power or light energy.  You can pretty much make the game as difficult and as long-lasting as you want.  When you complete the game, you are graded on four things from your play-through.  Going for the gold in each category in one run is challenging and adds much to the replay value.  

My results screen at the end.  Not bad for a first run

 

          Steamworld Dig HD, while having a few flaws is well worth the $8 I spent on it.  There is always something to do, whether it be digging deeper in the mine, buying new items and upgrades or gathering raw materials.  The game will be a decent length on your initial play through (mine took a bit over 8 hours), and you will enjoy every minute of it.  I recommend the game shouldn't be played for more than an hour at a time because you will get burned out quickly if you just keep digging.  Take the necessary breaks and you will enjoy this game a great deal.  If you have the choice, play it on the Wii U because the gamepad's second screen acts as a map and inventory guide and is very nice for keeping things off the main screen giving the game a slightly more cinematic feel.  No matter the system you will be playing on, Steamworld Dig HD is a charming, fun and unique game that is well worth a play. 

For the Budget Gamer ~ Dollar to Play Ratio: $1 per Hour (8 hours total)

 

 Do you agree with my review? Post in the comments section and let me know what you think.
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