In the pre-phone games era, the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series held a unique sort of appeal. While the first game wasn’t much more than a puzzle-oriented platformer, subsequent entries in the franchise (beginning with the 2006 Nintendo DS sequel) completely shifted the gameplay from direct control over the plumbing protagonist to manipulation of the environment, Lemmings-style, to provide access to the goal for a squad of mindless Mario toys. Although it had been done before, MvDK’s approach was different, and the permutation of basic gameplay concepts that is typical of Nintendo titles helped to differentiate it from previous games based on the same notion.
Still, enjoyable as the franchise is, it has nearly always remained a bit of a gap-filler: a second-tier offering, if you will, with second-rate production qualities and a more modest approach to presentation than we’ve come to expect from standard Nintendo titles. Fortunately, with the advent of downloadable games, the more bite-sized nature of these releases is perhaps a little easier to digest than before.
Unlike the most recent 3DS installment in the series (2013), Mario vs. Donkey Kong Tipping Stars reverts to the two-dimensional approach of 2010’s Mini-Land Mayhem! for the Nintendo DS. In fact, the design is nearly identical, with the player using the touchscreen to rearrange, create, destroy, and relocate various level elements to guide the minis to the goal(s). This is in contrast to the 2D/3D hybrid presentation of 2013’s Minis on the Move, which really wasn’t anything like its predecessor.
A quick recap for those who missed Mini-Land Mayhem: using the stylus (and the Wii U GamePad) in Tipping Stars, the player has power over selected level elements which must be properly manipulated—and timed—to allow all of the Minis in the stage to reach their respective goals. These elements include construction girders (a limited number of which can be drawn between two selected points), springboards, pipes, conveyor belts, and lots of other surprises. The Minis begin moving as soon as you tap each of them; while guiding just one of them to the goal isn’t terribly complex in most cases, later levels often feature many different Minis, all of which must be simultaneously monitored and accommodated in order to succeed. Whenever a single goal is in play, all of the Minis must reach the end within a very short time frame or the player loses. It’s an exercise in both cognitive reflexes and rote rehearsal, and, at least in short bursts, it’s pretty fun.
Complicating matters are a variety of additional factors, such as different types of coins and lots of obstacles (including enemies) which must be taken into account. The game’s levels (several dozen in number) are grouped into separate worlds, each of which introduces a completely unique concept and layers it atop the smorgasbord of existing ingredients thus far. This helps to keep things interesting, even if the game does become rather tedious if played for longer sessions. The player’s performance is ranked at the completion of each level based on the number of coins they collected and the speed with which they managed to finish; up to three gold stars are awarded in correlation. As you might expect, these stars are used to unlock other features: specifically, bonus levels which continue to introduce brand-new concepts and are exponentially more challenging and complex than any of those in the main game.
The basic premise is well-conceived, but as alluded to earlier, it wears on the mind and borders on tedium in longer stretches. Tipping Stars is really better digested in small doses, and even then, it surely is better served as a portable title. In fact, your editor found himself traversing the house with Gamepad in hand rather than tethering himself to the couch while playing—something which the rest of the family surely appreciated, but nevertheless, rather contrary to the purpose of this being a console-based title. This certainly explains the existence of a 3DS version in tandem. And better yet, this is the first Nintendo game to support cross-buy, meaning regardless of which version of the $20 title you choose to purchase, you actually receive codes for both. The only limiting factor here is that progress cannot be shared between the platforms—so most likely you will end up sticking with the one you choose first.
Fortunately, beyond the single-player, there’s also an entirely separate angle to this product: a level designer with a fairly well-planned online community. Here, you’ll find levels available for download from players all around the world, and if you encounter one you particularly appreciate, you can “tip” the creator with stars earned in-game in exchange for some collectible stickers. Presumably it is this balance of “tipped” stars from users which determines a level’s popularity, and thus its rank in the database.
Despite this vastly improved online functionality, the game still falls short of the irresistible appeal of many of its higher-budget brethren. That is to say, Tipping Stars still feels like a Mario vs. DK game: fun, but B-grade in contrast to Nintendo’s mainline products. This sentiment is corroborated by both presentation and design. The music, for instance, consists of mostly tolerable remixes of songs from previous Mario universe games, but the quality often leaves a lot to be desired. Graphically, Tipping Stars looks like the downloadable footnote of a game that its pedigree predicted. And in terms of pacing, the addictive qualities that define most Mario titles are largely absent. It’s fun, but it’s no mainstream Mario.
Nevertheless, in spite of its shortfalls, for $20, it’s a worthwhile distraction if you’ve enjoyed previous installments in the series.
