Day 130, Game 130 - Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move

Puzzle games are perfect for the 3DS, and any handheld gaming system for that matter. Sure, they work decently on consoles, but most true puzzle games focus more on making the puzzles challenging and fun than then they do on a storyline, graphics or additional features. It's just the nature of the beast an the main backbone for the genre as a whole. 

This was all true up until Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move was released on the 3DS this week in the eShop. 

And I am happy to report that the tried and true formula remains consistent throughout this game as well. 

For those of you who played the original BioShock and hacked anything in the game (honestly, is it possible to play the game at all without hacking something?), you will be very familiar with the type of puzzles in this game. Mario is poking his head out of a warp pipe, and his only goal in life is to get to the star on the other side of a block obstacle coarse. There are missing blocks along this path, and you have to fill them in with blocks that fall off to the right in another warp pipe, by dragging the correct ones into place. Trick is, they have to have the correct direction of path on the block you place in order for Mario to continue his journey.

A poorly placed block or too much hesitation in your decision making process will lead to Mario's demise. And that, my friends, is a bad thing. Unless your sadomasochistic, or just really hate Mario. 

Don't worry, though. The game isn't too hard right off the bat. The first world has 10 stages in it, and at the start of each level, they introduce a new ability, challenge or gameplay mechanic to the mix. It feels daunting to remember each one as they keep piling up it seems, but honestly, I would rather ease into the cold pool than jump in all at once. That might just be me, though.


So the pipe mechanic from BioShock... I know most people hated it, and that's why I brought it up. While this has more to it than just  fitting pipes together, it's essentially the same thing. So if you hated it, stay away from this game. Don't say I didn't warn you.


Of all the Mario/Donkey Kong games in the series (this is officially the fourth), this might be the funnest. Well, to me it is, because I absolutely loved the pipe game mechanic. Oh, and I love Mario, and the whole universe he comes from. I guess I am slightly biased when it comes to things of this nature, but hey - Mario can do no wrong in my book. 

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