Nintendo has announced that their charming puzzle spin-off series Mario Vs. Donkey Kong will be coming to the Nintendo Wii U. The franchise, which saw its first iteration released in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance, has been typically relegated to the company’s line of handheld consoles up until now.
If you haven’t had the chance to play any of the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong titles yet, the mechanics are simple enough to get the hang of. In each level, players must guide a group of miniaturized versions of Mario and company through a series of obstacle-laden environments. However, the minis can only be controlled indirectly using a touch screen, which allows the series to make a rather seamless transition to the Nintendo Wii U.
While the core gameplay of the series will remain in tack, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong for the Wii U will also feature some new additions that will take advantage of the system’s capabilities. The Workshop mode makes a return, as players will be able to create their own levels and share them with the Miiverse. If there’s a particular level you enjoy, you can also reward the creator with stars that can be in turn used to purchase additional items for the Workshop.
Even as someone who enjoys the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong franchise, I’m a little surprised that the series is making the jump to the Wii U. While I’m sure the game will remain as fun to play as the other entries in the series, this seems like it easily could have been made for the Nintendo 3DS. Perhaps there will be additional Wii U specific features brought up further down the road, but for right now, consider me a tad underwhelmed.
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong for the Nintendo Wii U is currently scheduled for a release sometime in 2015.