Everybody knows the holiday season can get hectic, but starting this week, Nintendo is offering a new kind of mayhem that families can actually look forward to. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! is now available exclusively for the Nintendo DS family of hand-held video game systems, placing two of the world’s most beloved video game characters at the center of a frantic action-puzzle adventure with a Mini Mario twist. Anyone who has a video game fan on his or her gift list knows that Mario and Donkey Kong always mean great fun.
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! transports players to Mario’s new theme park, Mini-Land, where the lovely Pauline has been kidnapped by Donkey Kong. To rescue her, players must guide pint-sized Mini Marios through more than 200 levels, each filled with obstacles and traps set by Donkey Kong himself. Using simple stylus controls, players can place girders to cross pits, build conveyor belts, set springs or strategically place warp pipes to make their way to the next level. The new Mini Pauline joins the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series’ roster of familiar toys (including Mini Mario, Mini Toad, Mini Princess and Mini Donkey Kong).
The Construction Zone feature lets users create their own unique levels and share them with others around the world*. Players everywhere can access, download and play an ever-growing library of fan-created levels via the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service. This feature provides a constant stream of new levels and fun. Players can also use a local wireless connection to send levels to nearby Nintendo DS users who also have a Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! game card.
Within Construction Zone is the new Challenge Mode feature, where Nintendo will issue level-creation challenges to players. For instance, one challenge might ask players to create a level using a certain number of items, while another might challenge them to create a level made using just one type of item. Everyone can download, play and vote for their favorite entries*.
“Mario vs. Donkey Kong games are known for providing endless fun due to their unique combination of platform and puzzle elements along with the compelling usage of Mini Marios,” said Marc Franklin, Nintendo of America’s director of Public Relations. “Play this latest hand-held adventure for just a few minutes and you’ll understand why it’s so hard to put down.”
The intuitive touch-screen controls of Nintendo DS, Nintendo DSi and Nintendo DSi XL systems make Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem! accessible for anyone to pick up and play. A handy Help Mode lets users get information about special in-game items. If they get stuck trying to solve a level, they can even use the built-in Mini Guide to view a possible solution.