Mario vs. Donkey Kong

Mild overall intensity
Highest flag: Violence — cartoon/stylized
PlatformerPuzzle

What's in it

Violence cartoon/stylized
Low

Bloodless cartoon action: Mario stomps or throws objects at wind-up robots and hazards, and bops the Donkey Kong character in boss fights with no injury depicted.

Who can reach your kid

What it is

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a single-player puzzle-platformer in which Mario chases Donkey Kong through a toy factory to recover stolen Mini-Mario wind-up toys. Play is built around timing jumps, flips, and handstands to grab a key, reach a door, and guide the little toys safely past hazards, plus occasional boss encounters against Donkey Kong. The content is limited to gentle, cartoon slapstick action with no blood, and the game has no chat, purchases, or online features. It is entirely offline and self-contained.

How it's framed

The story is a lighthearted comic rivalry: Donkey Kong steals the toys out of pouty jealousy, Mario simply wants them back, and the ending reconciles the two characters when Mario gives Donkey Kong a toy of his own. There is no menace, cruelty, or mature framing—conflict is played purely for cartoon fun.

Details

Developer
Nintendo Software Technology
Publisher
Nintendo
Released
2004
Metacritic 81critic score (third-party) · out of 100

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