Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is an action puzzle game for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. It is the sixth Mario vs. Donkey Kong game overall and the first game in the series to be released on a home console. The game shares many elements with most of the series, where the principal goal is to navigate a number of Minis to their exits, and also allows players to build their own levels in a mode called the Workshop. Players could share custom stages through Miiverse, although this is now no longer possible since November 7, 2017, as Miiverse was shut down. The focus of the game are the stars, which form a reward earned in accordance to how the player performs in levels. They are used to tip other players for their shared stages or unlock parts and new Minis for custom levels in the Workshop Store. The game is digital-only except in Japan. Game cases with download codes are sold in Europe. The Wii U version requires 0.93 GB of memory to be installed, and the Nintendo 3DS version requires 3200 blocks.

The game supports a form of, where if one version of the game is bought off the Nintendo eShop, the buyer receives a free download code of the other version. Levels can be shared between the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U versions of the game.

Story
As in previous Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, Pauline is once again the victim of Donkey Kong's kidnapping antics at the start of the game, although this time, no motivation is given. Mario quickly gives chase with his Mini Mario toys in hopes of rescuing Pauline from Donkey Kong.

After traversing six puzzle-filled worlds, while freeing cursed Mini Mario toys along the way, Mario catches up to Donkey Kong and Pauline in a darkened room. The lights are switched on quickly, revealing Pauline, Donkey Kong, and two Toads standing in front of a "SURPRISE!" banner.

The ruse revealed, Mario can then continue through more worlds and bonus levels knowing Pauline is safe.

Gameplay
As in the game's predecessors, the main goal of every stage is to simply lead all Mini toys to the end of the level, which is done by manipulating certain parts of the environment. Using the console's touchscreen, players are able to drag objects such as red girders, springs, conveyor belts, pipes, and lifts to guide the characters. Notably, the gameplay of this title is largely simplified in comparison to the predecessors, barring elements such as boss battles and the ability to change direction of the Minis.

The most common level type in the game is the Single-Door level, in which a lone door represents the objective. In order to clear a course, each Mini must be brought to the exit door, immediately followed by another. The first Mini toy to reach the exit commences a short timer which shuts the door after a few moments, locking away any other Mini toy if they do not reach the door in time and resulting in a Game Over. Multi-Door levels, a feature introduced in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, are also found in Tipping Stars, where different Minis have to be rescued from Capsules and led through separate doors, each assigned to one of the Minis. In Multi-Door levels, there is no time limit between entering different doors.

Each world contains eight levels and follows a specific formula:
 * the first level of every world introduces a new game mechanic, which becomes recurrent from that point onward.
 * the third level and, sometimes, sixth level is where enemies that cause damage, like Shy Guys, Pokeys or Thwomps, appear.
 * the fourth level is always a Multi-Door course, the rest being Single-Door.
 * the fifth level is marked by the presence of a type of Kong toy, such as Circus Kongs, Cannon Kongs or Capture Kongs.
 * the seventh level has a locked exit, which can only be opened by a Key Mini Mario.
 * instead of a boss battle as in the predecessors, every world is closed by a level where a Cursed Mini Mario has to be reverted to its normal state by hitting it with Hammers, then escorted along with the other Minis to the exit door.

A level must be finished within its time limit, always set to 300 seconds. Otherwise, the result will be a Game Over. Other causes of a Game Over include falling on spikes, falling from a height of ten blocks or more, failing to enter the goal door before it closes, and coming into contact with an enemy such as a Shy Guy or a Pokey. The only possibility to combat these enemies is by using Hammers, which are acquired for a short time and function similarly to the hammer from the Donkey Kong arcade game.

When there are only 30 seconds left in the timer, a frantic melody starts playing, prompting the player to hurry and finish the level.

Scoring system and stars
Each level has a trophy ranking based on a score, which is determined by the following:
 * Small and big coins spread throughout the levels. They are worth 100 and 1000 points, respectively. There is also a single M Coin in each level, worth 2000 points. Collecting all coins in a level awards the player an additional 6000 points.
 * Every second left on the timer, each worth 20 points.

Three high scores signifying three different rankings are established for each level and are linked to a bronze, silver, and gold trophy, in order from lowest to highest. Acquiring one trophy rewards the player with one star; in this respect, achieving the gold trophy in a level signifies a three star rating for that level. Stars form a collectable entity, and a total of 267 stars can be earned in the main game. Before Miiverse was shut down, additional ones could also be obtained as tips from other players for uploaded levels.

Workshop
The Workshop mode allows players to build, store and share custom levels. A total of 50 custom levels can be stored, but only up to 20 could be shared online. Levels can be transferred between both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U versions of the game. The Workshop Store is a section in the Workshop where collected/received stars can be used to unlock objects and other elements for use in the level editor.

The player can either edit and finish one of the three built-in templates, or start building from scratch. In the latter case, building starts out with a Mini Mario, an M Coin, and a Goal Door lined above a plain ground floor, elements without which a level cannot be created. As with most other parts of the game, the touchscreen must be used to perform any action within the editor, while the top screen is reserved to show the entirety of the level, with a frame highlighting the part of the level that is currently shown on the bottom screen. The editing space is navigated using the direction pad or the analog stick. It is grid-based and its size can be increased by dragging a cursor located in the top-right corner.

There is a toolbar at the top of the editor which contains, in the following order:
 * two buttons which open drop-down menus where the player can locate and select elements to use in the level;
 * the first menu lists fixed objects (Cannons, Ladders, Color Switches etc.) and resource items (Red Girders, Purple Conveyors, Blue Lifts etc.);
 * the second menu lists collectables, Minis, and enemies;
 * a hand cursor which allows the player to place objects on the screen; it also works as a selection tool, which can be used to select multiple objects and move them together;
 * a tool which is used to flip characters and enemies;
 * an eraser tool which is used to remove elements on the screen with a single tap; multiple elements can be removed by dragging a selection rectangle around them while the eraser tool is active;
 * two buttons that undo or redo the player's actions;
 * a button which saves the level in its current state and allows the player to test it;
 * a settings button which allows the player to set or change the level's name, background theme, and image icon.

Community
The game presented online functions, which were paired with Miiverse. However, as of November 7, 2017, when the service was shut down, they are no longer available. Before the discontinuation, levels made and shared by other players could be accessed in Community mode. People could play and 'Yeah' these levels. Stars earned in the main game or by playing user-created levels could be tipped to level creators, which unlocked Miiverse stamps for the tippers in exchange. Levels could be sorted by "Popular", "Latest", "Saved" (there was a download feature), "Friends & Followed", "Official Levels", and "Street Pass".

Both the Workshop mode and the Community mode are based on a user profile that was activated when users first entered either of them. Players without a profile have currently no access to the Community, but those who have had a profile prior to the dicontinuation of Miiverse can still enter it, although it is devoid of levels. Players can click their Mii icon to access their own user profile, which displays some information linked to the service: the number of 'Yeah's received on their levels, comments posted, and stars tipped to other players, as well as the number of shared levels. Likewise, the SpotPass funcionality can be adjusted there. The profiles of other players could be accessed in Community mode via comments they had posted on other levels. Their region could be determined by the color behind their Mii on the profile picture, which was red for Japan, yellow for Europe and Oceania, and blue for the Americas.

Help Mode
The game offers in-game tips for gameplay, editing and online features. However, they are handled differently depending on the version they appear in. In the Wii U version, tips simply appear on the loading screens. In the Nintendo 3DS version, there is a separate "Help Mode" accessible through a button with a question mark in each of the Game, Bonus, Workshop and Community menus.

In the main Game and Bonus menus, tips are related to gameplay. They are the following:

In the Workshop menu, tips are related to building levels and sharing them:

Finally, the Community menu offered tips related to users found online and the interaction with them:

Controls

 * – drag or tap objects; navigate menus
 * / – navigate level
 * / – pause game

Characters
The cast is primarily composed of the Mini toys, which are the focus of the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. Despite the fact that Mario and Donkey Kong are titular characters, they only fulfill minor roles, appearing only on the title screen and the game's few cutscenes. In addition, Mario can be heard exclaiming "Way to go!" after collecting all coins in a level. Pauline and a few Toads also make appearances in the cutscenes.

The protagonistic Minis do not behave differently from each other. They all simply walk from side to side, interacting with the environment at times. The only Mini that does, however, differentiate from the others is the Cursed Mini Mario, which is a possessed Mini Mario that smashes any other Mini on contact. It can be turned back to a normal Mini Mario if hit with Hammers or if slope slid onto it.

Worlds
Each of the eight main worlds of the game (six standard, two extra) introduces a new mechanic, and is divided into eight levels; the last one in each world is always centered around a Cursed Mini Mario. Levels in the main game are unlocked in a classic manner, i.e. by completing any level that preceded them.

Apart from the main game, there are 24 additional levels to unlock in a separate, Bonus feature. The player unlocks a bonus level for every 4 gold trophies obtained in the main game, except for Level B-21 onward, when levels are unlocked for each gold trophy earned. In order to unlock all Bonus Levels, the player has to acquire a total of 87 gold trophies. Compared to levels from the main game, Bonus Levels are to be noted for using previous gameplay mechanics in challenging ways, resulting in increased difficulty. Each world from the main game is the setting of two consecutive Bonus Levels.

Between the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U versions of the game, levels have slight design differences to accommodate to the screen of the console. As a result, puzzles might sometimes require a different solution depending on the version they appear in.

Other areas
There are four unlockable backgrounds in the Workshop Store—Winding Ravine, Swirling Courtyard, Clattering Cabin and Shimmering Gold Palace—which can be used by players to decorate levels created by them in the editor. Although these areas do not have their own worlds in the main game, they theme some of the Bonus Levels. In the Workshop, there is an additional Editor Land theme, although none of the pre-built levels feature it.

Objects
The game's numerous objects can be split into three categories: collectibles, objects that can be obtained only by a Mini toy; resource items, which can be stockpiled and moved or dragged on the screen using the console's stylus; and fixed objects, which cannot usually be modified but can be manipulated to help the Minis advance through a stage.

Enemies
Enemies in the game can be divided into two categories, based on how they affect the player. Kong-based toys are rather large and indestructible but do not cause damage, and in many situations their capacities appear helpful; however, they can also often impede the player, in which case Hammers are available to stun them temporarily. On the other hand, there are harmful enemies that take miscellaneous forms, and only serve as obstacles that can usually be destroyed with Hammers or other means of attack.

Stamps
Like some other Wii U games, this game features stamps. One way of getting those is by buying items in the Workshop Store. 84 stamps can be collected.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.: The Underground theme is arranged for the soundtrack of Crumbling Cavern.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: The Overworld theme is arranged for the soundtrack of Rolling Hills.
 * Donkey Kong Country: The "DK Island Swing" music theme that plays in jungle levels is arranged for the soundtrack of Jumpy Jungle.
 * Super Mario 64: "Inside the Castle Walls", the music that plays while inside Princess Peach's Castle, is arranged for the soundtrack of Swirling Courtyard.
 * Mario Kart series: The Golden Mushroom item appears on some heraldic banners in the background of Swirling Courtyard.
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!: Tipping Stars utilizes the same framework this game was built on, reusing a number of its assets and graphics with slight to non-existent changes. The soundtrack of Tipping Stars is also largely based on tracks from Mini-Land Mayhem! and is used in worlds with coinciding themes (e.g. the music of Dashing Desert from Tipping Stars is very similar to the music of Sandstorm Steps from Mini-Land Mayhem!)

Reception
Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is unanimously regarded by various game critics to deliver a challenging and consistent gameplay experience with a deceptively easy outset, despite the game not being innovative in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series.

In reference to its lack of innovation, Brendan Graeber of IGN evoked the disappointment players who have played previous titles from the series would have with the new game. Although he did acknowledge the new Cursed Mini Mario mechanic as "the highlight of Tipping Stars’ meager innovations", he added that it does not contribute much to the gameplay. Conversely, Graeber appreciated the rich content of the game, including the plethora of levels, the substantial level editor, and the "new and improved" community hub where players could share their created levels. He likewise regarded the in-game practice of earning and tipping stars to other players as a "brilliant model", although only in theory. He explained that the community was profuse in short levels that allowed players to obtain stars quickly, considering it disadvantaged the "many smart amateur level designers out there who [had spent] their time crafting challenging and creative levels for us to play".

Alex Olney of Nintendo Life offered a more positive review of the game, in which he praised the game's online service as having "a slick, easy-to-use interface", opposing it to 's. He also emphasised on the ease of finding levels in the community, praising Nintendo for the "awful lot of thought" they put into such a modern online experience. Apart from the gameplay which he described as solid, Olney referred to the game's pleasant presentation and graphics. In a separate review of the Nintendo 3DS version, he presented the game's SpotPass and StreetPass advantages, and noted the portability of this version over the Wii U version as well.

Damien McFerran of TrustedReviews stated that Nintendo was "surprisingly forward-thinking" with the utilisation of online features and appreciated how the Miiverse integration creates a "community feel". He considered the single-player mode to be only part of the complete experience, built to keep average players busy for a while before attempting to create and share their own levels. He admonished the graphical aspect of the game, stating that it is rather reminiscent of customary mobile phone games, but noted the soundtrack as "uniformly superb".