Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis is a puzzle game and the sequel to Mario vs. Donkey Kong for the Nintendo DS. This time, the focus is on the Mini toys created by the Mario Toy Company; along with the Mini Mario toys returning, more new toys were added for this game including the Mini Donkey Kong, Mini Toad, and Mini Peach toys. This game also marks the first appearance of Pauline in the Mario franchise since the Game Boy Donkey Kong game. The game's title is an allusion to the orchestral piece "" from the film .

The game was rereleased for the Wii U's Virtual Console in Europe and Australia in September 2015 (the same day Mario vs. Donkey Kong was released on the same platform in those regions), in Japan in August 2016, and in North America in October 2016.

As a promotion for the game, Nintendo published a browser game titled Mario vs. DK 2: Cannon Kaos.

Story
Mario's Toy Company returns with a commercial promoting the new Super Mini Mario World, which is an outdoor amusement park centered around the Mini Marios, Mini Peachs, Mini Toads, and Mini Donkey Kongs. A crowd of Toads is shown watching Pauline and Mario about to cut the ribbon to open it. Donkey Kong, one of the Mario Toy Company's employees, is also in the crowd. He immediately falls in love with Pauline and rushes to her with a Mini Donkey Kong to give to her, but Mario hands out a Mini Mario. She chooses the Mini Mario, so Donkey Kong is heartbroken and breaks down a sales post of Mini Marios, even crushing one with his feet. He then heads toward the elevator, grabbing Pauline on his way and knocking Mario to the floor. As Donkey Kong heads toward the elevator, Mario gets up and tries to get to the elevator, but he is too late to rescue her. Donkey Kong brings Pauline up to the roof of the building. Mario doesn't know what to do until two Mini Marios come to offer help.

In the ending, Mario finds Pauline safe with many presents in a room on the roof. Donkey Kong looks sorry for what he has done, when a Mini Mario races across the floor to meet a Mini Donkey Kong. Pauline picks up the Mini Donkey Kong and kisses it, making DK happy. Toads appear and everyone waves, leading into the credits.

Gameplay
Unlike the Game Boy Advance predecessor, Mario plays only a supporting role in this game; he is seen in the beginning of each floor, and before each boss fight and in the final boss fight and following cut-scene. Instead, the task is to control the Mini Mario toys through eight diverse floors of nine levels each to reach Pauline. At the end of each floor is a boss battle with DK. There are 240 Minis in all - generally, there are more minis in a level as the difficulty increases (going as high as 8 in a level called 8-3). This change in game-play laid the foundation for the two Mario vs. Donkey Kong games that followed on the DS.

Controls
In each level, the player attempts to guide all of the Minis on the map to a portal-like doorway with a red M on top - this is the goal.

The player can scroll around the level using the or the     buttons. Aside from this, gameplay uses only the stylus and Touch Screen:
 * Tapping a Mini activates it.
 * Tapping a moving Mini causes it to halt.
 * Minis automatically change direction when hitting a wall or another Mini.
 * If a moving Mini touches a stationary Mini, it will start moving.
 * Swiping a Mini left or right moves it in that direction or switches its direction.
 * Swiping in the same direction across multiple Minis changes the direction of all of them.
 * Swiping up makes a Mini jump.
 * If a Warp Pipe is directly below a Mini, swiping down on the Mini makes it enter the Warp Pipe. Minis can also enter a Warp Pipe directly above them by jumping into them.
 * A Mini hesitates and makes a warning noise if it is about to fall into spikes or another danger that can break it, including large heights.

To guide the Minis to the goal, the player must manipulate elements of the level itself as well as the Minis, so they can reach the goal without being destroyed. Level elements that appear frequently throughout the game include Color Blocks, which can be placed if the player has a sufficient number of them stored, as shown in the inventory on the Top Screen. For example, in Room 1-1, a wall of Pink Blocks can be picked up and placed elsewhere to form a floor, allowing Minis to cross and reach the level's Mini Mario Card. Other examples of level elements include elevators, which can be moved up and down with two separate buttons, and conveyor belts, which can be reversed using a conveyor belt switch.

Sleep Mode
At any point during the game, if the player enters the Nintendo DS's Sleep Mode by closing their system, Mario says one of four lines: Mario says different lines if the player exits Sleep Mode by opening their system: This feature was reimplemented in Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again! and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!
 * "Hey! Come back here, you!"
 * "Hey, come back here, you big-a monkey!"
 * "Not again!"
 * "I love this game!"
 * "What's up?"
 * "Okey-dokey!"
 * "Here we go again!"
 * "Let's play again!"

Time limit
Each level features a time limit, which does not start counting down until either Color Blocks are picked up or a Mini is activated. The player can scroll around the level before starting its timer, in order to plan their actions.

A level's timer starts at 300 seconds of a Time Bonus. If this Time Bonus exceeds 0 after the level has been completed, it will be multiplied by 10 and added to the player's score on the results screen. However, if this Time Bonus reaches 0 and the level is still being played, the time counter on the Top Screen turns blue, and its text changes from "Time Bonus" to "Time Left". The counter then resets to 300 seconds and continues to count down. If the Time Left counter reaches 0 and the level is still being played, the game displays a "Time Is Up!" message, Mario exclaims "Mama mia, time's up!" and the game is over, regardless of how many Minis entered the goal. Therefore, the player has 300 seconds to earn a Time Bonus, and 600 seconds in total to complete the level.

Scoring and stars
Scoring is specific and precise for each level. Small and big coins are spread throughout the levels (worth 50 and 500 points respectively when collected). Collecting the level's Mini Mario Card is worth 1000 points. If the timer on the Top Screen reads "Time Bonus" instead of "Time Left", each second remaining on the timer is worth an additional 10 points. There are many bonuses that come into effect on the results screen after a level is completed:
 * Each Mini that enters the goal is worth 1000 points.
 * If all Minis enter the goal, 5000 points are awarded instead of awarding points for each Mini individually.
 * Getting Minis into the goal very close to each other is called a Chain Goal. Starting at 1000, the Chain Goal bonus is doubled for each additional Mini in the chain; for example, 2 Minis in a row is 1000 + 2000 = 3000 points, and 4 minis in a row is 1000 + 2000 + 4000 + 8000 = 15000 points. The bonus increases exponentially. A sparkling effect surrounds the goal to signify the Chain Goal bonus is still active, and it lasts for about three seconds after the last Mini in the chain enters the goal.
 * If a perfect Chain Goal is formed (all Minis enter the goal consecutively while it is still sparkling), another bonus of 5000 points is awarded.
 * If a Gold Mini Mario is at the back of a perfect Chain Goal, the last bonus is doubled again (for example, 3 Minis = 1000 + 2000 + 8000 = 11000 point bonus).
 * Finally, a nonstop bonus is awarded if a Mini is never stopped by the player by tapping on it (stopping at an elevator, on an enemy, or in a Warp Pipe does not cancel the nonstop bonus). This bonus is 1000 points per Mini; however, if none of the Minis are stopped, a bonus of 7000 points is awarded instead.

By meeting all of the criteria above and earning every possible bonus, the player can earn a gold star for the level. Below it is the silver star and the  bronze star. It is possible to get no star, especially if the player loses more than one Mini. Stars are used to unlock extras after completing the main adventure.

The following is a table of the bonuses for the number of Minis that appear in each level, and the minimum scores needed to obtain each type of star. A indicates that a Gold Mini Mario is present in the level. aOnly in levels made in the Construction Zone bOnly in Room 3-3 and levels made in the Construction Zone cOnly in Room 8-3

Mini Game


Each of the first nine levels in a floor contains a Mini Mario Card, a card with a letter on one side and a Mini Mario head on the other side. When collected, all of the cards on a single floor spell "MINIMARIO", and appear in that order (i.e. Room 7-3 contains an "N" card).

Finding every Mini Mario Card on a single floor unlocks a minigame (parsed as a Mini Game) for that floor. In the minigame, titled Shy Guy Smash!, the player uses the stylus to tap Shy Guys that appear out of Warp Pipes. Tapping a Shy Guy breaks it, adding 1 point to the score. Starting in Tropical Island, Bob-ombs also appear from the Warp Pipes; however, tapping them causes them to explode, losing 5 points. The player must earn at least 25 points within 30 seconds to reach the minigame's goal. If the player exceeds this goal, it is set to the player's new record.

Boss battle
Each floor concludes with a boss battle against Donkey Kong, with a time limit of 180 seconds. Players must shoot Mini Marios upward from a cannon to hit Donkey Kong either directly or indirectly. On odd-numbered floors, the cannon shoots Minis directly upward, and can be moved left and right by swiping its handle with the stylus. On even-numbered floors, the cannon is adapted to rebound off of walls, and can be rotated in an arc by swiping its handle. The player must tap the "Shoot" button to shoot a Mini Mario.

During the first seven boss battles, Mini Marios can hit Donkey Kong directly to damage him. However, in Room 2-DK, Room 4-DK, and Room 6-DK, Donkey Kong is protected by the spiked platform he is standing on, making it more difficult for a Mini Mario to directly hit Donkey Kong. In Room 8-DK, Donkey Kong punches a Mini Mario if it touches him, causing the Mini Mario to break. Boss battles on even-numbered floors feature objects suspended from platforms at the top of the screen. Mini Marios can land on these platforms with proper timing to cause the objects to fall on Donkey Kong and damage him.

The number of Mini Marios the player has depends on how many Mini Marios they directed to the goal in the floor's first nine levels. A Mini Mario breaks if it touches a projectile. If all of the player's Mini Marios break, the game is over. After Donkey Kong takes six hits in each battle, he is defeated and the level is completed.

The player can also earn a score and a star for each boss battle, but the score is calculated differently than in standard levels. The minimum score to receive a gold star is 1,000 multiplied by the total number of Minis on the floor. Each second left on the timer is worth 10 points, and each of the player's remaining Mini Marios is worth 1,000 points. Therefore, to earn a gold star for a boss battle, the player must direct every Mini Mario to the goal in the floor's previous levels, then defeat Donkey Kong without breaking a single Mini Mario. Alternatively, if Donkey Kong is defeated with 100 seconds or more left on the timer, the player can finish the battle with one less Mini Mario and still earn a gold star. Generally, a silver star is earned for retaining 75% of the total number of Mini Marios on the floor, and a bronze star is earned for retaining 50% of the total.

Final boss battle
Immediately after the Minis defeat Donkey Kong at Jungle Hijinks, the final boss battle begins. Here, the level 25m from the original Donkey Kong game is used. Mario waits at the top screen, while DK throws barrels down into the lower screen. Minis actually come from the Goal, and it is the player's job to get six Minis into the upper screen for Mario to throw at DK before six Minis are destroyed by barrels or fires from the tar pit (also from Donkey Kong). Ladders accompany this section, as well as the Hammer power-up on two occasions. This battle is not ranked and the ending and credits follow success.

Floors
Each floor of Super Mini Mario World is diverse and has its own unique elements that sets it apart. The eight primary floors in the game (excluding the Basement and Roof) each consist of nine levels, a minigame (marked by a button labeled "MINI"), and a boss battle against Donkey Kong (marked by a button labeled "DK"). In the PAL version of the game, the floor count for the eight primary floors starts from "Ground Floor" and ends at "Floor 7", whereas in all other versions, the floor count simply progresses from "Floor 1" to "Floor 8".

Modes

 * Main Game - described above. There are three save files.
 * Construction Zone - A Level Editor feature is also present in this game, where players can create their own levels. Friends can also utilize a Wi-Fi connection to share levels online.
 * Play Level - Levels created by the player or received from others, that have passed a play test (all Minis can reach the goal), can be played here.
 * Edit Level - Players can create or edit a preexisting level here, from one of eleven kits. See how kits are unlocked is described below.
 * Erase Level - Players can delete levels at will.
 * Nintendo WFC - These options allow interactions with other players.
 * Synchronize - Players must connect to the WFC to get their own levels ready to send to others.
 * Receive - As long as each player know each other's friend codes and have them installed under their friends list, levels can be received from either at will. Nintendo also has been publishing a level every so often.
 * Nintendo WFC Config - Players can get WFC setting ready here, like in any Wi-Fi game.
 * WFC Friends - Up to sixty friends can be stored here, registered with a friend code. The player's friend code is on the top screen.
 * Multi-Card - Two friends, each with a copy of the game and close to each, can send and receive files locally.
 * Broadcast - Same as sending. The other player must choose "Receive" for this to work.
 * Receive - The other player must choose "Broadcast" and choose a level for this to work.
 * Options - March of the Minis has some unique features and bonuses.
 * Audio - The player can adjust the game's audio settings to Stereo, Surround, or Headphones. After completing the main adventure, the player can hear every sound effect and music track in the game. There are 144 sound effects and 77 music tracks in total.
 * Showroom
 * Movies - Players can watch the four real-time movies from the game. However, only one is unlocked at the beginning; the rest must be unlocked by playing through the Main Game mode.
 * Pre Title: Unlocked from the beginning.
 * Introduction: Unlocked by starting the Main Game mode.
 * Ending: Unlocked by defeating Donkey Kong on the Roof.
 * Musical: Unlocked by completing B2 in DK's Hideout.
 * Gallery - Players can look at eighteen full-screen pictures from the game, which are unlocked as they are shown in the Main Game mode. Eight of the pictures are the intro screens shown before the first eight boss battles, while another eight pictures are the victory screens shown after completing each of the first eight boss battles. The penultimate picture is shown before the final battle on the Roof, and the final picture is unlocked from completing B1 in DK's Hideout.
 * Credits - Replays the credits. The player must finish the Main Game at least once to unlock it.
 * Title - On the title screen, Mini Marios walk across the bottom of the top screen. This cosmetic feature can be changed, but it requires stars to do so.
 * Register - Players can register their name as it appears in the Construction Zone and Wi-Fi Connection here.
 * Single Card - A demo version of the game can be sent to another DS player without the game card.
 * Erase All - Not only does this delete all Main Game data, but all Construction Zone levels, created or received, and it resets the player's friend code.
 * NintendoWiFi.com - Players can choose to let their statistics be part of Nintendo's official Wi-Fi site.

Enemies
The following is a list of enemies in the game:

Unlockables
March of the Minis boasts a supply of unlockables, some minor and some major:
 * Construction Kits. In the Construction Zone, players choose a kit, one from each floor that incorporates the elements and enemies of that floor. Players unlock each kit as they beat the DK boss battle for each floor.
 * Bonus Construction Kits. By collecting all of the Mini Mario Cards on each floor to unlock Shy Guy Smash!, then reaching the goal score for Shy Guy Smash! on each floor, Special Kits for the Construction Zone are unlocked. Not only are the elements combined from the floors (with some bonuses, with Special Kit 3 containing every element in the game - and more), but players no longer control Mini Marios. Mini Toads, Mini Peaches, and Mini Donkey Kongs now become playable, respectively.
 * Special Kit 1 is unlocked after reaching the goal score in Mushroom Mayhem, Tropical Island, and Pipe Works.
 * Special Kit 2 is unlocked after reaching the goal score in Magnet Mania, Lava Dome, and Toadstool Castle.
 * Special Kit 3 is unlocked after reaching the goal score in Spooky Attic and Jungle Hijinks.
 * Title Screen Change. To change the Mini Marios on the title screen into Mini Toads, Peaches, or Donkey Kongs, the player needs to have eighty bronze, silver, or gold stars, respectively. Then they can change it in the Options &rarr; Showroom. They all must be a certain star to be unlocked - seventy nine gold and one bronze still only unlocks the Mini Toads.
 * Basement. After defeating the main game, returning to the same save file directs the player to the theme park's basement, sub-titled "DK's Hideout". Two bonus boss battles, similar to the final battle on the Roof, await in B1 and B2. However, to access B1 and B2, the player needs 40 silver and 40 gold stars, respectively. B1 requires the player to run over twelve platforms that disappear on contact, six on the upper screen and six on the lower. B2 requires the player to get Minis to the upper screen so they can push a barrel onto Donkey Kong. B1 unlocks the final gallery image; B2 unlocks the final movie. These battles are also not ranked.

Music
Most of the music tracks featured in the game are arrangements of music from other games in the Mario franchise. The only entirely original compositions in the game are the themes that play in Pipe Works levels and the theme that plays in various menus, such as the floor selection screen, the Construction Zone, and the Options menu.

In levels from each of the first eight floors, the music loops through the three different tracks for that floor.

If Mini Marios appear on the title screen, a trumpet arrangement of the title theme from Mario vs. Donkey Kong plays. If Mini Toads, Mini Peaches, or Mini Donkey Kongs appear on the title screen, the Mario vs. Donkey Kong title theme itself plays.

References to other games

 * Donkey Kong: Pauline makes a return to the Mario series. The Roof and both levels in DK's Hideout use a structure of girders and ladders, similar to that of 25m and 75m. The "Opening", "How High Can You Get?", and 25m themes from this game are all arranged.
 * Donkey Kong Jr.: Snapjaws, which were introduced in this game, are featured in Jungle Hijinks. In Room 8-DK, Donkey Kong moves on vines in a similar manner to Donkey Kong Jr., and Banana Bunches can be dropped on enemies to defeat them.
 * Super Mario Bros.: The "Ground Theme" from this game is arranged for the title theme and credits theme. The Bowser's Castle theme is arranged for the soundtrack of Lava Dome.
 * Donkey Kong Country: "DK Island Swing" from this game is arranged for the soundtrack of Jungle Hijinks.
 * Mario & Wario: Features very similar gameplay to this game.
 * Super Mario 64: "Inside the Castle Walls" from this game is arranged for the soundtrack of Toadstool Castle.
 * Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Several music tracks from this game are arranged.
 * Donkey Kong 64: Several of Donkey Kong's voice clips are recycled.
 * Mario Power Tennis: Several of Donkey Kong's voice clips are recycled.
 * Donkey Kong Jungle Beat: Several of Donkey Kong's voice clips are recycled.

References in later games

 * Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Mini Toads appear in, where they act as spectators.