Dance Between Interwoven Mario And Donkey Kong Themes
February 13, 2024
Of all of the Nintendo Game Boy Advance games that could be remade for Switch, I really didn't expect 2004's Mario vs. Donkey Kong, but here we are twenty years later and the game is due out at the end of the week. Previews so far have focused on the new levels and the two-player mode, but I'm excited about the soundtrack. The GBA version sported some fun music that was held back by hardware limitations, but now, on the Switch, the orchestra can run wild. Consider the game's title theme, for instance. On the GBA you can recognize snippets of the Super Mario Bros. overworld theme and Donkey Kong Country's "Jungle Hijinx" theme bouncing off one another, but the Switch version takes the song to another level and features both characters' themes dancing and interweaving among each other to produce a unique take on familiar music. Check out both versions and, as they used to say in high school classes, compare and contrast.