As I’m a big Nintendo fan, I couldn’t resist buying the new DSi when it hit the stores in April 2009. And while I was very happy with my first DS Lite, I’m even more pleased with my DSi. The screens are bigger (which is nice when you need reading glasses to see the old GBA-games), you can use it as a camera (comes in very handy on holidays) and there is such a thing a DSiWare. Every week it’s a surprise which new DSi games will be available for a small price in the DSi shop. The games are about 500 or 800 DSi points ( a value of €5 or €8) and most of these downloadable games are very much worth it. These downloads are saved on the DSi itself, so these games go everywhere with you.
Some weeks ago the game “March of the Mini’s” became available for 800 points.
It’s a Mario title, but totally different from other Mario titles. It’s more like a puzzle game. It seems that this game is based upon a full blown DSgame, March of the Minis 2, but as I’m not familiar with that one, I can’t make any comparisons.
In each level there are a number of little toy mini-mario’s. Tapping them with the styles wakes them up and starts them on a slow but steady marching path through the level. They will reverse direction when they hit a large wall and automatically start climbing up any blocks arranged in staircase fashion. Avoiding spike traps, flames, and a medley of familiar foes becomes tougher as the levels progress in complexity and difficulty. Their goal is to reach a gate, having collected all coins and other goodies, and all marching through that gate in the space of a couple of seconds.
When they are marching you have to intervene at some points so they don’t come to harm (and fall on the spikes etc.) Dotted outlined grids show you where you can put pink blocks by tapping with your stylus. This way you can make temporary walls, floors and stairways to help the little guys. You’ll encounter other elements too, like springboards, conveyor belts and giant tubes, that transport our little friends were you want them to go. (That is when it’s the good scenario: sometimes they will be transported to their doom).
What you need is logical thinking: which of the little Mario’s shall I bring to life first, how will they affect their mates when he touches them, and which way will they go? I wouldn’t say it’s a game to play hours on end, but Ãt gives you a good feeling to have solved a difficult level in record time.
There are four main floors with each eight levels, and one boss battle against Donkey Kong in which you can fire Minis out of some form of cannon at the big Ape. I myself find these boss fights the most difficult to perform!
There a construction level to the game too, where you can make your own levels, and submit them through wifi. First you’ll have to test them though, to make sure they can be completed. Did you know that is very difficult? I can throw in all kinds of obstacles, but there’s no guarantee that the level can then be played to its conclusion!
A game that is, in my opinion, well worth the 800 DSi points!
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