Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is a Nintendo eShop exclusive that makes major changes to the series in an interesting way. In keeping with Nintendo pushing the 3D aspect of their 3DS games in their first- and second-party games, this title has been redesigned to feature 3D visuals. Instead of a side-scrolling game, it now has a puzzle mechanic reminiscent of the classic puzzler Pipe Dream.
Now when playing, you have a series of pieces that drop into a pipe on the right side of the screen, with a limit of five available pieces, at any given time. Those pieces can be set in place in empty spaces on the game board to create a path for your Mini (a little mechanical figure, usually Pauline from Donkey Kong) to follow to collect medallions and reach the goal.
TGH Writes: "Mario and Donkey Kong may well not be the first thing you think of when someone mentions a puzzle game. But if you’re familiar with previous Mario Vs. Donkey Kong titles, then Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move will make you realise just how well the duo can fill the puzzle genre. Minis on the Move is a simple, yet superbly enjoyable, puzzler that just about anyone who likes a good challenge can have fun with."
From the review: "Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move is a great addition to the series. The fact that it’s different than the usual side-scrolling games of the series is a plus as it keeps things fresh, and the level editor gives you the creativity to make your own levels if you get tired of the one-hundred eighty plus levels the game already offers. This is one I’d definitely recommend giving a shot if you’ve enjoyed past games in the series."
Nintendo Insider writes:
Within this latest Nintendo 3DS exclusive Donkey Kong joins Pauline to run a game arcade within the Mini-Land carnival, for which players must guide small wind-up robots called Minis – guised as Mario, Toad, Peach, Donkey Kong – across a tile-based puzzle adventure. If you think of it as a Mario-skinned “Pipe Mania,” you’ll most likely understand the idea.
Can't believe how many levels they have packed in for a downloadable game.