Nintendo eShop Offers Mario vs. Donkey Kong Demo

Demos can be a huge help in deciding how to spend your hard-earned money. If you try a game and love it, then you know you’re clear to pick it up on release day. If you’re not loving it, then it might be best to wait for a sale. Nintendo has provided players with plenty of opportunities to test-run their releases, and an upcoming February release is getting the give-it-a-try treatment. Mario vs. Donkey Kong is set to release on February 16, but players can give the classic Game Boy Advance remake a chance now by downloading a free demo on the eShop.

In the Mario vs. Donkey Kong game, you’ll guide Mario through puzzles that pit him against, you guessed it, Donkey Kong. By utilizing things like Color Switches and Warp Boxes, the task isn’t easy and not even all that similar to the mainline Mario games. In this game, Mario is the owner of Mario’s Toy Company and his hot product, Mini-Marios, are the apple of Donkey Kong’s eye. So much so that our beloved gorilla wants to buy one, finds out they’re sold out, and panics. The rest is history, except it’s actually the present, thanks to a convenient little remake. You can give the game a go now on the Nintendo eShop thanks to a free demo out now.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong was released in 2004, a decade after its technical predecessor, Donkey Kong. Released originally on the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, the game sold just over 1.3 million copies. If there was ever a game that signals the end of the Switch’s life cycle, I feel like this is it. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a wonderful game. That said, these sorts of releases are the perfect fit for the final hours of a game console. Thankfully, the demo will help players decide if they’re going to want to pick it up or simply save their cash for a Switch successor.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong releases February 16 for the Nintendo Switch.