Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (2015)

Unlike previous Mario vs Donkey Kong games, which were mostly effortless recommendations, Tipping Stars is a game where the recommendation comes with a lot of caveats. As long as you keep those in mind, and keep your expectations tempered, there is no reason to not get the game at all. For what it is, Mario vs Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is well made and a lot of fun.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is enjoyable but rather easy, even in later stages.  The main attraction here is the stage builder where after unlocking everything you can build practically any kind of stage you wish.  While some people tend to make stages simply to give easy stars in the hopes of getting easy stars in return, there are stages where a lot of thought was put into them and are challenging.  If you like the series, you'll enjoy Tipping Stars, but you might find it a bit too easy.

'Tipping Stars', Nintendo's latest installment in the 'Mario vs. Donkey Kong' series, offers up tons of content and compelling central mechanic, but struggles to justify its price point.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars is very reminiscent of Lemmings, as the goal is to guide Mario and friends through levels by manipulating objects around them, instead of directly controlling them. Creating inventive ways to avoid hazards and collect coins make each level a challenging, but endearing, experience. The ranking system is well crafted to make the game appealing to both casual and competitive gamers. Creating new levels in the workshop mode and then sharing them online adds further replay value to a game that is already rich in content. The whole package is presented with beautiful visuals and an incredible soundtrack to create something that should not be missed.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars might not be the smash-hit the Wii U needs to lift its sluggish sales figures and lacks the graphical flourishes we've seen in other Nintendo first-party software, but for pre-existing fans of the series and puzzle-lovers alike it's sure to provide more than its fair share of entertainment. Besting all of the single-player stages is no mean feat, but its the level creation tool - along with the online community which accompanies it - that are certain to make this a release which continues to attract attention months if not years from now.