Plus Mode

Mystic Forest Plus, one of the "Plus" worlds in Mario vs. Donkey Kong, as it appears in the Nintendo Switch remake

Plus Mode is a feature in the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series. It is unlocked once all normal levels are cleared and changes how the player plays the game.

Plus Mode has appeared in four games in the series: Mario vs. Donkey Kong, its Nintendo Switch remake, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!, and Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

History

Mario vs. Donkey Kong

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong and its Nintendo Switch remake, upon completing vs. Donkey Kong, a cutscene will play showing Donkey Kong falling off the building where the "credits" will play. After that, the game will show Donkey Kong still falling, eventually onto a truck full of Mini-Marios. This prompts Donkey Kong to sack them, forcing Mario to give chase once more.

The following changes occur in these worlds:

• All world names have the word "Plus" at the end of their names (e.g. Spooky House becomes Spooky House Plus), except for Mario Toy Company, which is named Mario Toy Factory.
  • A plus symbol (+) is denoted on the level's numbering (e.g. Spooky House Plus's fifth stage is Level 5-5+.)
• All the levels in plus worlds are completely new, with a different objective: the player needs to tag along with a Key Mini Mario somewhere in the level and lead him to the door to finish the level.
  • Unlike in regular levels, there are no second areas, as the player finishes the level immediately once the Mini-Mario is guided to the exit.
  • Mini-Mario levels are absent. As a result, there are only seven levels per world as opposed to eight, including the boss battles against Donkey Kong.
• In the remake, new bonus levels are also present for each of the plus worlds. They feature new level layouts, some of which are based on existing Plus levels.
• Aesthetic wise, the levels have completely new backgrounds and different tile palettes. This is made more apparent in the remake, as there are also new tilesets to accompany each setting.
• The boss battles against Donkey Kong are slightly harder than before, featuring different arena layouts, more hazards (like falling spikes and icicles) and faster attack patterns.
• The final boss battle is completely new - in vs. Donkey Kong Plus, Donkey Kong now pilots a gigantic mech in his likeness, while holding six Mini-Marios at once. Mario now needs to free the Mini-Marios and attack Donkey Kong while dodging debris and attacks from his robot hands which can crush or stun him.
  • Exclusively in the remake, Time Attack is immediately unlocked for all Plus worlds after the player completes vs. Donkey Kong Plus and views the true credits.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong Minis March Again!, Plus Mode is unlocked in the same way as Mario vs. Donkey Kong, with the player having to beat Floor 4 Donkey Kong to unlock it. The cutscene this time shows Mario entering a door and finding Pauline inside of it. After the credits are finished, Donkey Kong arrives, turns off the light, and kidnaps Pauline again, with Mario and his duo of Mini Marios jumping from the balcony to give chase.

In this game, most of the changes of Plus Mode are the same with the addition of some new ones. The changes are as follows:

• Similar to Mario vs. Donkey Kong, all floor and level names have the plus symbol at the end of them, and the background of all floors is different.
• The player can change the environment only after all Minis are initiated at once by pressing the "START" button and waiting for the 3-2-1 countdown.
• All of the music is different:
  • Mini Mayhem's and Sandstone Stroll's music are new compositions.
  • Magnet Mania's music is a faster version of the Spooky Attic arrangement from Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis.
  • All three of Jungle Rumble's individual themes are arrangements of songs from other Mario vs. Donkey Kong games, with the first being an arrangement of the first theme of Fire Mountain from Mario vs. Donkey Kong, the second being an arrangement of the third theme of Fire Mountain, and the third being an arrangement of the fourth theme of Twilight City from Mario vs. Donkey Kong.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!

In Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem!, clearing Final Ferris Wheel in Normal Mode leads to the game's supposed ending, but Donkey Kong kidnaps Pauline once more, causing Mario to give chase again. As a result of this, Plus Mode is unlocked in a similar manner to past entries, which allows players to play through the entire game again (including Secret Storage and Rainbow Summit) but with a couple of differences:

• The regular levels are identical to how they were in Normal Mode, however different types of Minis appear in all levels. The game now requires the player to lead all the Minis to the goal door and exit in a certain order. If all the Minis enter the door but in the incorrect exit order, this will result in an instant Game Over.
  • In the event there are multiple of the same Mini character in the level (such as in Area X-10 and Area S-20), the order doesn't matter for which of these same-character Minis enter the door first. However, the player still needs to fulfill the exit order to count the completion.
  • All levels have slightly lower goal scores for obtaining trophies, excluding in boss battles with Donkey Kong.
  • Collectibles such as M-Tokens and Mini Mario Cards are counted separately from their regular counterparts, so they need to be collected again to count for a full completion of the level.
• All levels' backgrounds and tilesets differ from their Normal Mode counterparts. A notable example is that all of the levels in Coaster Hills in Plus Mode now take place in the sunset.
• Boss battles against Donkey Kong are also identical, save for him attacking faster. Additionally, the final battle in Plus Mode now also features him attacking much more erratically than ever
• The minigame levels are identical, but feature less toy boxes, often exposing spike pits. If a Mini falls into spikes, it will result in a Game Over, as with other levels.