In Mario’s previous adventures he never hesitated to risk his own safety on the front lines of battle to rescue the girl, but this time Mario sends his armies of mechanical minions into harm’s way instead. (Maybe it’s not in his contract anymore?)

The main game consists of 8 worlds, each with 9 short levels. In each level, you start out with several mini Marios (anywhere from 2 to 6 of them). Using only the stylus, you must create a safe route across the level for the minis to traverse, reaching the door to safety. The puzzles start off easy, but quickly become harder as new elements are added. Each world introduces new ways to thwart the minis from reaching their goal: you must move blocks, hit switches, burn logs, turn water valves, and get past mechanical Kongs to get through each level. Face Kong himself in a boss battle at the end of each world, only to have him scurry away again to meet you again at the next world's boss battle.