With the original voice of Mario stepping down into his “Mario Ambassador” role, many are left wondering if Charles Martinet will still be in remakes. Well, Mario Vs. Donkey Kong releases on February 16 and we finally have some answers regarding returning voices. Keep reading to find out who voices Mario in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Remake!
Voice of Mario in Mario Vs. Donkey Kong Remake
Mario Vs. Donkey Kong is a Switch remake of the original 2004 GBA puzzle game. Donkey Kong steals the hot new Mini Mario toy while you control Mario to retrieve them all. The original GBA game was lauded for its surprisingly excellent voice acting, as the compilation below demonstrates:
Many fans consider the original Mario Vs. Donkey Kong to be one of Martinet’s best Mario performances. And now that we have a full HD remake of the original game releasing in February, it begs the question of whether Martinet’s lines are re-recorded, or swapped with another actor entirely, considering the compression of the original.
Martinet is Back
Good news! Martinet indeed voices Mario in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong remake. Martinet’s signature voice can be heard in the demo and trailers of the game:
In addition to first-hand comparisons of new and old trailers, Martinet is outright listed as the voice of Mario for Mario Vs. Donkey Kong remake on IMDB and the Mario Wiki.
Lastly, NintendoWorldReport confirmed via Nintendo itself that Charles Martinet’s voice will be retained in the upcoming remake of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, setting a precedent for his voice in re-releases. Nintendo remarks:
“While Charles is not involved in Super Mario Bros. Wonder or WarioWare: Move It!, we’re excited to honor his legacy and contributions, including looking ahead to what he’ll be doing as a Mario Ambassador. For the upcoming HD re-release of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, as it is a re-release, Charles’s voice will appear in the game.”
Archived or New Lines?
Interestingly, some Mario lines were cut from the original version and replaced with new shorter lines. Whether or not these lines are enhanced archival audio or new recordings from Martinet is not yet known. However, we do know that Donkey Kong and Toad have new voices entirely.
Now that you know who voices Mario in the Mario Vs. Donkey Kong remake, check out our list of best Mario games and Super Mario Bros. Wonder review. And stay tuned here on Twinfinite for the latest news and reviews of all things Nintendo!
