When Super Mario Run, Nintendo's next mobile game after the short-lived smash hit Miitomo, was released on iOS in December, gaming fans were ecstatic. The same can't be said for Android users, who unfortunately didn't have access to the game until three months later.
Super Mario Run Leaps To Android
Now, Nintendo has finally ported the game for Android devices, with it apparently arriving a day earlier than promised. The Super Mario franchise likely doesn't require any introduction, the same for Super Mario Run. The latter holds slight differences with the tried and tested franchise, eschewing the freedom of navigating left and right on platforms inside levels. Instead, it offers players a brand-new way to play.
How could a Mario game, observed by the industry at large as one of the finest masterstrokes in level design thanks to creator Shigeru Miyamoto, be any more unique and reinvent itself? Well, it appears Nintendo, apart from carefully making sure that the core Mario spirit is well embedded in the game, also considered where Super Mario Run will be played — on smartphones, mostly. As such, it has made the game an endless runner that can be played with one hand.
An Endless 'Super Mario' Runner
For it to be an endless runner, Mario is always moving, of course. In past Mario games, clever maneuvering and slick combo moves are what will get the player through most levels, alongside a little bit of dexterity. All those elements are present in Super Mario Run but with the added challenge of precision. Because Mario is always "running," hence the name, players need to accurately and precisely time his jumps, vaults, rolls — in order to collect coins, stomp on enemies, and reach platforms. Heck, the game's Play Store description even reads "a new kind of Mario game that you can play with one hand."
One-Time In-App Purchase Unlocks All
Super Mario Run is free-to-play, and the initial levels 1-1 to 1-4 come free of charge. For users who want to continue the full-on Mushroom Kingdom adventure, they'd have to pay $9.99. It's a steep price when looking at typical price points of games in the Play Store, but to be fair, it's a one-time fee that'll unlock everything the game has to offer, which is unlike other games that employ continuous in-app purchases to unlock certain items.
Those who'll purchase the full game will get extra bonuses, such as more rounds, bonus stages, and more characters users can play with. The free version, however, still includes Road Rally, an asymmetrical multiplayer challenge mode; and Kingdom Builder, a customize-and-design-your-own kingdom mode.
Super Mario Run is now available for free on the Play Store. Its availability may vary in other countries, but rest assured it has finally arrived on Android devices. Upon release on iOS, Super Mario Run immediately shot at the top of the app rankings, easily securing 40 million downloads in just four days.
Have you downloaded the game on your Android device already? Feel free to sound off in the comments section below!
