First thoughts on Super Mario Run + don't download the Android version
19Super Mario Run is a side-scrolling endless running video game developed and published by Nintendo for iOS and Android devices. It was released on iOS on December 15, 2016, and will be released for Android in 2017.[1] It is one of the few instances a Mario game was developed for non-Nintendo hardware, and part of Nintendo's efforts to enter the mobile gaming market with its first-party franchises.
Super Mario Run plays as a side-scrolling, auto-runner platformer game. The player controls Mario as he automatically runs from left to right, jumping on his own to clear small gaps or obstacles.[3] The player must tap the touch screen to make Mario jump larger obstacles.[4] The longer the screen is touched, the higher Mario jumps.[5] Like other side-scrolling Super Mario games, the player must maneuver Mario over gaps, onto enemies, and into coins to collect them. The end goal is for the player to safely get Mario through the level in the fastest time possible.[4]
Replayability comes from collecting all the normal coins and finding special coins in each level. First, the player must find five pink coins, collecting those unlocks five purple coins and finally collecting those unlocks five black coins, therefore it takes at least three playthroughs to collect everything in a given level.[2]
In addition to the main game, there is a separate "Toad Rally" game mode where players can challenge "ghost" versions of other players' playthroughs of levels, similar to the time attack modes found in most Mario Kart entries.[6] Playing either game mode earns the player coins that can be used to buy items for creating and customizing their own "Mushroom Kingdom" in a separate, third gameplay mode comparable to Farmville.[4][7] The player can unlock five other characters to use instead of Mario through these game modes, including Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Toadette, and Yoshi.[8] These characters have slightly different gameplay attributes; using the different characters is not required to complete any level, but they give players the tools to completing levels with different approaches.