1. Super Mario Run is not your typical Mario game
Sure, Super Mario Run features a (surprisingly squat) version of the plumber you know and love, but it’s been retooled to suit mobile. Mario automatically runs to the right even if you don’t do anything, vaulting over small obstacles like blocks and Goombas, but it’s up to you to help him jump, flip and bounce to get the more important things in each level like coins and power-ups. Everything is familiar: the enemies, the characters, the coin-collecting, but the way to play is totally different.
2. It’s totally one-handed
You can play while eating if you want, because Super Mario Run will only ever require one hand – and, mostly, just one finger. All Mario’s moves, even the complicated acrobatic ones, are just a combination of taps, and though you probably won’t be able to do much more than the regular jump at the start, there are training minigames like the Toad Rally, a time-trial platforming obstacle course which requires full mastery of Mario’s moveset to win. And when you do win, you get Toads! Why are Toads important? Well…
3. It’s more than just platforming
In each of the game’s levels, you can collect coins. Those coins are spent on making your kingdom look great with decorations, and on buildings that give you minigames – like Toad’s House, in which you pick a door to go through three times, and if you get it right, you win Toad Rally tickets. The better your kingdom, the more Toads live there, and the more Toads live there, the more upgraded your castle gets!
4. You can try it before you buy it
The app costs £8, which has made a lot of people quite angry. It’s a lot for a mobile game, but not so much for a Mario game. The game itself is actually free at first. You can try out the first three levels and a 20-second demo of the first boss level without paying a penny, and it’s only if you decide you want more that you’ll have to fork out £8.
But you don’t just get the game – you also get access to the bonus minigames, the Toad Rally, the kingdom-building screen, a bunch of free Toad Rally tickets and some other kingdom-decorating stuff. Not too bad!
5. You’ll need to play every level more than once
Super Mario Run has normal gold coins in every level, but it also has special, hard-to-get coloured coins. The first five are pink, and once you’ve collected all of those – by pulling off some slightly difficult manoeuvres – the purple coins will unlock. You’ll have to play through the level again to get these, and they’re harder to get, and then you’ll unlock the black coins which are nearly impossible to get. The game will offer tips and tricks on how to get better at the tricky moves, but it’ll take a while for you to warm up – which just means lots of practice!
Is Super Mario Run worth £8?
From the hour we spent playing Super Mario Run, it’s clear that it’s a very well-made Nintendo game. Compared to other apps, it may seem like a lot of money, but for a fun, accomplished Mario game from Nintendo it really isn’t.