It's almost surreal to see Nintendo developing games for a different platform because financially it didn’t seem to make sense. The App Store and Google Play created platforms to sell cellphone apps and games which indirectly became Nintendo’s (and I guess Sony) biggest competitor in the handheld gaming market. To be fair, the quality of games released on smartphones vary from cheap cash grabs to full blown quality games and ports. Cell phones have a much larger install base and it's much more convenient to carry around a cellphone that can play games instead of a dedicated portable gaming device. Also, quite a few of my favorite DS games are available as ports on iOS.
In 2016, Nintendo decided to start releasing games on cellphones. However, they made sure that the games would be a different experience than their usual games as to not take away from their own portable market share. As of this writing, Nintendo has released 3 games for iOS and Android (not counting Pokemon as that wasn’t developed by Nintendo). Miitomo was the first game in which players created a Mii (basically an avatar) and you could dress it up and design a house. It wasn’t really the type of game most people expected from Nintendo. Where are Mario and Zelda??
Well, we wouldn’t have to wait too long to start seeing some real Nintendo properties as Nintendo announced that Super Mario Run would be released along with a couple of other games throughout 2017. So let’s take a look at Super Mario Run
The problem with bringing a traditional video game experience to a cell phone is primarily the control option which is a touch screen. Most smartphones are controlled completely by touch screens and a lot of games that are ported to phones function fine but are very difficult to control. The best cell phone games are usually developed from the ground up with the touchscreen in mind. Nintendo believes that Mario would be best suited to one-touch controls with New Super Mario mechanics which works well for the most part. Mario runs automatically but can do a variety of moves that are context sensitive to when he jumps. Most enemies Mario can simply vault over with no buttons pressed, however, certain enemies need to be avoided by jumping or other means. Controlling Mario is simple and works well for the most part. My only issue with the control is that it there isn’t enough of it. Mario games have shined on being able to get Mario to do whatever you want him to do with ease and this game’s design doesn’t allow for it. It’s a little bias but I wish I could have more control over Mario.
Stages are creatively designed to get the most out of the one touch controls. Each of the 24 stages has its own challenges and the game introduces unique twists such figuring out to navigate tricky ghost house puzzles or jumping on enemies precisely to discover hidden areas. The stages are a tad short but they offer replayability with the option to replay each stage and look for special colored coins which can be difficult to find.
Toad Rallies are a pseudo-multiplayer challenge mode where you compete against another player’s ghost in order to impress Toads to get them to come to your kingdom. The game awards you rally tickets for completing challenges and stages. These rally tickets are used to compete in a Toad Rally. It’s a timed competition for both players to see who can do the most tricks and gather the most coins. If you win, you get different colored Toads to come to your kingdom. If you lose, you will actually lose a few toads from your own kingdom. The rally tickets seem to be easy to come by so you shouldn’t have any problem participating.
So why would you want Toads to come to your kingdom anyway? Well if you ever wanted to design your own mushroom kingdom, you are going to need as many Toads as you can get. Basically, after gaining a certain amount of Toads, your castle will expand allowing you to further customize your kingdom with an assortment of Mario themed flora and architecture. This is the weakest aspect of the game as this doesn’t do anything for the gameplay. It’s purely cosmetic. Maybe some people will enjoy this, but I didn’t. A number of Toads you possess do serve another purpose as they also unlock new playable characters which control differently than Mario. Luigi jumps a bit higher, Toad runs a bit faster, and Peach can float for a limited time. This adds variety and replayability making each stage play slightly different. You can unlock these character by collecting Toads.
There are two big issues with Super Mario Run. I don't think the game is worth $10. Basically, you can download the game for free and play the first 3 stages of the campaign, participate in Toad rallies, and start designing your own kingdom. The rest of the game cost $10 to unlock and that includes 21 additional stages to the campaign. The game can be finished in maybe two hours if you go straight through it. Replaying each stage to find the special coins can significantly lengthen the game, but other than that completionist feeling, there is no reward for finding these coins other than buildings to customize your kingdom and Toad Rally tickets which, as of this writing, I have 99 (max) of. The second problem is that the game can only be played while you have cellular or wifi service. Granted, this will not affect everyone but I do travel on the subway (where I do most of my portable gaming) and there isn't always service. This is acceptable in a free-to-play game but a game I pay money for I think is unacceptable. I can understand the Toad rallies not working but I don't understand the regular campaign not working as well without service.
I think this is a fun enjoyable game that is ridiculously overpriced. To put it in perspective, you can get Rayman Jungle Run and Rayman Fiesta Run together for $5 which offer two great games in the same style as Mario with a lot more value. If Nintendo brings the price down, this would be a great purchase but until then, try out the free portion of the game and wait for a price drop.
Score 5.5/10
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