Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run came out when Nintendo was still testing the waters with their mobile offerings, and it shows. The game is entirely without microtransactions, but to play more than the first couple of levels, you'll need to pay a solid $10. That purchase price does net you a full Mario game that was intentionally designed for one-handed play during bite-sized sessions, but it feels grossly out of place on a platform largely dominated by free-to-play titles. I'm used to seeing console ports like the Final Fantasy series having relatively staggering price tags, but games designed exclusively for mobile rarely require purchases as large as that, at least at one time. Fortunately, once you jump that hurdle, the product you receive is actually pretty good.

Super Mario Run is built on the familiar New Super Mario Bros. engine but has a few control alterations to make it feel more at home on mobile. As its title implies, this is a "runner" style game, with Mario constantly moving forward on his own accord. The only control you are granted is the equivalent of the jump button, meaning the whole game can be comfortably played with one hand. Many mobile games with a similar control scheme end up feeling very repetitive, but that isn't an issue here. The same variety and creativity that you would expect from a mainline 2D Mario release is present in Super Mario Run, helping it to match the expectations set by its price tag.

The main game consists of six worlds of four stages each, plus a few bonus worlds if you work hard enough. However, most of my time was actually spent in the side modes, Remix 10 and Toad Rally. Both modes offer different ways of improving your personal Mushroom Kingdom, the main hub world of the game. Remix 10 gives you ten consecutive mini platforming challenges to complete, each with three rainbow tokens to collect. Your performance in this mode doesn't actually matter for progression, with the biggest unlockables (like Princess Daisy as a playable character) still available if you fail every challenge. However, successful runs and collected tokens will earn you decorations for your kingdom and make good performance feel very rewarding.

The other side mode, Toad Rally, is where I've spent most of my time with Super Mario Run. This mode sees you competing against another player's ghost to collect the most coins in a procedurally generated course before the time runs out. Playing well will cause a crowd of Toads to gather and cheer you on, which can earn you power-ups during the match and bonus coins afterward. However, dying will cause much of your crowd to disperse, so you can't play recklessly. Once the run concludes and the extra coins are awarded, if you have the most coins, then both your crowd of Toads and some of your opponent's will join your kingdom, otherwise, some of the Toads from your kingdom will leave. The number of Toads living in your kingdom will determine its rank and the special buildings that you can purchase. Special buildings unlock new playable characters, grant free items every day, and more. However, the biggest reason I played Toad Rally was actually that it is tied into the My Nintendo rewards program, and earns me points that I can redeem for rewards online or in other games. That turned this side mode into more of a daily chore than anything, but it was always at least a little fun, and very worth it.

While Super Mario Run is priced a little awkwardly for the platform, it manages to retain all of the usual Nintendo charm in the actual gameplay. I found it to have great variety in the levels, and it felt like I was playing a real Mario game the whole time, not a cheap clone like we see from other major franchises. If you're just going to play through the main levels and be done, you probably won't get your money's worth from this game. However, if you dive into everything it has to offer, you'll find there's a lot to do, and a lot to enjoy.

The game is available for Android here (as of 9/17/22): https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.nintendo.zara&hl=en_US&gl=US
The game is available for iOS here (as of 9/17/22): https://apps.apple.com/us/app/super-mario-run/id1145275343

Popular posts from this blog

Meow Tower: Nonogram Pictogram

Image
I seem to have a thing for mobile games about cats, and I am a huge fan of Nintendo 's Picross series. Normally those two interests don't overlap, but Meow Tower changed that. Combining the fun of befriending cute cartoon cats and solving intricate number puzzles hooked me immediately. While it's technically not a Picross game, seeing as that is a Nintendo trademark, the nonogram puzzles are still the same, and I loved being able to play them on my phone. Granted, there have been plenty of options to play these kinds of puzzles on the phone for years, but Meow Tower  sets itself apart from the rabble thanks to its stellar aesthetic. The developers behind this game are true artists. While it's a solid, straightforward nonogram game at its core, Meow Tower just looks so much better to play than any of the numerous generic options that crowd the app stores. The bubbly sticker-book style used for the art and menus gives Meow Tower a lot of charm and personality from t
Read more

Space Lich Omega

Image
Inspired by the ever popular Candy Box and Candy Box 2 , Space Lich Omega is an browser-based RPG adventure with an almost entirely ASCII display. However, it chose to step away from the established fantasy style of it's inspiration for a more science-fantasy theme. I ended up having a fun time with this game, despite its need for a little polish, thanks to the unique story and hilarious pop-culture Easter eggs that can be discovered throughout the different explorable locations. Despite the crude-ish interface, I never had any trouble navigating throughout the game. I actually ended up beating it in a relatively short time, especially when I had my gunk production going all out, allowing me to jump my health up enormously. Although I did need to do a little grinding every now and then for an item that I missed, that didn't interfere with my enjoyment too much. Ultimately, this is no Candy Box , but it still has its merits and is worth playing if you ever find yourself in
Read more

The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Image
Reusing game engines has proven to be pretty popular in the Zelda series. It offers developers a chance to craft more experimental and risky games, as the initial investment on the engine was covered by the previous, more traditional release. As a huge fan of A Link Between Worlds , I was ecstatic to learn it was getting a pseudo-follow-up. My excitement only grew when Nintendo sent me an early-access demo, and I somehow had no concerns that this was another multiplayer-focused game, despite my preference for solo play. Since the previous multiplayer Zelda games had pretty functional single-player modes, I anticipated that I could expect the same here. Unfortunately, that wasn't an entirely accurate assumption. Like its predecessors , Tri Force Heroes is level-based in order to accommodate its multiplayer focus. All of the stages are designed like dungeons, so they hold up really well for puzzle-solving challenges, but they lack a lot of the same charm you can find in Four Swor
Read more