Nintendo's 'Super Mario Run' now available for purchase in iOS App Store

Posted:
in iPhone edited December 2016
Nintendo's hotly anticipated iOS debut, Super Mario Run, is now available up for purchase on the iOS App Store. The release not only introduces the beloved Italian plumber to iOS device owners, but also marks the start of a new relationship between Apple and Nintendo, a gaming company that only recently decided to embrace smartphone platforms.




Initially announced onstage during Apple's iPhone 7 event by none other than legendary game maker Shigeru Miyamoto, Super Mario Run is very much a casual title, mixing traditional side-scrolling action with endless runner-style mechanics.

As touted by Nintendo's marketing, the game only requires only one hand to play -- Mario runs through the world as users tap on the screen, making him jump to avoid obstacles, strike objects, clear gaps and perform other maneuvers. Level scores, coins and world progress are collected and tallied, much like Mario's many console installments.




Super Mario Run features three main game modes: World Tour, in which gamers run through six worlds and 24 courses to rescue Princess Peach from the clutches of Mario's notorious nemesis Bowser; Toad Rally, a multiplayer mode that pits users against friends and other players in a race to gather coins; and Kingdom Builder, which lets users customize a virtual environment with buildings and decorations purchased using collected coins and toads acquired through Toad Rally.

Following Miyamoto's surprise appearance at September's event, both Apple and Nintendo have been hard at work, hyping Super Mario Run in the lead-up to today's launch. Miyamoto, for example, made a number of high-profile appearances to talk about the game and Nintendo's upcoming console-cum-portable, the Switch. Most recently, the game designer watched from "The Tonight Show" audience as Jimmy Fallon played through a level of Super Mario Run.

Miyamoto also made the rounds with the usual online publications. Last week, for example, he spoke with Mashable about Super Mario Run's need for a persistent internet connection.




Apple, too, turned on its marketing machine for the game. Aside from setting up a notification service for eager customers looking to buy the app as soon as it went live, and prominently featuring the title at the top of the App Store for well over one month, the company on Tuesday posted a special 41-minute "Super Mario Run" podcast in which Miyamoto speaks at length about the game's development.

AppleInsider will be posting a full rundown of the game, including Nintendo's in-app purchases, later today.

Super Mario Run is free to download from the App Store, though unlocking the full game requires a $9.99 purchase. The title is a 204-megabyte download.
djames4242

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 7
    Already downloaded, played a few levels and plunked down my $10. Having fun with it and enjoying the one-handed gameplay. Game looks great and runs buttery smooth.
    jSnivelywatto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 7
    It currently says notify...but if you click notify you can purchase :smile:
    edited December 2016 jSnively
  • Reply 3 of 7
    mike1mike1 Posts: 3,294member
    I thought the $9.99 sale price meant there were no in-app purchases. You'd get the whole game with no nickel and diming.
  • Reply 4 of 7
    apple ][apple ][ Posts: 9,233member
    mike1 said:
    I thought the $9.99 sale price meant there were no in-app purchases. You'd get the whole game with no nickel and diming.
    I think that the game itself is free (limited version, a demo), and then there's a $10 (or $9.99 if somebody prefers to be anal about it) in app purchase, which unlocks the full game.

    I guess that the reason they do it that way is so that the game can't be shared if somebody has family accounts.

    If there are additional in app purchases besides the $10 full game unlock, then that is kind of dumb and the opposite of what has been claimed the whole time. The article sort of gives that impression, but I am not sure.
    edited December 2016
  • Reply 5 of 7
    Mike WuertheleMike Wuerthele Posts: 6,865administrator
    apple ][ said:
    mike1 said:
    I thought the $9.99 sale price meant there were no in-app purchases. You'd get the whole game with no nickel and diming.
    I think that the game itself is free (limited version, a demo), and then there's a $10 (or $9.99 if somebody prefers to be anal about it) in app purchase, which unlocks the full game.

    I guess that the reason they do it that way is so that the game can't be shared if somebody has family accounts.

    If there are additional in app purchases besides the $10 full game unlock, then that is kind of dumb and the opposite of what has been claimed the whole time. The article sort of gives that impression, but I am not sure.
    Hang on like 10 minutes. We've got a piece about the IAP and in-game currency nearly up.
    jSnively
  • Reply 6 of 7
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,271member
    apple ][ said:
    mike1 said:
    I thought the $9.99 sale price meant there were no in-app purchases. You'd get the whole game with no nickel and diming.
    I think that the game itself is free (limited version, a demo), and then there's a $10 (or $9.99 if somebody prefers to be anal about it) in app purchase, which unlocks the full game.

    I guess that the reason they do it that way is so that the game can't be shared if somebody has family accounts.

    If there are additional in app purchases besides the $10 full game unlock, then that is kind of dumb and the opposite of what has been claimed the whole time. The article sort of gives that impression, but I am not sure.
    Hang on like 10 minutes. We've got a piece about the IAP and in-game currency nearly up.
    Here for those that didn't see it:
    http://appleinsider.com/articles/16/12/15/what-the-super-mario-run-in-app-purchase-gets-you-for-999

    Yes, there's still some "in-app" stuff, and unlocking all levels may not be what you might understand it to be. AI's explanation is very good.
    edited December 2016 jSnively
  • Reply 7 of 7
    After all these years, we are back to Super Mario again. 

    Or we never leave?
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