Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run is an automatic runner platformer game for mobile devices. In the game, Mario is constantly moving to the right and the player can make him jump by tapping the screen. The game features four modes: World Tour, the main game mode where players go through 6 different worlds to rescue Princess Peach, Kingdom Builder, where players can customize their own kingdom with different objects, Toad Rally, a battle mode where players can race against another player's time, and Remix 10, where the player has to play through a series of 10 short courses multiple times as part of a quest to rescue Princess Daisy. Nintendo markets the game as the first Super Mario title that can be played with one hand.

The game was initially released exclusively on iOS in 150 territories worldwide on December 15, 2016, later released in South Korea on January 31, 2017, and in 14 additional territories by March 22, 2017. The game was later released worldwide on Android devices on March 23, 2017. Super Mario Run is free-to-start, with the full game costing USD$9.99. It is the second mobile application developed and published by Nintendo (following Miitomo), and the first Mario mobile game.

Gameplay


Unlike previous instalments in the series, Mario (or one of the other 10 playable characters) perpetually runs to the right without any player input. If the player taps on the screen, they will jump, which can be affected by standing on certain blocks. In addition, if the player taps on the screen while sliding against a wall, they will perform a Wall Jump away from a wall. The player will automatically vault over certain obstacles and small enemies, such as Pipes and Goombas, without taking damage.

Normally, players are only able to take 1 hit before either being sent into a bubble, which they can then pop by tapping the screen (in World Tour and Toad Rally), or die (in Remix 10 and World Tour if the player has ran out of bubbles). However, if the player obtains a Super Mushroom, their character will grow in size and can take 2 hits instead of one, outside of certain obstacles that instantly kill the player. Before the 3.0.4 update, only Mario and Luigi had the ability to take multiple hits, with all other characters instead obtaining 5 coins upon touching a Super Mushroom. In addition, players can obtain a Super Star from certain ? Blocks, as well as from Lakitu in certain situations. While the effects last, players with a Super Star can automatically defeat most enemies simply by touching them and are immune to most obstacles.

World Tour
World Tour is the main gameplay mode of Super Mario Run, where players are tasked with completing 24 different levels in order to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Each level has the player run through a series of challenges, usually centered around a certain enemy or mechanic, in order to reach the flagpole at the end of the level. In Castle and Airship levels, instead of a flagpole, the player will have to fight a boss, either Boom Boom (in Airship levels) or Bowser (in Castle levels). Upon completing the first 24 levels, World Star is unlocked, containing 9 levels which can only be unlocked by completing certain objectives. In addition, 4 additional levels can be accessed through special pipes in the Kingdom Builder mode.

Instead of a traditional lives system, the player can continue playing a level as long as they have any bubbles remaining, resulting in them being encased in a bubble and being moved back onto solid ground. The player starts with 2 bubbles at the start of each level, though more can be obtained by hitting certain ? Blocks. In addition, the player can prematurely use a bubble by tapping the icon on the top-left of the screen, allowing them attempt to collect any collectables they missed earlier in the level without having to restart the level entirely. Each level also has a timer, usually starting with 60 to 90 seconds. If the timer counts down to 0, the player will die, regardless of the number of bubbles they have left. However, many levels have Timer Blocks that will grant the player more time when hit. The player's bubble count and time do not carry over between stages or runs of the same stage.

In every level, five Pink Coins may be found among regular coins and within Brick Blocks. If all five Pink Coins are collected in a single run, Purple Coins are unlocked within the level, which function identically to Pink Coins, but are put in more challenging locations. If all five Purple Coins coins are again collected, Black Coins are added to the level, with different locations to the previous 2 sets of colored coins. Levels might have slight modifications made to them depending on which color of coins are available to collect. If the player collects all of the Pink, Purple, or Black Coins within each of the first 24 levels, they will unlock a corresponding colored pipe for Kingdom Builder mode, allowing them to access 1 of 3 bonus levels. In addition, if all of the Black Coins are collected in each of the 9 levels in World Star, the Gold Star Pipe will be unlocked, allowing access to a 4th bonus level.

Worlds 2 through 4, as well as World Star, can only be accessed by paying to unlock the full game. Only the first three levels of the game, as well as the first 30 seconds of the fourth level can be accessed for free. However, starting with version 2.0.0, by completing Bowser's Challenges, players are given an additional 60 seconds on the timer for Bowser's Castle Hangout, allowing them to complete the entire level.

In the version 2.0.0 update, an Easy Mode was added, giving an infinite amount of bubbles and time. However, after finishing a level, the player doesn't keep any Coins collected.

Toad Rally
Toad Rally is a game mode where the player competes against other players for Toads, residents of the Mushroom Kingdom. Each Toad Rally game lasts one minute and it only costs one Rally Ticket to play. The player can play seven different courses, each giving them a different amount of Toads depending of how many coins they gather, and different colors depending on the course. If the player should lose the course, they lose some Toads. These courses are unlocked as the player progresses in World Tour. The different settings give different types of Toads when winning:
 * Plain: gives only red Toads when winning
 * Cave: gives red and blue Toads when winning
 * Cloud: gives red and green Toads when winning
 * Castle: gives red, blue, and green Toads when winning
 * Desert: gives red and yellow Toads when winning
 * Ghost House: gives red and purple Toads when winning
 * Airship: gives Toads of all colors when winning


 * Names in other languages

Remix 10
Remix 10, introduced in version 3.0.4, involves playing 10 short sections from existing courses. All stages are remixed and feature rainbow-colored Bonus Medals found in each level. Usually, there are 3 Bonus Medals, but "Special Remix" and "Secret Course" levels have 5, and include enemies which do not normally appear in that type of course. Bonus Medals can be redeemed in the Super Bonus Game to unlock valuable items.

No Game Over screen is included; if the player fails to complete a course, they will proceed to the next one. Completing all the stages rewards the player with new items to customize their kingdom in Kingdom Builder mode and the opportunity to rescue and unlock Princess Daisy. However, if the player fails a boss battle against Bowser or Boom Boom, they will lose all Bonus Medals earned during the 10 courses and will return to the last Goal Pole, and upon fighting the boss again, the player will be given a Mushroom. Completing ten courses without failing rewards 2 extra medals, and collecting all Bonus Medals rewards 3 more medals.

Unlike the game's other modes, players cannot choose their character. Instead, players go through the mode as Mario, with another playable character randomly selected at the start of each area for all Level 5s in that area. Princess Daisy is added to the random selection once players complete Area 30.

One Rally Ticket is required to play Remix 10. However, players who have not purchased the full game are required to wait for a period of time between two games starting from Area 3, and the waiting time increases as the player progresses. In these cases, players can spend more Rally Tickets to play without waiting. The background music in this mode consists of remixes of various theme music from past Mario games. The lyric "Show me your love" can also be heard.


 * Names in other languages

Playable
There are currently a total of 11 playable characters in Super Mario Run. At the start of the game, only Mario is available, but players can unlock more characters as they progress through the game. Each character plays differently from each other; Luigi can jump higher than Mario, Toad can run faster than Mario, Peach can float in midair, Toadette can convert some Toads to the player's side before the final tally in Toad Rally, the playable Yoshis can flutter jump and obtain more Toads of their own color in Toad Rally, and Daisy can double jump. Mario and Luigi have small forms when they get hurt, meaning they can be hurt twice before being defeated. Prior to the 3.0.4 version of the game, the rest of the playable characters are defeated in one hit; if they touch a Super Mushroom, they earn bonus coins instead of turning super. However, as of version 3.0.4, the rest of the playable characters receive a small form and thus can take at least two hits. If the player clears "World 6-4: Bowser's Bob-ombing Run" as Peach or Daisy, a Toad takes Peach's place in the ending. If the player or the player's opponent plays as Toadette in Toad Rally, a Toad takes her place as the referee. 5 of the current 11 playable characters were added in updates.

Unlocking criteria
Since World 2-1 and beyond of World Tour mode and yellow and purple Toads are exclusive to the full version of the game, only Mario, Toad, Blue Yoshi, and Princess Daisy can be played as in the free version.

Non-playable

 * Toads
 * Red
 * Blue
 * Green
 * Purple
 * Yellow

Enemies
Once Mario defeats an enemy for the first time, it is added to the notebook. If Mario defeats a certain amount of the same kind of enemy, they will level up and drop more coins than usual when defeated in Toad Rally.

Obstacles
Obstacles are not included in the notebook as they cannot be defeated.
 * Burner
 * Fire Bar
 * Fire Chain
 * Grinder
 * Muncher
 * Spike Bar
 * Spiked Ball

World Tour
The game features 37 levels in total, with some levels changing their layout depending on the color coins the player has to collect.


 * World 1
 * World 1-1: Up and Over
 * World 1-2: Wall-Kicking It Underground
 * World 1-3: Paratroopas in Mushroom Valley
 * World 1-4: Bowser's Castle Hangout
 * World 2
 * World 2-1: Ghost-Door Deception
 * World 2-2: Sky-High Lifts and Leaps!
 * World 2-3: Treasure-Hoarding Swoops
 * World 2-4: Airship Cannons...Fire!
 * World 3
 * World 3-1: Big Spiny Blitz
 * World 3-2: Bullet Bill Barrage
 * World 3-3: Shell Me the Way!
 * World 3-4: Fire Bar Castle! Youch!
 * World 4
 * World 4-1: Cutting-Edge Spire
 * World 4-2: Slope to Success
 * World 4-3: Danger High and Low
 * World 4-4: Firing the Airship's Burners
 * World 5
 * World 5-1: Lakitu's Revenge
 * World 5-2: Pokey Vaulting
 * World 5-3: Boohind Lock and Key
 * World 5-4: Rings of Fire!
 * World 6
 * World 6-1: Land of Spikes
 * World 6-2: Switch Ghost House
 * World 6-3: Throwing It All Overboard
 * World 6-4: Bowser's Bob-ombing Run
 * World Star
 * Scuttlebug Forest (Unlocking criteria: Defeat Bowser with Princess Peach in World 6-4.)
 * Airship Armada (Unlocking criteria: Clear World 1-1 with five coins or less.)
 * Fishing Boo Taunts You (Unlocking criteria: Win Toad Rally three times in a row.)
 * Desert Fuzz (Unlocking criteria: Collect 30 or more medals in a single round of Remix 10.)
 * Dark and Stormy (Unlocking criteria: Clear World 4-1 with 60 or more left on the timer.)
 * Wild Slopes (Unlocking criteria: Clear World 1-2 with 400 or more coins.)
 * Scaredy Rat Race (Unlocking criteria: Clear World 4-2 without defeating a single Goomba.)
 * Spike Bar Jungle (Unlocking criteria: Clear World 5-1 with 300 or more coins.)
 * Airship Plunder (Unlocking criteria: Defeat 20 or more Ninjis in a single run in World 2-4.)
 * Special Courses
 * Chase the Snaking Coins - Collecting all Pink Coins in the first six worlds unlocks a Pink Coin Pipe for Kingdom Builder, which grants access to this course.
 * Piranha Plant Field - Collecting all Purple Coins in the first six worlds unlocks a Purple Coin Pipe for Kingdom Builder, which grants access to this course.
 * Make the Cut! - Collecting all Black Coins in the first six worlds unlocks a Black Coin Pipe for Kingdom Builder, which grants access to this course.
 * Red Block Run - Collecting all Color Coins in World Star unlocks a Gold Star Pipe for Kingdom Builder, which grants access to this course.

Critical reception
Super Mario Run has received generally positive reviews, with the iOS version earning a 77 on Metacritic based on 46 reviews and an 77.31% based on 26 reviews on GameRankings. The game is generally praised for its simple, yet intuitive controls and that the game retains the quality level design from previous Mario platformers. Critics also praise the social competitiveness of the Toad Rally mode and building objects as motivation from Kingdom Builder. On the other hand, the game has been criticized for its relatively short World Tour length and low replayability of the levels, as well as the requirement for the game to be online.

Michael McWhertor of Polygon gave Super Mario Run a 7 out of 10 in his review. He has praised the game for its mechanics being translated well into taps for a touchscreen, but laments how it has been compromised by the lack of power-ups and precise control the series is known for. The review has described Kingdom Builder as a "lengthy grind in service of unlocking mostly cosmetic items." In his final verdict, he has described the game as "an enjoyable but imperfect adaptation of the Mario games for touchscreen devices." Jose Otero of IGN has given Super Mario Run an 8 out of 10,, praising the game for its strong level designs and new mechanics though also citing three-hit boss fights with Boom Boom and Bowser as "relics from Nintendo’s past" and states that "they’re not as smart or clever as the rest of the campaign stages." He has also cited that the visuals are not impressive, especially compared to another mobile auto-runner platformer, , but has praised Mario's animations within the game. His final statement stated that Super Mario Run is an elegantly designed platformer with strong hooks despite not being the best-looking Mario game by a longshot.

Sales
Super Mario Run received 3.5 million downloads in its first day, eclipsing another highly popular app game, Pokémon GO, which had only 900,000. It has reached the No. 1 spot in the App Store's top grossing and top free charts in the United States.

Awards and acknowledgements
Super Mario Run was nominated for the "Best Mobile Game" award at The Game Awards 2017. However, it ultimately lost to Monument Valley 2. Super Mario Run also achieved 2017's "Most Downloaded New Game" from Google Play.

App Store description
A new kind of Mario game that you can play with one hand. In this game, Mario constantly moves forward through the courses while you use a variety of jumps to navigate. Mario will behave differently depending on the timing of your taps, so it's up to you to show off particularly smooth moves, gather coins, and reach the goal.

■World Tour Run and jump with style to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser’s clutches!

Travel through plains, caverns, haunted houses, airships, castles, and more...

Clear 6 worlds filled with 24 brand-new courses designed for one-handed play!

■Toad Rally Show off Mario’s stylish moves, compete against your friends and challenge people from all over the world.

A challenge mode where the competition differs each time you play.

Compete against the stylish moves of other players for the highest score as you gather coins and get cheered on by a crowd of Toads. If you’re impressive enough, the Toads may even come live in your kingdom.

You can also perform stylish moves to fill up your gauge and launch into Coin Rush!

* In order to play Toad Rally, you will need Rally Tickets that you can acquire in a variety of ways, such as clearing worlds or through bonus games in your kingdom.

■Kingdom Builder Gather coins and Toads to build your very own kingdom.

Create your unique kingdom with buildings and decorations that you acquire with the help of Toads gathered in Toad Rally.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Bros.: Various sprites are featured as decorations for Kingdom Builder.
 * Super Mario Bros. 2: Ninjis return from this game, retaining their appearance from the NES version. The background music for Remix 10 features a remixed version of the underground theme.
 * Super Mario Bros. 3: The background music for Remix 10 features a remixed version of the overworld theme.
 * Super Mario Land: Mario once again rescues Princess Daisy. Remix 10's background music features the remixed version of the underground theme, and Daisy's character description mentions Sarasaland, a location from this game.
 * Super Mario World: When the blue star triggering Coin Rush is released, the "item dropped" sound effect from this game plays. Remix 10's background music features the remixed version of the overworld theme. The Blue Bonus Game House has a minigame that is played the same way as the Bonus Game from this game.
 * Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island: When the player grabs a Super Star in Remix 10, a remix of the Powerful Infant theme from this game can be heard.
 * Mario Party 8: Princess Peach and Bowser's artworks are taken from this game. Some of Princess Daisy's voice clips originate from this game.
 * Mario Party DS: Yoshi's artwork is taken from this game.
 * New Super Mario Bros. 2: The music for the Coin Rush results screen is reused in this game, which is heard after clearing a course. The sound effect that plays when a ? Block releases a Gold Flower is heard when a Roulette Block releases three Super Mushrooms/Super Stars.
 * New Super Mario Bros. U: Graphics are taken from this game. Music from this game are also rearrangements. Some of the crowd cheers are also taken from this game.
 * Super Mario 3D World: Toad's artwork is an edited version of his artwork from this game.
 * Mario Kart 8: The timer countdown jingle from Battle Mode is reused for the countdown jingle in this game. Some of Luigi's, Princess Peach's, and Toadette's voice clips are reused from this game.
 * Mario Party 10: Toadette's artwork is taken from this game.
 * Super Mario Maker: The Airship tileset is taken from this game. The axes at the end of a castle levels function the same as the axe from this game, rather than a button in New Super Mario Bros. U. The Key design is also taken from this game. Many objects use their appearance from the New Super Mario Bros. U style.

Trivia

 * Super Mario Run is the first Mario game to be released on non-Nintendo hardware since Mario's FUNdamentals was released for Windows in 1998, 18 years prior, and is the first video game, Mario and overall, Nintendo themselves published on non-Nintendo hardware (their first smart device release, Miitomo, is not a video game by definition).
 * Super Mario Run is the first (and currently only) Nintendo game to be officially localized to Portuguese for Brazil.
 * Despite having no official Simplified Chinese language support and no official release in mainland China, Super Mario Run has an official FAQ page in Simplified Chinese, along with the other officially available languages. The Simplified Chinese FAQ can be viewed here.
 * On December 8, 2016, a demo of Super Mario Run was made available at Apple Store outlets worldwide.
 * The MP3 background music added to the official site for the Ver. 3.0.4 (28 September 2017) update contains metadata - notably the TPE4 tag ("Interpreted, remixed, or otherwise modified by"), which has the value of "Kenta Nagata".