A surprising twist at the Apple event this Wednesday was the appearance of Nintendo represented by legendary games creator Shigeru Miyamoto who announced that Super Mario Bros. will be coming to the App Store for iPhone and iPad this December!
The new game, to be titled Super Mario Run, will be Nintendo’s first “full-sized” game designed especially for mobile devices since pairing with app developer DeNA in March 2015. You may be thinking – what about Pokémon Go? But no, this one is not a Nintendo game despite the company owning a chunk of the Pokémon brand.
Super Mario Run follows the trademark platform format as the earlier games in the series and is created especially for the iPhone and iOS with touch-screen use in mind. Hold the mobile in one hand and with just a single tap Mario will jump to reach platforms, avoid obstacles or bop baddies and of course, grab for that famous flagpole at the end of a level – just like in the console games, only in a brand new way. For a bigger screen experience the game is also optimised for iPad.
There will be three gameplay modes including tradition style courses to complete, a second mode in which you can compete against others to complete the courses with the most style, and a third mode in which you can create your own courses by buying things with coins collected in the first two modes. So there seems to be plenty of playability to Super Mario Run!
At the Apple event Miyamoto said: “We have created Super Mario Run to be perfect for playing on your iPhone” adding – “Super Mario has evolved whenever he has encountered a new platform, and for the first time ever, players will be able to enjoy a full-fledged Super Mario game with just one hand, giving them the freedom to play while riding the subway or my favourite, eating a hamburger.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook added his own thoughts: “The App Store has made so many things better in our lives – the way we communicate, the way we work and the way we have fun,” he continued – “But for gamers of all ages, the story just hasn’t been complete without Mario, so we are thrilled that Nintendo is bringing him to iOS for the first time this December.”
Apple is equally as world renowned thanks to the popularity of gadgets such as the iPhone (including new iPhone 7 range). It’s a partnership destined for success and will likely see plenty of gold coins lining the pockets of both companies and more mobile games including those based on Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem will also be arriving by March 2017.
Super Mario Run will be free to download and play from December with in-app purchases available.