Nintendo’s “Super Mario Run” is confirmed to come to Android by March this year. The game will be available on the Google Play Store in less than two months although no specific date has been announced just yet.
The news came via Nintendo’s Twitter account. The Japanese game maker added that Android users can sign up for a notification when the game finally launches for the mobile operating system.
The notifications page is on live feed so Android users who are very much excited to get their hands on the running game will be notified immediately.
Just like the Apple version, the game will initially be available for trial mode until the first three stages. Those who wish to unlock the full content will need to pay for the full version.
iPhone users have been able to download and play the game since December. Den of Geek speculates that the Android version of the game will also cost $10, like the iOS version.
IGN released a demo of the game, which shows over five minutes of gameplay from the game’s first world.
“Super Mario Run” asks players to continuously move through while making slight movements that affect the character’s path. Players will need to tap the screen to make Mario jump. The longer the tap, the higher the character leaps.
Replayability comes from collecting all the normal coins and finding special coins in each level. Players must find five pink coins, collecting those unlocks five purple coins and finally collecting those unlocks five black coins.
The game features three various play modes. The first is a single-player option, called the World Tour, where the player will complete levels within a certain time limit.
The second mode, named Toad Rally, allows players to compete against other players through beating their scores and best time record.
The third option, called the Kingdom Builder, is a level creator toolset which allows gamers to use the coins earned from completing challenges to make their own customized level.
The two options are interlinked as coins won in Toad Rally are used to purchase items to build a player’s own Mushroom Kingdom. Also, toads who watch a player’s races may come to life in the Kingdom.
In the game’s update, Nintendo introduced a “Friendly Run” version of Toad Rally, which does not require any rally tickets. The players will also not earn coins for winning, but the version can only be played once per day.
In the main game, players only control Mario. However, in Toad Rally, players now have the option to choose to play other characters such as Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Toadette, and Yoshi.
While Nintendo was obviously expecting that the game would be a total hit given that it’s Nintendo’s full-pledge game for the Apple operating system, it received a huge backlash from Apple users.
Game analysts say that Nintendo was eyeing the success that Niantic Lab’s “Pokemon Go” has achieved as well as the massive following it gained after.
A few days after its release last month, Apple users have been complaining that the game was too expensive and had little content.
Many users were willing to pay $10 to purchase the game’s full content but were disappointed that further levels did not offer much.
Also, the free trial mode lasting to the first three levels was not enough to serve as a free trial, others complained.
Nintendo has also not offered much to appease their users. While some updates have added minor gaming content, it still is a price cap compared to other mobile games that can offer more.