Mario is running. He hops from one turtle enemy to another, then onto a higher platform. He jumps and grabs a batch of coins, including the rare pink challenge coin. And then he runs some more, ever closer to the goal, giving me the chance to beat my high score.
For anyone who’s ever encountered a Super Mario Bros. game, it’s a comfortably familiar feeling. But this isn’t one of the myriad Mario titles for Nintendo’s consoles and handhelds. This is Mario on an iPhone.
With the December 15 launch of Super Mario Run for Apple’s iOS devices—both iPhone and iPad—Nintendo is finally taking an important step forward into the smartphone-centric world of mobile gaming. When the game launches, it will be a “free to start” version that gives access to its first world: three courses and a brief glimpse of that world’s concluding castle course. The full game costs $9.99, giving access to all six of its worlds, 24 courses in all, and a few other game modes. No other payments are required in the game, micro or otherwise.
“Once you are playing this game, you don’t want to stop and be asked about a future payment,” says Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime. “When I play, I find I want to go from one level to the next. So charging that one singular price is really going to make for a more enjoyable consumer experience. And certainly from a parent or guardian perspective, they will be comfortable that their kids will be able to enjoy it fully without any subsequent costs.”
Read the full article at Fast Company.