Super Mario Run is almost here, releasing on December 15.. Nintendo’s first official major game developed for smartphones. Would it have microtransactions? How much would it cost? Well news has coming from multiple sources and we have the answers for you.
First off, the game is treated as a full blown Mario title. Most were dreading that Nintendo’s mascot would fall into the same embarrassing pitfalls that Sonic Runners fell into, but that is not the case. The game will launch with 24 levels of the usual variety of locations such as deserts, castles full of dangerous lava and ghost houses. There will be a free version with a handful of the first levels available to try, while the full version will cost you $9.99. Other than that, no in-app purchases. What you get is what you get.
Second, Super Mario Run has more to it than just running. As you progress through the game you’ll get special knick knacks that you can use in the customizable Kingdom Builder mode. There is also a competitive mode called Toad Rally, where you face off against another player to see who can get a higher score.
Finally, the game will require a constant internet connection. For a game with a single-player that is emphatically offline, it is a curious choice, one that the game’s director clarified. In an official statement with Mashable, Shigeru Miyamoto stated that it was done to fight piracy and to ensure a stable environment across the board for all three of the game’s modes as well.
Super Mario Run will be the third game designed for smartphones and tablets based on Nintendo products. The first was the social app, Miitomo, with the second being the Augmented Reality phenomenon Pokemon Go, developed in association with Niantic.
