Super Mario Run Review: 7 Ups & 3 Downs
Mario on mobile is exactly what you'd expect, for better and for worse.
If someone said just five years ago that Nintendo would one day release Super Mario on mobile, very few people would have believed it.
For so many years, Nintendo have been known for a stubborn avoidance of releasing any of their properties on mobile, given the fact mobile is one of the handheld market's biggest competitors.
Yet now, at the close of 2016, Nintendo has just released Super Mario Run (and in partnership with Apple, no less). It's an enormous moment in gaming history, the first of Ninty's franchises to make the daring transition.
But putting aside all that is the game any good?
After all, Nintendo has practically no experience making games for mobile, and are regularly mocked for being out of touch with modern audiences.
Well, yes - it is. Amazingly, Nintendo has managed to translate Mario to mobile with enough skill and dexterity to make the transition worthwhile. But it's not all perfect.
Want to know what works and what doesn't? Let's-a-go...
10. Ups: It Looks Fantastic
It's easy to forget, but the Wii U was Nintendo's first foray into HD gaming. That means the first HD Mario platformer to release was New Super Mario Bros. U, only came out back in 2012.
Despite Ninty's relatively short amount of time creating HD games, Super Mario Run looks absolutely fantastic, popping off the screen in bright, clear colours, with high-res textures, artwork and character models.
The U.I. is everything you'd expect from Nintendo: simple yet charming and totally easy to navigate. I think "polish" is a word I'll be using a lot during this article, but that's because it's wholly merited. Super Mario Run is polished through and through, and nowhere is this more clear than in the gorgeous visuals.
Sure, it might be based on the New Super Mario Bros. style, which is totally tired on console, but its simplicity works very well on mobile.