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So is this the game we've all been waiting for? It was certainly a surprise announcement at Apple's iPhone event earlier this year, but yes, the little plumber has come to iOS and Super Mario Run is here.

Growing up I was always a fan of the Mario games, especially Super Mario World on the SNES.

To be perfectly honest it does have the look and feel of the classics that have come before it with a modern twist and the nostalgia is there for all to see. Mario games have a certain look and feel even down to the sound effects and it's every bit as enjoyable as you'd hoped it would be.

Run is basically an infinite runner. Mario pounds the ground automatically and it's up to you to move through the landscape collecting coins, dispatching enemies on your quest to rescue the Princess. Man that gal gets kidnapped a lot.

Mario automatically scales small obstacles and enemies but you have to interact by tapping on the screen to deal with bigger foes and platforms. Holding down on the screen makes you jump further and jumping while traversing the more insignificant barriers results in special moves. Mario can also grab hold of platforms as an aid to heading skywards. But don't worry about the controls, there is a nice tutorial at the beginning.

As well as the fast-paced runner there are some puzzle levels which I found where a little slower and more repetitive but I am sure the balance works for the wider audience. There is also the coin collection element of the game and you are urged to 'catch em all' as your pursue pink, purple and black coins.

There is also the Kingdom Builder which you can customise using your coins. Plus the more you build the more characters you have to use in your campaigns.

Once you finish the campaign you can go back and replay levels to improve your coin collection and kingdom.

On installing the game you're asked for your location, then to agree to the too-much-to-read terms of service and then the opportunity to sign in or sign up for a Nintendo account, and we know how well that went with Pokemon Go.

The game is free to get but as always there are in-app purchases. The main purchases for tickets and coins will set you back £7.99 which will help you progress faster than those of us who like to take the slow lane but mainly used to build your kingdom.

In terms of Mario games on other platforms it falls a bit short but this is mainly to do with the adaptation for mobile and the ability to be able to play it with one hand.

It's worth a look. I'm sure other Nintendo titles are on their way but this is a pretty good start.

Author

Paul Wright

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