Super Mario Run is Exciting, But This is Just the Beginning

Super Mario Run

Apple have shaped the future of gaming with their App Store. There are currently over 500,000 titles available for download and the fact that Shigeru Miyamoto made a surprise appearance at Apple’s keynote yesterday bringing with him the news that Super Mario will be arriving on the App Store is a landmark achievement for both Apple and Nintendo.

Super Mario is indisputably the most iconic character in the video game industry, and it was truly a monumental moment to see the plump plumber make his first steps into the mobile gaming world.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that Mario has appeared on a non-Nintendo system. Nintendo released a series of “edutainment” titles in the mid 1990s with Mario’s face plastered all over them, but they weren’t “true” Mario platformers. And then of course there’s the Philips CD-i game, Hotel Mario, but the less said about that, the better…

Having said that, Super Mario Run looks like one of the most uninspired titles developed by Nintendo for a long time. There has only been a short gameplay trailer released so far but it is clear to see that the game is running on the New Super Mario Bros engine which has been used in the past four of Mario’s 2D outings.

The New Super Mario Bros style boasts a vibrant, cartoony and colourful look that is instantly recognisable to both Mario fans and casual players alike. The problem here though is that this style has become stale, and Nintendo have become too comfortable with what 2D Mario should be. Super Mario Run is Mario at his simplest – running, collecting coins, stomping on goombas and getting to the flagpole. And while it’s uninspired, it’s fine because simplistic games with iconic characters are well-suited to the mobile gaming market.

But it’s not all about Super Mario Run. It will undoubtedly go down a storm and make Nintendo a lot of money, but that’s not what I’m excited about. I’m excited that Nintendo have finally arrived in the 21st Century. This technically isn’t their first foray into the mobile gaming market – they released Miitomo earlier on in the year and of course Pokémon Go was released in July (though Nintendo had nothing to do with the actual development of the game), but for Nintendo to have their mascot onboard truly shows that they are ready to embrace mobile apps.

Like it or not, the iPhone is the biggest competitor for the 3DS. Mobile gaming has quickly become a fierce competitor against traditional handheld gaming, and Nintendo developing titles on both the 3DS and mobile platform can only be good news.

What this means is that games more well-suited to short bursts of play, use of GPS or social interaction will more likely be popping up on the App Store using the free-to-play model with micro transactions. Imagine playing Animal Crossing with Pokémon Go-style augmented reality features and GPS, or exploring your garden with your phone looking for Pikmin. The platform is so versatile and Nintendo’s creativity and IPs so varied that the options are almost limitless.

On the flipside, with their newfound mobile platform Nintendo can dedicate their handheld consoles to more “hardcore” experiences where physical buttons are a necessity. Games like Zelda, Metroid, Kid Icarus and Fire Emblem are all well-suited to the more traditional handheld platform, and this division between the two should mean that gaming experiences are entirely optimised for their respective platforms.

It starts with Super Mario Run, but the best is yet to come.

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