Metareview: Super Mario Run for iOS Is Super (But Imperfect)

It’s here. It’s happened. And it’s glorious(-ish). Super Mario Run for iOS devices was announced in September and we learned a little more about the game recently. Now, the game has finally launched through the iTunes App Store and it’s being played on iPhones and iPads all around the world. But is it actually any good?

The short answer? Yes. It is good. Probably better than a lot of people were expecting for what could have otherwise been a generic endless runner simply themed after the Mushroom Kingdom. This is still a Nintendo game through and through with fantastic level design and an added depth that will keep you coming back to replay the same stages over and over again to collect all the coins.

But Super Mario Run is not without its problems. The one-screen puzzle stages aren’t nearly as fun as the traditional left-to-right platformer stages, and the boss battles get repetitive after a while. And while it’s also not the best looking Mario game ever, it is one of the cheapest.

• IGN (8.0//10) says this is “an elegantly designed platformer with strong hooks that kept me coming back.”
• Pocket Lint recommends this “instantly playable and simple” and “fiendishly addictive” game, but they’re not happy about the lack of offline mode.
• Polygon (7.0/10) calls this an “admirable attempt at translating the gamepad controls… to taps on a touchscreen,” but the “experience often feels compromised by the lack of power-ups and precise control I’ve grown used to.”
• The Verge echoes that sentiment, calling Super Mario Run a “small but promising start” for Nintendo’s real foray into mobile gaming.
• Kotaku says this “really good” game features “meticulously-crafted Mario worlds” with a surprising “tactile precision that you just don’t find in other titles.”

Super Mario Run is available now for iOS as a free download from the App Store. That gives you access to the first three stages. After that, you’ll need to pony up $9.99 to unlock the rest of the game. The Android version will follow at a yet to be determined date in the undefined future.