Nintendo amazes with their first runner
Super Mario Run is an excellent first entry in the runner space on mobile, and even though it is expensive, it is also ethical. As any successful mobile game does, SMR allows me to easily pick it up and play for a few minutes, then quickly turn the game off. It has plenty to keep me coming back (at least for now), and has me very interested in Nintendo's future releases on mobile.
By charging $10 dollars almost immediately, Nintendo gets their money without the need for "whales". I think almost any game that offers the ability to purchase in game currency to be unethical, but I also know it's worth it for developers. Nintendo made a choice and I feel it benefited me, but it probably didn't benefit them (based on their stock dropping in the days after SMR's release). And if we have to do the math, at 1/4 the cost of most Mario games I do feel like I've gotten at least 1/4 the enjoyment (just based on the amount of time playing).
This is the closest to a "real game" I've played on mobile. This means it offers plenty of content, several things to do, and has the controls that never make me think a different platform would be better. This game wouldn't be better with a controller and wouldn't be better on a 3DS or home console.
As someone who has played and completed many of the mario games I can say SMR makes the cut. Play it if you can, when you can.
Upsides
- Coin hunting drastically increases the playtime of the game, and greatly increases the challenge.
- Toad Rally has the pull of other mobile games (such as Clash Royale's trophy count), but without the drag of small in-app purchases.
- Special unlockable buildings encourage a player to keep playing the game, far after Tour mode is complete.
Downsides
- The competing player ghosts that appear in Toad Rally can confuse the view. This can make it hard to see everything else that is happening (especially things like wrenches).
- The UI at the top of the screen gets in the way when doing some coin hunts.
- No offline mode hasn't been an issue for my life, but could be a dealbreaker for you.
