Why Super Mario Run on iOS Faces Criticism Despite Early Success

Nintendo’s Super Mario Run for iOS has set a downloads record on the Apple App Store. But some players complain it doesn’t run long enough to justify its cost.

Super Mario Brothers is a Nintendo game series released initially on specialized gaming devices in 1985. Super Mario Run is Nintendo’s first mobile game for iOS to feature Mario. The game allows players to run through several levels and jump their way through the game as if they were playing the side-scrolling Mario games of old.

Super Mario Run is available as a free download in Apple’s App Store for those who want to try out the game. However, anyone who wants to play the entire game must pay $9.99 to get access to all of game’s levels.

Super Mario Run is available only for iOS through the end of the year. However, Nintendo has said it will be bringing the game to Android in 2017 and likely will offer it as a free download with paid content. Nintendo hasn’t announced an exact release date for the Android version.

Super Mario Run generally is easy to play for most gamers. In each level, Mario is moving forward without any input from the gamer. When players tap on the screen, he’ll perform a variety of jumps depending on user input. The goal of the game is to make it through the level, collect coins and defeat bosses.

Super Mario Run’s importance to Nintendo cannot be overstated. The game company’s traditional business, which is firmly rooted in specialized gaming consoles and handheld game devices, has been in decline for some time. In response, Nintendo, which previously kept its most popular games away from smartphones, is now hoping to find success with them. Super Mario Run is its most important foray into mobile gaming and could dramatically alter Nintendo’s business over the long term.

At least on paper, Super Mario Run has been a success. According to Nintendo, the video game secured more than 40 million downloads in just four days of availability, making it the most popular app launch in the history of Apple’s App Store. Super Mario Run also ranks as the most popular free app in 140 countries and regions around the world. Nintendo hasn’t shared revenue figures, but it’s likely the game is generating millions of dollars in sales.

Despite its early success, Super Mario Run has been heavily criticized. Reviewers have said the game is good, but not good enough. And players have expressed disappointment that the game doesn’t last long enough to justify its $9.99 price tag. As of this writing, Super Mario Run’s rating in the App Store is 2.5 stars out of five. That’s a problem Nintendo will have to address.

Players interested in downloading Super Mario Run should know the game has been spoofed on other operating systems, including Android. Some fakes whose sole aim is to make money on unsuspecting players are showing up on both the Google Play marketplace and Apple’s App Store. They have similar, but not identical, names. Watch out for the fakes.

In an odd twist, Nintendo announced just before Super Mario Run was released that the game would require an internet connection to run. The move was criticized widely, but Nintendo said the connection is required to improve security and provide better functionality. Still, gamers who want to play Super Mario Run on a plane aren’t happy with this requirement.

So, what’s next for Nintendo now that Super Mario Run is, by most accounts, a success? The company says it will continue to develop improvements to the game and will make it available on Android. Nintendo reportedly also is considering bringing some of its other iconic franchises, such as The Legend of Zelda, Metroid and others, to mobile platforms. Super Mario Run’s popularity might have convinced Nintendo to commit to a sustained mobile device strategy.