Super Mario Run

About

Super Mario Run is a single player casual platformer game with a kids theme. It was developed by Nintendo EPD and was released on September 7, 2016. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and neutral reviews from players.

"Super Mario Run" is a kids' platformer game with a good story, amazing gameplay, fabulous graphics, and good music. The game features three modes: complete challenging courses while collecting coins, competing with other players' play data, and creating your own Mushroom Kingdom using collected coins and Toads. Mario runs automatically, and you control his jumps by tapping the screen. Despite some bugs, the game is highly replayable with plenty of humor.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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60%

Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews

graphics250 positive mentions

monetization132 negative mentions

graphics
353 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
71%
22%
7%
The graphics of the game have received generally positive feedback, with many users praising their quality and aesthetic appeal, often comparing them favorably to classic Nintendo titles. However, some players noted that the visuals are reminiscent of assets from "New Super Mario Bros," leading to a perception of unoriginality. While the graphics are described as colorful and engaging, there are complaints about occasional lag and the need for in-app purchases to access more content, which detracts from the overall experience.
- “The graphics are amazing and the gameplay is fun and addicting.”
- “I love the graphics and how you can only control Mario (and the other characters) with just one tap.”
- “Great game, great graphics, but paying for story mode is unreasonable.”
- “The graphics are really poor for high-end devices.”
- “First off, the game's graphics are pretty bad; the overall story is good, but it costs money to actually get far and make progress.”
- “The graphics suck, and the game is buggy and laggy.”
monetization
268 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
23%
28%
49%
The monetization strategy of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players appreciating the one-time payment model that eliminates ads and microtransactions, while others criticize the high upfront cost and the paywall that restricts access to additional content. Some users express a preference for a free-to-play model with optional ads or in-app purchases instead of a single purchase to unlock the full game. Overall, while the absence of ads is praised, the game's pricing structure is seen as a cash grab by a significant portion of the player base.
- “For $9.99, you basically get a full-fledged Mario game without any other in-app purchases.”
- “No ads and a lot of fun.”
- “I very much like the 'pay once, no microtransactions' model, and hope more games follow suit.”
- “It's sad we don't see these high-quality 'pay once and never again' type of mobile games often - instead, we get trashy 'pay us as much money as you can, oh and make sure to watch our ads very often' cash grabs.”
- “This game is just a cash grab, halfway into the game you have to pay to play the rest of the game.”
- “The only bad thing about this game is the in-game purchase which I didn't buy and deleted this game for.”
gameplay
220 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
41%
10%
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with many praising its engaging mechanics and graphics, while others criticize the auto-run feature that limits player control and the significant paywall that restricts access to most content. Players appreciate the simple yet challenging gameplay, especially in modes like remix 10 and Toad Rally, but express frustration over connection issues, repetitive content, and the necessity of being online to play. Overall, while the gameplay is described as fun and addictive, the monetization strategy and limited free content have left many players feeling dissatisfied.
- “I particularly admire Nintendo's one-handed gameplay approach for the application, which is a new phenomenon for me in the gaming world.”
- “Great Mario gameplay streamlined in just the right way to be easy to play with a touch screen while still feeling engaging.”
- “The gameplay is absolutely amazing!”
- “Mario runs automatically with no player input, and it's incredibly frustrating to miss something in a level and be unable to go back and get it, plus it removes 90% of the gameplay for the player.”
- “The actual gameplay is blatantly boring; you can't redo courses and you literally need to get tickets and pay money to access the vast majority of the levels.”
- “Gameplay is constantly interrupted and the auto-run feature sucks.”
story
148 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
20%
75%
5%
The story aspect of the game has received mixed reviews, with many players expressing frustration over the paywall that restricts access to the full narrative. While some appreciate the storyline and find it enjoyable, others criticize it for being too short and repetitive, often completing it in under an hour. Overall, players feel that the requirement to pay for the story mode detracts from the experience, with many suggesting that a more traditional free-to-play model would be preferable.
- “The idea of playing Super Mario Bros with a full story on mobile would be amazing in my opinion.”
- “The story mode does not take forever to complete.”
- “It's a good throwback, the animation is amazing along with the plot of this game.”
- “The price tag isn't even worth it because the story mode can be beaten in less than an hour.”
- “You have to pay $10 just for a story mode that you can beat in less than 30 minutes.”
- “75% of the game's story and features are locked behind a $10 paywall.”
music
124 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
54%
6%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players enjoying the catchy and nostalgic tunes reminiscent of classic Mario games, while others find the soundtrack repetitive and overwhelming, especially when combined with loud sound effects. Many users appreciate the option to listen to their own music, but express frustration when the game's audio interrupts their playlists. Overall, while the music adds to the fun for some, it detracts from the experience for others, highlighting a need for better audio management options.
- “The game, music, and everything else is top notch; it's the first mobile game I really enjoy playing in a long time.”
- “A super fun and delightful game of Super Mario to play, the music gets you pumped while it's rockin', and the levels are fun and hard but very exciting.”
- “I love the music, the levels, hard levels, and the easiest ones!”
- “The music is too much to blast out in public or with anyone around, but it can be turned off, so I can't complain.”
- “In my opinion, the music in Remix 10 isn't exactly music to my ears.”
- “The same song plays every time you do Remix 10, and it gets really repetitive.”
stability
113 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
4%
96%
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with frequent freezes and crashes reported, particularly on newer devices like the Samsung Galaxy S10. Many users express frustration over losing progress and having to force close the app, which detracts from the overall enjoyment of the game. Despite its fun gameplay, the persistent glitches and performance problems have led to a negative reception regarding stability.
- “No glitches found by me overall, great multiplayer game (most of the time I win), and just a great game.”
- “Original graphics, no glitches.”
- “The game runs great on greed, that's what I told my kids after they hit the paywall.”
- “However, the game constantly freezes in between worlds or shuts down completely.”
- “I will give this a one star; anytime I play rally and am about to win, it glitches and the game drops instantly, and I end up losing so many toads.”
- “Game crashes constantly, even freezes up my entire phone at times.”
replayability
19 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
26%
16%
Overall, the game offers significant replayability through its varied level layouts, different modes, and randomly generated content, providing players with hours of engaging gameplay for a reasonable price. While some users express a desire for more content, many highlight the game's ability to keep them coming back with fun challenges and remix stages. Despite a few dissenting opinions, the consensus is that the game delivers a rewarding and replayable experience.
- “It's randomly generated every time, adding a lot more replayability to the game.”
- “Don't complain about the price, it's worth it because this game has infinite replayability and very rewarding goals.”
- “I wish there was more content, but there is replay value so it takes a while to beat.”
- “There's no replayability.”
- “For less than the cost of a movie ticket, you get 33 levels (if you unlock them all) and hours of replay value.”
grinding
17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
12%
88%
Players generally find the grinding in this game to be tedious and repetitive, often requiring significant effort to unlock content without paying. Many reviews highlight the lack of a proper grinding system, leading to frustration with the need to repeatedly engage in the same tasks for minimal rewards. Overall, the grinding experience is seen as a major drawback, detracting from the enjoyment of the game.
- “Without paying for the full version, it takes a fair bit of grinding to unlock past the first world.”
- “The grinding required for this game is preposterous.”
- “What made me rate 2 stars is the fact that you have to pay $10 after the first set of levels unless you are willing to do a lot of intentionally tedious grinding.”
humor
15 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
93%
7%
The humor in the game is widely praised, with players finding it both entertaining and amusing, often comparing it to classic titles like Mario. Many reviews highlight the game's ability to deliver consistent laughs, although some note that the humor can become repetitive over time. Overall, the combination of funny gameplay and appealing graphics contributes to a lighthearted and enjoyable experience.
- “Graphically pleasing and such humorously entertaining.”
- “Keep it simple and funny.”
- “I like the graphics and the gameplay is so funny :D”
- “I love it, but today I tried to jump over my two friends and failed, landing on my elbow, shoulder, and knee. It hurt! Ha ha ha ha, not funny :)”
optimization
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
25%
50%
Overall, the optimization of the game is criticized for significant performance issues, including gameplay freezes and choppy graphics, which negatively impact user experience and lead to frustration. While some users acknowledge the game's potential, many report that it struggles to run smoothly on various devices, particularly on the Galaxy S10+. The consensus suggests that the game requires substantial improvements in optimization to enhance playability.
- “The game itself is well made and runs smoothly.”
- “This game is incredible but change the bowling graphics and better performance.”
- “Performance issues cause a solid third of my losses.”
- “This game is not optimized to work on a Galaxy S10+.”
- “Please don't download this game; it's a totally useless app. After installing, it requires a 100MB app and has very poor performance.”
emotional
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game resonates strongly with players, evoking nostalgia for classic gaming experiences from the late 90s, particularly with Mario. While the game is generally seen as fun and wholesome, frustrations arise from technical issues and monetization practices, which detract from the overall enjoyment and accessibility for families.
- “Heartbreaking as I grew up with a NES and now my kids are growing up with a Wii, Wii U, and Switch, and now I can't let them play this game unless we have internet.”
- “It's a fun game with great graphics, and it made me feel like I was back in 1999 with the old PlayStation game of Mario before PlayStation 1 came out, which was a great memory to have.”
- “Honestly, just a wholesome fun game for when you're bored.”