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Is there a more telling sign of the times than Shigeru Miyamoto taking to the stage at an Apple event to announce a new Mario platform game for smartphones?
As unlikely as it sounds, that’s precisely what happened last night. Super Mario Run is coming exclusively to iOS. A Mario platformer. On non-Nintendo hardware. On a touchscreen smartphone! Miyamoto is the lead designer.
It’s incredible, really.
While Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem for smartphones were already known about, this title came out of the blue. Super Mario Run is an endless runner designed specifically for one-handed touchscreen play. Its visual style aligns with Nintendo’s recent 2D look for the famous plumber.
As well as collecting coins, a ‘Toad Rally’ mode will also be included that allows friends to challenge one another.
The game will be free-to-play. Sort of. The initial download is free and includes a portion of the game. Users will then be required to pay to unlock the rest.
Apple has also used the title to premiere a pre-registration feature on the App Store. Users are currently able to sign up to be notified when the game is released. Just look for Super Mario Run on the App Store. A full release is pencilled in for December.
Nintendo stock price has surged 13 per cent on the news.
