A Decent Start, But Leaves You Wanting More
Super Mario Run had a ton of hype leading up to its release-it was Mario's first official leap onto mobile, and the potential was massive. On paper, it seemed like a no-brainer: a simple, one-handed Mario game built for phones, with Nintendo's signature polish.
And to be fair, the game delivered on the basics. It looked great, played smoothly, and had that satisfying Mario "feel." But once the novelty wore off, what remained was a game that felt... a little too light.
What Worked:
Visuals & Presentation: Clean, classic Mario. No issues here-it looked great on mobile screens.
Simple, Accessible Controls: The one-touch setup worked well for pick-up-and-play. Mario auto-runs, and you just tap to jump. It made it easy for anyone to play.
Challenge Coins & Toad Rally: These gave some replay value and challenge. Trying to collect all the coins in a level or build out your kingdom gave it some depth.
Where It Fell Short:
Length: The game's main campaign could be finished in a couple of hours. For a $10 purchase, many players expected a lot more content.
Replayability: Outside of hardcore coin collectors or completionists, there just wasn't much to come back for.
Toad Rally & Kingdom Builder: These were cool ideas, but they never felt essential. More like filler than a true expansion of the experience.
Final Verdict - 6 out of 10
Super Mario Run was a good idea with decent execution, but it didn't stick the landing the way other Nintendo mobile titles eventually would. For Mario's mobile debut, it offered a polished but thin slice of gameplay-enough to enjoy for a bit, but not enough to sink your teeth into long-term.
It was fine. Just not the full-course Mario adventure fans were hungry for.
