Big news for Nintendo fans who also love smartphone gaming: Super Mario Run is currently only $4.99 to unlock all levels, as opposed to the usual $9.99.
Super Mario Run Disappointment
When Super Mario Run was first teased, mobile gamers everywhere were immediately intrigued. This was arguably gaming’s biggest franchise being brought to smartphones everywhere, and since Mario is such a classic it seemed that a true port of the original Super Mario Bros. might even be on the way. Then, Super Mario Run came out.
The fact that it was an infinite runner was not necessarily surprising, but was definitely disappointing to some fans. Still, even with that, the idea of an infinite runner based on everyone’s favorite retro game still seemed appealling, especially since the game was free. Then came the death blow for potential buyers everywhere: not only was the free download of Super Mario Run a restricted version of the game, but it would cost $9.99 to unlock the full game.
Super Mario Run Is Too Expensive
The idea of paying $9.99 for a mobile game is not unheard of, but price points like that are usually based around true ports of full games (like Dragon Quest V or The World Ends With You), not infinite runners. It was hard not to feel like Nintendo just figured they could force people to pay whatever they wanted people to pay, since (legal) Mario action on-the-go is a lot of people’s smartphone dream. A lot of people lost interest in the game, and rightfully so.
Super Mario Run Is Temporarily Discounted
For those people who lost interest in Super Mario Run when they saw it cost 10 bucks, I have good news today. For a limited time (it is unclear how long), the in-app purchase to unlock the full game of Super Mario Run only costs $4.99 instead of the usual $9.99. 5 bucks is about the top end of how much people want to pay for most mobile games, but it is definitely a more reasonable ask than $9.99.
Is Super Mario Run Worth It?
Honestly, this depends on how much you like Mario, and how much you value graphics and polish in your games. For some people, the idea of playing a one-handed version of Mario that is rendered beautifully is easily worth the sale price of $4.99, while for others it will still feel like just another infinite runner (and we all know there are plenty of free endless runners out there). I, for one, think that they automated too much of the game, and that this takes away from the fun.
That said, go ahead and download Super Mario Run and give it a try since it’s free. Once your free plays have been used up, you can decide whether you want to plunk down any more money for it or not. For a limited time, it will only cost you $4.99, but make sure you check for yourself how much it costs before you press that in-app purchase button.
Download Super Mario Run for iPhone or Android
