Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto made his way onto Apple’s iPhone 7 press briefing stage this morning to announce a new game that will debut exclusively on iOS devices. Super Mario Run is an auto-runner built using New Super Mario Bros.-style graphics and sound, with some light competitive elements found in the game’s “Toad Rally” mode.
The primary control seems to be tapping the screen, which causes Mario to jump. Longer taps result in taller jumps. Mario automatically runs through the level, like an endless runner, but the game has flagpoles that end stages in its default mode.
The game also has an asynchronous competitive mode, Toad Rally, where players make their way through a course until time expires. Players will see the ghosts of other players’ runs and “daring moves” will impress different Toads, which then appear to funnel into some kind of larger score or customization feature.
The game won’t be released as a free-to-play title, though pricing was not announced. The game will debut on iOS devices (which I assume means it’ll eventually hit Android) later this year.
Nintendo will also supply a collection of Nintendo-themed stickers for use in iOS 10’s new messaging features.
