Super Mario Run leaps and bounds onto Android devices this March

Nintendo gave Apple a timed exclusive due to security concerns.

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Super Mario Run will make its way onto Android devices in March, according to a tweet from Nintendo's Japanese account (via NeoGAF).

Super Mario Run is an endless runner featuring Shigeru Miyamoto's golden touch. It's free to start, with an optional, one-time fee of $9.99 to unlock all worlds and modes.

The object is to run through six worlds to rescue Peach from Bowser and collect colored coins on your way. Replay value was a big focus for Nintendo. Once you nab all coins in one color on a given level, you can play through the same level to collect different coins placed in new locations.

Super Mario Run launched on iOS platforms on December 15. The company promised an Android version, but held back due to security concerns. Nintendo allayed its fears by requiring players to be connected to the Internet to play the Apple version.

"The security element is one of the reasons that we decided to go with iPhone and iOS first,” Miyamoto explained in an interview with Mashable. "So this is just, based on the current development environment, a requirement that's been built into the game to support security and the fact that the three different modes are connecting to the network and interacting with one another."

Shacknews editor and Modojo editor-in-chief Brittany Vincent came away impressed by Super Mario Run when she reviewed it back in December. "As a Mario title, it's obviously going to be less of an engaging adventure than normal since it's so stripped-down. As a mobile game, it's excellent, save for its extremely short playtime and $9.99 price tag that will undoubtedly scare some users away. However, it's an extremely polished speedrunner's dream, and an absolutely fantastic first mobile release for Nintendo."

You can pre-register Super Mario Run on the Google Play store if you want to be notified when the Android version becomes available.

Long Reads Editor

David L. Craddock writes fiction, nonfiction, and grocery lists. He is the author of the Stay Awhile and Listen series, and the Gairden Chronicles series of fantasy novels for young adults. Outside of writing, he enjoys playing Mario, Zelda, and Dark Souls games, and will be happy to discuss at length the myriad reasons why Dark Souls 2 is the best in the series. Follow him online at davidlcraddock.com and @davidlcraddock.

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