‘Super Mario Run’ Coming to Your iPhone Soon, But Can it Beat ‘Pokemon Go’?

You can soon have Super Mario on your iPhone through a game called "Super Mario Run," Nintendo's first attempt to penetrate the mobile gaming world after many years of hesitation. The question now is if "Super Mario Run" can beat games that have been in the business for quite some time, especially the big hit "Pokemon Go" of Niantic Inc.

The gameplay of "Super Mario Run" looks very similar to that of "New Super Mario Bros.," but its graphics are slightly better, CNET reports. Making Mario move forward, up and down simply involves tapping the screen. When it comes to jumping, the longer a player presses the screen, the higher Mario jumps.

"Super Mario Run" will debut on Dec. 15 and involves three modes: World Tour, Toad Rally, and Mushroom Kingdom. It will be free to download through Apple's iOS, but fully unlocking its features costs $10.

 "Super Mario" first became popular as a Nintendo Entertainment System game. Even as the smartphone gaming industry boomed, however, Nintendo refused to ride the bandwagon.

Nintendo had feared that going mobile and embracing everything that comes with it, such as free downloads, would crush its premium content. It also did not want fierce competition and be subjected to revenue cuts by Apple and Google. With the launch of "Super Mario Run," Nintendo can now capitalize on the popularity of "Super Mario" characters, Fast Company says. 

"Super Mario Run", however, is in for tough competition with games like the widely popular "Pokemon Go." A new survey, in fact, shows few people at this point know about the upcoming release of "Super Mario Run."

While "Pokemon Go" enjoys word-of-mouth popularity, "Super Mario Run" has yet to become the talk of the town even after Nintendo officially announced it. Many people know "Super Mario" as a Nintendo Brand, but they are not aware of the smartphone game, Venture Beat reports.

Results of the survey, which involved 1,100 mobile gamers, show only 5 out of 10 people are familiar with "Super Mario Run" ahead of its release. Venture Beat says "Super Mario Run" may not have the initial success that "Pokemon Go" had, and that it has a lot of advertising to do.