During Apple’s iPhone 7 and iPhone Watch Keynote piece, Apple announced that a Super Mario game will be coming exclusively to iOS. Entitled Super Mario Run, in the game Mario runs across a 2D level akin to those seen in New Super Mario Bros. Players don’t control Mario’s movement; instead, they can tap down on the screen to make him jump. This allows players to play the game on the go with just a single hand. Players win the game by collecting coins as fast as they can before time runs out.
Alongside Super Mario Run‘s singleplayer coin-collecting gameplay, the game also features a multiplayer mode. Entitled Toad Rally, players can compete against players around the world in an attempt to collect as many coins as possible. Players can compete against their friends as well by using a friends’ list.
Super Mario Run will release for the Holiday 2016 season. While the game will not be free, Nintendo is choosing to rely on a one-time purchase with no microtransactions. The game follows a recent trend by Nintendo in entering the mobile industry, with Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem games soon planned. Despite Miitomo‘s drop in popularity over the year, Nintendo’s Pokemon GO app has done tremendously well: Still remaining an extremely popular app as the summer draws to a close.
Super Mario stickers will also be coming to iMessage, according to the Keynote. As this story is developing, more gameplay information has yet to be announced about Super Mario Run beyond the initial Keynote reveal. Expect further news to come as Holiday 2016 draws closer at the end of this year.