Super Mario Run comes out for iOS

Super Mario Run is available to install on iOS devices starting Thursday. It is Nintendo’s first Mario game for a mobile platform. Players can only control Mario in the game by tapping the screen and the game has no other controls.

In the game, the world’s most famous plumber automatically runs across the screen to the right, while players can make Mario jump over obstacles with a tap of the screen. The game can be operated with one hand due to the simple controls. Super Mario Run is not a port of a game for Nintendo’s own handheld DS, for example, but a new game.

It is the first time in 22 years that Nintendo has announced a Mario game for a platform that is not from the Japanese manufacturer itself. The console maker started taking its first steps in the smartphone field earlier this year with the release of Miitomo.

Apple executive Tim Cook said he’s happy that Mario is coming “first” to iOS, which could indicate that the game is coming to Android at a later stage. The game is free to install from the App Store, but only the first three levels are playable without paying. An in-app purchase in the game costs 9.99 euros.