On March 17th, 2015 Satoru Iwata (RIP) announced that Nintendo (in a partnership with mobile developer DeNA) would make their first foray into developing games for mobile (Android & iOS) devices, thus ending a long-running history of developing software and games exclusively for their own platforms. This thread is a place to discuss this brave new time for Nintendo fans and the evolution of these new titles as they are released.
*Are you playing any of these games? If so, please add your GWJ name and friend code(s) to this Google Sheet*
Games Currently Available:
Miitomo (Official Website)
Miitomo is a software toy with the goal of learning more about your friends. Your Mii will ask you questions each day, the answers of which are shared with your friends. You can also customize your Mii with a variety of outfits purchasable from the in-game store.
What’s it most similar to? The Wii’s Everybody Votes Channel or Splatoon’s Splatfest votes are probably the closest analogue due to the shared Q&A nature. And Animal Crossing with the focus on buying new clothes and items for your room.
What’s the price? Free, but with IAP boosters for the in-game currency
Where to get it? iTunes Google Play
Super Mario Run (Official Website)
Super Mario Run is an “auto-runner” based on the Super Mario series. Mario automatically runs through a series of 32 designed levels (not randomized as in many “inifinite runners”) where you are tasked with collecting coins while trying to reach the end of the level without dying before the timer expires. In addition, you can challenge other players in the Toad Rally mode to see who has the best “style” in an attempt to win Toads to help rebuild your personal Mushroom Kingdom.
What’s it most similar to? Classic 2D Mario games, but Toad Rally in particular is very reminiscent of the Coin Rush mode from New Super Mario Bros. 2
What’s the price? Free, but with a $9.99 one-time purchase for the remaining 29 levels.
Where to get it? iTunes Google Play
Fire Emblem Heroes (Official Website)
Fire Emblem Heroes is a social tactical RPG using simplified elements of the Fire Emblem series which makes for a more "bite-sized" experience. For example, maps and parties are smaller but the weapon triangle remains. The game features many characters from previous games in the series which you summon/recruit using a "gashapon" / blind-buy system.
What’s it most similar to? Fire Emblem obviously!
What’s the price? Free, but with IAP boosters for the in-game currency
Where to get it? iTunes Google Play
Upcoming Games:
Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp (Official Website)
Possible Nintendogs game?
(Miyamoto recently made comments to the effect of Nintendogs possibly working better as a mobile title)
FAQ:
Q: I’ve got a friend code for where do I post it? Where can I see a list of friend codes for %Game%?
A: Right here!
Q: Hey, where’s Pokemon GO?
A: Go is handled by The Pokemon Company/Niantic and is separate from the Nintendo/DeNA deal. We also have a dedicated thread for it, so you should take any Pokemon Go discussion there.
Q: Are these coming to the Nintendo Switch?
A: Nothing definitive has been said at this time, but it seems unlikely as Nintendo would probably prefer you buy the new Mario game on Switch than keep playing Super Mario Run.
Q: What’s this Nintendo Account thing linked to these games?
A: This is Nintendo's latest unified account system which is primarily used to link the game to your My Nintendo account as well as backing up your progress so you can transfer it between devices.
Q: What's this My Nintendo thing linked to these games?
A: This is the replacement for the old Club Nintendo rewards program. You can earn additional items in the games by linking your Nintendo Account to the game and completing specific in-game challenges and goals. These points can also be used to earn discounts on software for the Wii U and 3DS along with other minor perks. More information can be found on the My Nintendo website.
Man, all it took was a few consecutive Toad Rally race losses to really sour me on the mode. It doesn't help that I wasn't really in the mood for it, but I didn't want to lose my Christmas gift tickets to the cap. At least now I don't care about the cap at all. Put away all my buildings too. Ungrateful green bastards can freeze for all I care.
The pink/purple/black coin hunts are still fun at least.
Nintendo really should cull out the runs with a big surge of coins towards the end. Those especially suck to run against.
Q: Are these coming to the Nintendo Switch?
A: Nothing definitive has been said at this time, but it seems unlikely as Nintendo would probably prefer you buy the new Mario game on Switch than keep playing Super Mario Run.
I believe it's likely their mobile titles will be on Switch.
Man, all it took was a few consecutive Toad Rally race losses to really sour me on the mode. It doesn't help that I wasn't really in the mood for it, but I didn't want to lose my Christmas gift tickets to the cap. At least now I don't care about the cap at all. Put away all my buildings too. Ungrateful green bastards can freeze for all I care.
Toad Rally runs can be weirdly unfun to lose. I say "weirdly" because Nintendo probably could have made a few minor tweaks to make that not be the case.
On the "select opponent" screen, I'm also invariably only offered opponents with more toads than me (which roughly correlates to skill level) -- often many more. Like, I've got around 1000 toads right now, and my opponent selection is typically players with 1200-5000 toads.
It effectively works out to a mode where the difficulty slider is locked at "difficult." It's an interesting design decision on Nintendo's part.
Phew. Finally unlocked the rest of Super Mario Run with a Christmas gift card. Can't wait to play through the rest of the tour levels!
Good thread.
I enjoyed Miitomo a lot and still pop in from time to time.
Did the 3 free levels of Mario Run on my wife's iPad but can't justify $10 there and on Android. Guess I'll wait
Yeah, in your case I don't think it's worth taking a gamble right now on whether or not paying for it on iOS will unlock on Android. Hopefully they'll clarify that once we're closer to the Android launch.
I kind of doubt it, unfortunately, given that it currently takes a semi-hack to even apply your $10 unlock to a second iOS device.
garion333 wrote:Q: Are these coming to the Nintendo Switch?
A: Nothing definitive has been said at this time, but it seems unlikely as Nintendo would probably prefer you buy the new Mario game on Switch than keep playing Super Mario Run.I believe it's likely their mobile titles will be on Switch.
That seems to go against the grain of what they've been saying lately to the press about Mario Run. And to be honest I don't think there's a lot of sense in putting watered-down experiences like Pokemon Go and Mario Run on the same platform where you're trying to sell the full-fat versions of those franchises.
Fwiw I don't see Pokemon Go as a part of this discussion. That's a whole different can of worms and it being on Switch is nigh impossible.
I'm not sure which titles they'll put on the Switch but I'm sure some will make it.
Reggie, especially, is going to emphasize the difference of Mario Run to anything planned for the Switch. That's his job. He wants you to get hyped for the Switch by playing Mario Run. A year or two from now though? Mario Run will likely be on the Switch, maybe with some tweaks or enhancements (two player mode??), but most certainly with controller input instead of just touch screen.
Or maybe they'll decide to keep it on mobile, I don't know, depending on how well their mobile titles push sales to the Switch. I just don't think they're against putting mobile titles on the Switch, even if their sales pitch currently says so. If Nintendo's mobile products perform like most other one-off mobile titles then Mario Run will be a flash in the pan. That means it won't be generating enough money and/or putting enough eyeballs onto the Switch to keep it solely on mobile.
Something I didn't consider is that the WSJ article was talking about the NX and it having the ability to play mobile titles when Pokemon Go was super hot. Of course the Switch will have the capability to play mobile titles, the question remains what ones and when, if ever, will Nintendo release them? That remains to be seen, but from what Reggie is saying they won't be putting on them at launch, that's for sure. Later on though...absolutely, depending on performance of everything. Maybe they'll kill mobile development a few years down the road when it doesn't have the intended effects. I think they're return on Pokemon Go and Pokemon 3DS sales told them they didn't need to put mobile titles on Switch, but it remains to be seen if Mario Run has the same sort of impact.
Fwiw, your wording in the OP is probably the most correct way to put it. Nintendo definitely wants you to buy a Switch and play (a proper) Mario on it.
garion333 wrote:A year or two from now though? Mario Run will likely be on the Switch, maybe with some tweaks or enhancements (two player mode??), but most certainly with controller input instead of just touch screen.
And this is where you lose me: Why does it need to be on Switch? What does putting it on Switch add to the experience? We're practically guaranteed to have a 2D Mario game on the Switch, so what purpose does Mario Run serve on that platform? A low-cost entry point to Mario? In which case, couldn't they just put out a 3-4 level demo of the new 2D game? A hefty sale on the new game or the VC re-releases of nearly every 2D Mario game ever made?
I thought that was obvious: money.
And software release filler.
And being able to bring your save data and play Nintendo games on as many devices as possible.
It all comes down to what they think will fit best and give them the results they want monetarily. Granted, Mario Run might not be that title* as much as Animal Crossing or even Fire Emblem as those games have characters and experiences that can be brought from game to game and add to that series' value. Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer Mobile would be a great tool for Animal Crossing Switch.
Miitomo could fit very well into the Switch, assuming there's not some baked in version of it as the Mii creator. I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see that your Miitomo progress can be brought to Switch. All those outfits, and more importantly, your Mii and your friend list. Perhaps this is the compatibility we will be seeing and not so much direct ports.
I get why they're saying what they're saying. Buy and play our mobile titles on mobile as they probably won't be on Switch. Dammit, Nintendo, you know us weirdos will buy em on every platform you put them on.
I realize I'm a bit pie in the sky about all this, and maybe a little cynical over how game companies try to maximize sales, but I assume Nintendo will attempt to take any angle they can find, which is why I think if Mario Run significantly dries up on mobile we'll definitely see a Switch version as a cash-in. I don't mean that in a bad way.
*One of the interesting tidbits of info Miyamoto mentioned is that a one button Mario was discussed during Mario Wii's development. He also points out there that as titles have gone on they're a bit more complicated than the older titles and Mario Run is meant as to maybe ease them in to other Mario titles, which would potentially also be true if they ported it to the Switch.
I'm all for the removal of lives. We had some discussion about that a couple years ago. There's so much to collect in a level they've become quite pointless to me and I'd rather they focus on coin collecting.
Though, really, you still have lives in Super Mario Run, you just don't accumulate more of them.
So, dropping $10 on Mario Run was worth it, although not for the reason I expected: my son (5) got really into it for a few days before hitting a difficulty ceiling, but it made him really excited to play Super Mario 3D World and all our other Mario games. And he's coming back to them with some confidence gained from Run.
For my part, I burned myself out trying to get all the black coins - gets really frustrating after awhile - and Toad Rally just made me upset. Losing Toads when you fail against someone - and not being able to truly tell their skill level before taking them on - felt overly punitive to me.
I guess it comes down to what I'm looking for when I sit down with a mobile game, something calm that gives a sense of progress gained. Which is why I uninstalled Run and I'm back to Pokemon X and Animal Crossing on my 2DS for commutes.
I've been playing a fair amount of Toad Runs. The game does still only offer me opponents with more Toads than I have, except the 20% or so of the time that one of you folks shows up as an opponent choice.
I unlocked Toadette. Her undocumented ability seems to be to steal a few of the opponents' cheering Toads during the final scoring tally, giving you a slight score boost for free.
Well both games have a page on the Play Store where you can pre-register. I assume this alerts you when it finally releases.
I registered for the iOS alert. I got it about 8 hours after I already downloaded Super Mario Run.
There's some kind of "Choose Your Heroes" pre-release web event going on for the Fire Emblem game? I'm not really sure what the deal is, despite having given it a try today:
We Played Fire Emblem Heroes for 1 Hour - Hands-On Preview
Hands-On Gameplay Impressions! Pricing, Summoning Details and More
Hmm, I think I'm a little more excited for Fire Emblem Heroes after checking out those previews.
Still a little wary of it being a FTP game. Feeling a little burned out on those. But I love some Fire Emblem, so I'll definitely be trying it ou. Still, would much rather have it be a more regular Fire Emblem, but on mobile!
Oh well. Looks cool. I'll still play it for a while.
I'll be getting it, although my hopes aren't super high, because of the freemium "features."
Maybe I'll be pleasantly surprised!
I will be picking it up as well. If it is good that makes it two for two for Nintendo freemium games.
What time do apps usually release?
Hands-On from AppSpy
Played Fire Emblem Heroes for about 30mins.
PVP has a limited stamina mechanic.
I summoned some heroes and have no idea how to change my team to switch heroes.
It feels a bit clunky as in mistakes on swiping and taking actions is going to happen a lot. It might be just me being clumsy though.
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