Super Mario Run Has a Major Problem
If you plan on picking up Super Mario Run when it launches on Dec. 15, don't expect to battle Bowser or build your own Mushroom Kingdom offline. According to Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo's first true mobile game will require an internet connection to play.
In an interview with Mashable, Miyamoto said that the game's always-online requirement was put in place to prevent people from pirating it, particularly given how wide Super Mario Run's release will be.
"Unlike our dedicated game devices, the game is not releasing in a limited number of countries," Miyamoto told Mashable. "We're launching in 150 countries and each of those countries has different network environments and things like that."
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Based on the interview, it seems like the other reason Super Mario Run will require an internet connection is to maintain consistency across its three game modes. The Toad Rally multiplayer mode as well as the world-creating Kingdom Builder feature will be highly dependent on you being online. Miyamoto noted that the team wanted to at least have the single-player World Tour mode playable offline, but that it ultimately proved too complicated.
"We had thought at one point that it would be nice to have the World Tour [story] mode available standalone, to be able to play without that connection," said Miyamoto. "But... it actually complicates the connection back to the Toad Rally and Kingdom modes. And because those two modes are relying on the network save, we had to integrate the World Tour mode as well."
It's not uncommon for mobile games to require an internet connection, but that limitation is usually reserved for free-to-play games that are highly dependent on in-app purchases. Super Mario Run, however, will be a premium $10 game (though a free trial will be available), and folks willing to throw down that kind of cash for a mobile title are probably expecting to be able to play it wherever they are.
This news could dampen excitement for Super Mario Run, which, based on our early hands-on impressions, does an excellent job combining the depth and fun of a true Mario title with the intuitive touch controls of a great mobile game. Launching next week for iOS (with an Android release to follow) Super Mario Run could be the mobile hit of the year — it's just a bummer that you probably won't be playing it on an underground subway or on a plane.
See also : Here Are the Biggest Game Releases in December 2016
