super mario
Super Mario Run YouTube/NintendoMobile

Nintendo has confirmed that Super Mario Run will be available starting Dec.15 in 151 countries including Australia.

“The wait is almost over for a 'Super Mario' game that can be played on mobile devices,” Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing, said in a statement. “Developed under the direction of Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, 'Super Mario Run' brings a new take on the series’ beloved action-platforming gameplay to iPhone and iPad for the first time.”

The first official Mario game for the Apple devices including iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, running iOS 8 or above, is free to download. However, players must pay a one-time fee of US$9.99 (AU$13.22) to get the complete experience. The free version allows the players to try elements of the game's three modes.

"Super Mario Run’s" three modes include the World Tour, Toad Rally and Kingdom Builder. The World Tour is set in a familiar 2D "Super Mario" stage. Players must complete the six worlds with a goal to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser’s clutches.

The Toad Rally mode, which has a resemblance with GameBoy Color's "Super Mario Bros. Deluxe" You VS. Boo mode, allows players to compete against friends. It requires Rally tickets that can be acquired by clearing worlds or by bonus games.

The Kingdom Builder gives the players an opportunity to create their own kingdom. The items for the Kingdom can be purchased by using coins earn in the Toad Rally challenges.

Super Mario Run will support several languages including English, Japanese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Dutch, Russian and traditional Chinese.

"'Super Mario Run' is the first 'Super Mario Bros.' game developed specifically for mobile devices,” according to Nintendo. “In the game, Mario runs forward on his own, but relies on the tap of a single finger to jump over obstacles, avoid enemies, pull off stylish moves, collect coins and reach the flagpole to complete courses.”

"Super Mario Run" will be available on Android but Nintendo is only discussing the iOS version at the moment.

Introduction to "Super Mario Run" video: