Skip to main content

Free-to-start mobile game Dr. Mario World arrives early on iOS and Android

Dr. Mario World mobile game nintendo microtransactions diamond heart
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Nintendo made its first major attempt at mobile gaming on smart devices with Super Mario Run at the end of 2016. Today, our multitalented hero is being tapped for another one of his professions in the Japanese game company’s latest mobile release. Dr. Mario World is out now — a day early — on iOS and Android, and it gives gamers a Candy Crush-style match-three experience with Nintendo flavor.

The original Dr. Mario was released in 1990 and designed by Takahiro Harada, who also worked as the main programmer for Metroid 2: Return of Samus. Mario puts on a doctor outfit in the puzzler and matches colored pill capsules to destroy viruses.

Recommended Videos

The first game was a falling block game similar to Tetris, but the mobile game Dr. Mario World has capsules enter the puzzle from the bottom of the screen instead of the top. You also have a limited amount of capsules to clear the viruses with, so the game encourages a slower and more methodical approach versus similar games.

Dr. Mario World is free-to-start, meaning you’ll be able to work through a collection of levels without having to spend a dime. Taking on the game’s puzzles requires hearts and you start out with an infinite heart as you work through the stages that teach you how to play and get you hooked on the Dr. Mario World rhythm before it asks you for money. Additional menu options, such as an online Versus Mode, are locked until you complete level 20 in single-player, so that’s likely when the free-to-start road ends.

Microtransactions are an obvious concern in these types of games and Dr. Mario World does indeed have them. You use diamonds to unlock more hearts, and you purchase diamonds with real money. Five hearts equals five puzzles you play and you can get them with 10 diamonds. 30 diamonds get you one hour of unlimited play. Here’s the breakdown of diamond prices:

  • 20 diamonds – $2
  • 53 diamonds – $5
  • 110 diamonds – $10
  • 250 diamonds – $20
  • 550 diamonds – $40
  • 1050 diamonds – $70

While Dr. Mario World doesn’t have you working against a clock in each puzzle, you will be burning through levels if you use one of the hearts that gives you an hour to play. Like the wildly popular game Candy Crush, you can connect Dr. Mario World to your Facebook account and ask friends for hearts as well. Thus far, it has all the makings of typical addictive mobile puzzle games. This game’s performance will surely color how Nintendo continues to move forward in the mobile gaming space, specifically with the upcoming Mario Kart Tour.

Charles Singletary Jr.
I'm a Birmingham, AL raised author, journalist, and gaming enthusiast currently residing in San Antonio, TX. My work has…
I played 11 Nintendo Switch 2 games. Here’s what I thought of each
Bowser in Mario Kart World.

It's been a whirlwind week for Nintendo fans. On Wednesday, the company fully lifted the lid on the Nintendo Switch 2 with a perfectly executed Direct presentation. That moment of elation gave way to anxiety as players sorted through the console's controversial new pricing strategy. Then came complete panic as President Donald Trump's freshly announced tariffs on foreign imports caused Nintendo to postpone preorders for the system in the United States. You can't blame Nintendo fans for feeling a little stressed out right now.

The saving grace of all this is that the Switch 2 is still slated to launch on June 5 and it's bringing a ton of exciting games along with it. At a press event on Wednesday, I went hands-on with nearly a dozen Switch 2 games, from first-party heavy-hitters to Switch 2 Editions of old favorites. I've posted my impressions of several games throughout the week, but for the sake of ease, I'm rounding them all up in one place. Curious about just how good Metroid Prime 4: Beyond is? How does it feel to drive a wheelchair around with mouse controls? Is Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour really worth a few bucks? You can find all those answers right here.

Read more
Mario Kart World is a ton of fun, but I don’t know if it’s $80 fun
Wario races opponents in Mario Kart World.

When the Nintendo Switch 2 launches on June 5, it’ll be placing a lot of pressure on one game: Mario Kart World. The racing game is set to be this console generation’s Breath of the Wild, with a statement entry in one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. The company is so sure about its success, in fact, that it’s charging $80 for it, an eye-popping number that has not gone over well with fans so far. If Mario Kart World is going to overcome that financial burden, it has to be really, really good.

And you probably won’t be surprised to hear that it is. I went hands-on with Mario Kart World at a Nintendo Switch 2 demo event, giving me a deep dive into its open-world pivot, elimination mode, and more. Everything I played was a delight from gaming’s most reliable multiplayer series, but on a much bigger scale. Though I did have a blast with it, the price tag does have me now thinking twice about just how much I enjoyed my races. It’s fun, but fun enough to justify the not so insignificant chunk it would take out of my paycheck? I’m not sure that I’m confident enough to make that judgement yet, and that’s not a great sign for Nintendo’s bold price experiment.

Read more
Mario Kart World takes players off the track into an open world
Mario in Mario Kart World.

The latest entry in the Mario Kart series is here and will be called Mario Kart World, and it boosts the number of racers to a total of 24 at one time and all new game modes when it releases on June 5. Double the players, double the shells, double the chaos. Don't worry, though — while there might be more racers on the track at any given time, your favorite characters are still present, with familiar faces like Yoshi, Toad, Peach, and many more making an appearance. More information will be given about this upcoming Switch 2 game on April 17.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3pE23YTYEZM

Read more