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.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

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…
These Switch bundles come with one of Nintendo’s best multiplayer game for free
Yoshi and Peach race in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Nintendo is kicking off the holidays early with two new Switch bundles set to release "early this fall" that will basically give you a copy of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Nintendo Switch Online for free.

Nintendo announced the bundles on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday. The bundle with the regular Nintendo Switch and Neon Red and Neon Blue Joy-Con controllers will cost $300, while the one with the Switch OLED and white Joy-Cons will sell for $350. Both bundles include a console, a digital download of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and 12 months of Nintendo Switch Online.

Read more
Pokémon’s new mobile trading card game is coming this October
A Pikachu card displayed on a mobile device. Pikachu is standing on a log in a forest.

Pokémon TCG Pocket Trailer | Preregister Now

You'll soon be able to open Pokémon card packs on your phone. Pokémon Trading Card Game Pocket is set to release on October 30 on Android and iOS, and you can preregister for it now.

Read more
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games might be dead, producer says
Surfing Mario in Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games.

The Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series missed out on the Paris Olympic Games in 2024, and according to one former executive producer, it might signal the end of the franchise.

Lee Cocker, who worked at International Sports Multimedia (ISM), which was the official licensee of the rights through the International Olympic Committee (IOC), was sharing footage from his time working on the Mario and Sonic games on X (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn when he mentioned that the franchise "finished" with Mario & Sonic at the Olympics Games Tokyo 2020.

Read more