"Super Mario Run" first arrived on iOS devices in December 2016, frustrating many Android users and making them wonder when the game will reach them. Three months later, Nintendo finally green lit the side-scrolling, auto-running game on Android and it will arrive this month.

"Super Mario Run" will come to the Android platform on Thursday, March 23. Interested gamers can pre-register on the Google Play Store so they will be instantly alerted when the game goes live.

The game's first three levels are free, so users can sample the gameplay and make them hungry for more. Unlocking the full game will cost $9.99. Nintendo defended the hefty price tag, saying that they want to make players spend a big sum once instead of several times.

It's possible that "Super Mario Run" iOS users can log in on their accounts on Android, but whether or not that crossover will include purchases made in-game remains to be seen. SlashGear predicted that iOS players would need to re-buy levels when they use the game's Android version.

A huge update, meanwhile, is coming to the game. Version 2.0.0 will introduce fresh features such as new characters and new looks for the already existing ones. Users are expecting that the new characters will include Rosalina and Petey Piranha. Others are hoping for Nabbit and Gold Mario to be introduced.

Rosalina is a powerful figure that protects the cosmos and commands the Comet Observatory. She's also the adopted mother of the Lumas, a group of species that resembles stars. Petey Piranha, meanwhile, is a huge mutated Piranha Plant with a ring of petals surrounding its head. The character is a recurring boss in past "Mario" games.

In addition, more playable levels will be accessible for the free version. That will be World 1-4, which can be unlocked by finishing one of Bowser's challenges.

The game's Japanese Twitter page revealed that the update will introduce four new Yoshi colors. Aside from green, the cute character will now come in yellow, red, purple and blue. The new colors go beyond cosmetics; using a certain color in Toad Rally will yield more Toads of the same color.

As of this moment, Toadette is the hardest character to unlock in "Super Mario Run." The pink Toad's home requires 200 Red, 200 Blue, 200 Green, 200 Purple and 200 Yellow Toads for it to be unlocked. Toadette is probably the last character players will unlock in the game due to the huge number of Toads needed for her building.

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Tags Super mario run, Nintendo, IOS, Android