Dr. Mario World Mobile Launch Date Revealed, Pre-Registration Begins

Once reluctant to dive into the mobile gaming market, Nintendo is now filling the market with small mini games for smartphones. Games with microtransactions, of course. The latest title to be added to Nintendo's roster is a bit of a classic and one that might appeal more to kids. Dr. Mario World is launching next month and it's now revealing gameplay mechanics, including the staples of mobile games: IAPs.

Launched in 1990, the original Dr. Mario was a puzzle game for the NES and Game Boy systems. It played like a mix of Tetris and match-three but with colored pills instead of blocks. The goal was to clear out each stage by matching pill colors with viruses to eliminate them.

The mobile incarnation takes the same concept, flips the board around, and gives it a graphical overhaul. You still try to match pill colors with one or two of three colors of viruses. Of course, it adds a few more treats to offer in this age of mobile games, hearts, and coins.

There are more "blocks" to burst, for example, some of which can eliminate nearby viruses or even reveal more. There are stages that consume hearts that practically limit how many stages you can play at a time. Of course, that is pretty much an arbitrary limitation since you can buy your way through more hearts, pills, and diamonds.

Dr. Mario World will be launching on July 10 on iOS and Android. You can, however, pre-register now and get notified when the game does finally launch.