We've documented 13 accessibility features for Super Mario Run, including Large Text, Select Difficulty, No Repeated Pressing, No Holds and One Tap Anywhere. Its accessibility is strongest in Controls and Visual but it also has features in Getting Started, Reading, Difficulty, Navigation and Audio to reduce unintended barriers.
This report is created with input from accessibility experts and the player community to help people find games that have the accessibility features they require. Once you have found potential games on the database, there are excellent specialist accessibility sites that offer in-depth reviews to guide your purchasing decisions.
Accessibility Notes
Although just one tap anywhere on the screen to jump and interact, you need to navigate menus with specific tapping to start the game.
No separate audio control for music and effects although you can pick your own music to play for less intrusive audio. There are minimal audio equivalents for visual cues.
Game Details
Release Date: 15/12/2016, updated in 2017
Out Now: Android and iOS
Skill Rating: 4+ year-olds
Players: 1 (1 online)
Genres: Action, Platform and Traversal
Accessibility: 13 features
Components: 2D Side-On
Developer: Nintendo (@Nintendo)
Costs: Purchase cost, In-Game Purchases and In-Game Pass
Controls
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Controls in Super Mario Run which deal with how you control the game, different options for alternative inputs and whether you can remap these settings to suit your needs.
Touchscreen
Can play with the following. Additional gestures may be required for games played with a screenreader like VoiceOver.
One Tap Anywhere: Can play with touchscreen, tap anywhere.
Button Combinations
Specific button operation required to play
Holding Down Buttons Optional: Holding down buttons for prolonged periods (a second or more) is not required or can be switched to toggling the action on and off. This is in addition to the movement stick/button which is not considered a hold for this purpose.
Rapid Repeated Pressing Optional: Quick, repeated button pressing (more than 2 times a second) is not required, can be skipped or switched to holding a button to trigger a repeated action.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Controls
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Controls accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Controls accessibility:
- Zool Redimensioned (8 Controls Features)
- Summer Catchers (8 Controls Features)
- OCO (7 Controls Features)
- Rayman Origins (7 Controls Features)
Difficulty
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Difficulty in Super Mario Run which deals with how you can adjust the challenge of play, and whether this is locked once chosen or can be adjusted as you play.
Difficulty Options
Select Difficulty: Select the level of difficulty from a range of presets. This not only offers a way to adjust the challenge of a game but enables you to do so without dealing with individual criteria.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Difficulty
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Difficulty accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Difficulty accessibility:
- Zool Redimensioned (3 Difficulty Features)
- I Wanna Maker (2 Difficulty Features)
- Marsupilami: Hoobadventure (2 Difficulty Features)
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (2 Difficulty Features)
Getting Started
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Getting Started in Super Mario Run which deal with what support is offered to get started with the game. This includes customising the experience when you first open the game via any onboarding processes it provides as well as tutorials and other assistance when you first start playing.
Assistance Getting Starting
These features aid your play of the game in terms of cognitive load on learning controls, dealing with pressure and coping with the environment and challenges.
Tutorials: There are helpful tutorials and instructions on how to play. Information is provided in a timely manner, with appropriate level of detail.
Assistance For Progressing
These features aid your progress through the game offering different ways of maintaining your progression.
Assisted Progress With Hints: The game notices if you get stuck (or you can press a button) and provides information to help you progress. This can offer hints or tutorials popping up during play. This includes hints after you have died, where it can suggest strategies or difficulty settings to adjust or offer to skip past problematic levels.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Getting Started
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Getting Started accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Getting Started accessibility:
- Night Skate (5 Getting Started Features)
- MouseCraft (5 Getting Started Features)
- PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night (5 Getting Started Features)
- Super Mario Odyssey (5 Getting Started Features)
Reading
We've documented 2 accessibility features for Reading in Super Mario Run which deal with how much reading or listening comprehension is required, how well the game provides visual and audible access to the text and whether subtitles and captions are a good fit for purpose.
Reading Level
How much reading is required to play the game's main path or story and how complex the language is. The presence of voiced characters doesn't reduce this requirement, as it's recorded as a separate datapoint.
Simple Minimal Reading: Minimal reading is required. The quantity and complexity of reading are at a level that a primary/elementary student (9-year-old) could understand.
Text Visibility
Large Clear Text: All essential text is large and clear or can be adjusted to be. The general text used throughout the game in menus, instructions and other key information (excluding subtitles that are assessed separately) is at least 1/20 (46 pixels on 1080 screen) the height on landscape screens and at least 1/40 height on portrait screens. We base this on the full line-height, including the space above and below the letters.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Reading
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Reading accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Reading accessibility:
- Super Mario Galaxy 2 (7 Reading Features)
- Super Mario Galaxy (7 Reading Features)
- Pompom (6 Reading Features)
- PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night (6 Reading Features)
Navigation
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Navigation in Super Mario Run which deals with how the game provides guidance and assistance to navigate its worlds. These are only for games that have traversal and exploration in 2D and 3D spaces.
Clarity
Large Clear Navigation: The in-game navigation and maps are clear to read. They offer large text and offer markers that are large and of high contrast. Where text or information is small, there are settings to zoom-in and increase visibility.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Navigation
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Navigation accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Navigation accessibility:
- Mario vs. Donkey Kong (5 Navigation Features)
- PJ Masks: Heroes of the Night (5 Navigation Features)
- Pyro Jump Rescue (4 Navigation Features)
- Night Skate (4 Navigation Features)
Visual
We've documented 3 accessibility features for Visual in Super Mario Run which deal with how you can adjust the visuals to suit your needs, and offer additional information if you can't hear the game.
Contrast
Medium Contrast: Game uses generally well contrasting and bright visuals, or has a slider to make this the case.
Interactive Elements
Large Game Elements: Game characters and other elements are large and distinguishable. Enemies and player characters are at least 1/6 of the height of the screen. Or there is a zoom feature to make them larger.
Colour Options
Colour Blind Friendly: Game doesn’t rely on colour or can switch to colour blind friendly mode with double coding or similar way to avoid colour dependance.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Visual
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Visual accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Visual accessibility:
- Pyro Jump Rescue (7 Visual Features)
- Cyber Shadow (7 Visual Features)
- Night Skate (6 Visual Features)
- Pompom (6 Visual Features)
Audio
We've documented 1 accessibility feature for Audio in Super Mario Run which deals with how you can adjust the audio of the game and whether audio cues compensate for aspects of the game that are hard to see.
Play Without Hearing
Play Without Hearing: No audio cues are necessary to play the game well.
Similar Games With More Accessibility Features for Audio
If you want to play Super Mario Run, but it doesn't offer the Audio accessibility features you require, these similar games extend the Audio accessibility:
- Pompom (3 Audio Features)
- Zool Redimensioned (3 Audio Features)
- Jetpack Joyride (3 Audio Features)
- Sonic Superstars (2 Audio Features)
Communication
We haven’t documented any accessibility features for Communication in Super Mario Run which deal with how you can communicate with other players in the game and what options are available to customise and control this interaction. The following games are similar to Super Mario Run, and offer accessibility features for Communication:
- I Wanna Maker (1 Communication Feature)
- Summer Catchers (1 Communication Feature)
- Crossy Road Castle (1 Communication Feature)
- Super Mario Maker (1 Communication Feature)
System Accessibility Settings
In addition to the accessibility features provided in the game, you can also use system-wide accessibility settings:
Android
Android has accessibility settings including ways to navigate and interact, although not all games support this.
iOS
iOS has a very extensive suite of accessibility settings including ways to navigate with voice and comprehensive screen reading, though most of the features don't work with games.
Read more about system accessibility settings.
Accessibility Report supported by VSC Rating Board, PlayabilityInitiative and accessibility contributors Andy Robertson