Dr. Mario World

Dr. Mario World
Developer	Nintendo, LINE, NHN Entertainment
Publisher	Nintendo
System	ioS, Android
Release Date	July 9, 2019
Rating	ESRB: E

Dr. Mario World is a puzzle game that was released in 2019 as a mobile spin-off of the Dr. Mario games. It follows a free-to-play model, wherein the game is available for free, but the player can use their own money to unlock different characters, items and other features within the game.

Story

The Mushroom Kingdom has been overrun by Viruses. They have infected not only the citizens of the kingdom, but Bowser's minions as well. Dr. Mario sets off to try to stop the viruses, but he is not alone this time. United by a common cause, Peach and Bowser also step up to help in the battle against the viruses.

Gameplay

This game utilizes a revamped version of the original gameplay style of Dr. Mario. Capsules now float from the bottom of the screen and can be guided through the touch screen. There are also a limited number of capsules that can be used per stage. The player can also choose when to send capsules out, and there are only some stages that have the viruses scrolling downwards. New obstacles and items are also present on the field, such as blocks that can also be destroyed by the capsules. There are also variations on the viruses, such as ones that take multiple hits to defeat or that are initially trapped within bubbles.

Some stages require the player to fulfill different conditions such as collecting coins rather than destroy all of the viruses. There are also bombs and koopa shells which can destroy viruses around them if set off by capsules of the same color. Players will also sometimes gain a rainbow capsule, which can be used to match any color of capsule or virus. Throughout a stage, a player's skill meter will also fill up, at which point the player can use their special skill, which usually can take out multiple viruses at once.

In addition to Dr. Mario himself, this game features numerous other playable characters. Each character has a different skill that they can deploy. There are also assistant characters, who add different bonuses for the player. The player can have two assistants equipped at the same time. The player also has hearts, with one heart being used for each attempt at a stage in Stage Mode. Once one's hearts are exhausted, the player has to wait to play again or purchase more hearts. Real-world currency can be used to buy diamonds, which can be used for the in-game purchases. Alternately, coins accrued during gameplay can be put towards those purchases. Purchases include hearts, special gameplay items and tickets for the Staffing feature. The Staffing feature is where the player can unlock new doctors and assistants. This follows a gacha model, in which the player cannot choose the character they get and will get one at random. If the player gets a duplicate character, then it gets merged with the existing one and raises their Skill level. After a character has reached their maximum skill level, they will no longer appear in the Staffing feature.

There are two modes to the game. Stage Mode is the main mode, in which the player progresses through stages set within different areas. There is also Versus Mode, where two players can have competitive matches. There is no limit on the amount of Versus Mode matches. By winning matches in Versus Mode, the player will earn coins and increase in ranking. Leveling up in tiers will come with prizes and occasionally special discounts at the game's shop. Each day, the player can unlock a battle box by winning seven matches. This will allow the player to gain three random prizes, including a chance of gaining some assistants that cannot be obtained through the Staffing feature.

The app receives monthly updates which add new stages, characters and assistants. There are also sometimes special events in which bonuses can be earned by completing tasks, and special stages may appear for a limited time.

Playable Characters

The following is the starting roster, which was available from the app's beginning. Dr. Mario, Dr. Peach and Dr. Bowser are the three characters the player chooses from near the beginning of the game (after temporarily playing as just Dr. Mario). All other characters must be unlocked through the Staffing feature.

• Dr. Mario
• Dr. Peach
• Dr. Bowser
• Dr. Luigi
• Dr. Yoshi
• Dr. Toad
• Dr. Toadette
• Dr. Bowser Jr.
• Dr. Ludwig
• Dr. Wendy

The following characters became available in updates after the app's initial release.

August 2019:

• Dr. Daisy
• Dr. Wario
• Dr. Waluigi

September 2019:

• Dr. Baby Mario
• Dr. Baby Luigi
• Dr. Baby Peach
• Dr. Baby Daisy

October 4, 2019:

• Dr. Rosalina
• Dr. Luma

October 31, 2019:

• Dr. Donkey Kong
• Dr. Diddy Kong