8 Android alternatives to Super Mario Run
Fed up of waiting for Nintendo's plumber to make it to Android? Get your 2D platforming fix here!
Super Mario Run is a great addition to your mobile gaming arsenal. It’s fast, easy to pick up and a challenge to master, and despite what some idiots with no appreciation for the value of things might say, it’s an absolute bargain at £7.99.
In fact, our only beef with Mario’s first outing on mobile is that it’s currently only available on iOS devices. We do now know that it’s on its way to Android, but there’s not yet a date for the release. How on Earth are us Android users going to pass the time until it arrives?!
Never fear: we’re here to help you scratch that platforming itch with this selection of awesome Android alternatives to Nintendo’s headline-grabbing plumbing simulator. If it’s 2D, involves lots of jumping and brilliant, it’s here.
Rayman Adventures
Long before Super Mario Run, Rayman was looking to make the jump from beloved console character to mobile gaming darling and, unlike Mario, he was trying to do it for free.
Thankfully, Rayman Adventures avoids dragging players into the bottomless pit of microtransactional hell by relegating the pay-for extras to inessential purchases that are easily resisted.
That leaves you to focus on helping the automatically running Rayman navigate his way through a beautifully colourful cartoon world packed with furry critters that grant power-ups when collected. The zaniness and crafty level design of the Rayman series are in full form here, making this a must-download for all platforming fans.
Price: Free + IAP
GameStart 2015
Ever wanted a simple Mega Man clone on your phone for free? Look no further than this promo game from the folks behind the phenomenal GameStart Asia event. Made just to hype up GameStart 2015, this run-and-gun platformer puts you in the boots of Alyse, who has to shoot and jump her way through a gauntlet of short-yet-challenging stages capped off with bosses from different Southeast Asia-made titles.
This game is also the creation of Seow “Sonic” Zonghui, the creator behind the PC fan game Street Fighter X Mega Man, hence the Mega Man-style aesthetic and level structure. This free title also comes with a load of unlockable characters with their own unique attacks, so you can tackle and replay any of the stages in a different way.
Despite it being just an ad game, there’s a heck of a lot more work and soul in this than so much of what makes it onto the Google Play Store. Give it a shot; you might come out surprised.
Price: Free
Super Cat Bros
The best mobile platformers have streamlined controls for easy on-the-go action, and while Super Cat Bros doesn’t take the "less is more" mantra quite as far as Super Mario Run (which gives you nothing more to do than run), its simple controls are still a real strength.
You play as a cuddly black-and-white cat stuck in a fantasy universe as you complete levels, tapping left to move left and right to move right. It’s incredibly straightforward, but also full of mobile-tailored nuances. Double-tap a direction to make your cat run, for example, and scale walls by walking up to them. Run off a cliff or platform edge and you jump. You have to use all of these skills if you want to make it far.
With simple controls made for mobile devices, Super Cat Bros is far beyond just a stylized Mario knock-off.
Price: Free + IAP
Don’t Grind
Ok, so this might not be a platformer as such, but this little ditty will attract you with its simple premise, stylized art and squeaky saccharine sounds.
Basically, you just tap the screen to make your selected Grindable jump around the screen to avoid the grindey doom below. You also swipe left or right to make it jump in either direction. As has quickly become the theme with this list, simplicity is key, but you still need good reflexes to avoid hazards that come at you from all sides, be it bullets, lasers, or retractable saws.
It’s an endless equivalent of brilliant-but-rock-hard Xbox and PC platformer Super Meat Boy, and it’s addictive largely because it has that classic “just one more go” quality. The game is free with ads, but you can remove those for a tiny one-off fee.
Price: Free + IAP
Dan The Man
On-screen virtual buttons have come a long way since the days that developers half-heartedly ported over their console platforming titles with controls fiddlier than an orchestra’s string section.
These days you get games such as Dan The Man, which is more complex in its controls than most of the other games here but still brilliantly precise and lag-free.
Brought to you by the folks behind Jetpack Joyride, Dan The Man is a simple action platformer with a pixelated aesthetic and sprawling levels ripe with secrets and bonuses. While the fighting and close-quarters combat is plentiful, there’s still plenty of platform-jumping and vertical climbing involved.
If you like your platformers to ooze with 90s retro console feel and with a bit more bang for no bucks at all, this one’s for you.
Price: Free + IAP
Bean Dreams
This platforming gem is tailor-made for phones. You play a Mexican jumping bean who has to complete waves of levels set in grassy knolls, cityscapes, and bathhouses. The kicker? Said bean is constantly jumping.
What you have to do is control the direction of each jump, which sounds simple but hides a surprising amount of depth, especially as you’ll find yourself challenged to complete each level with the fewest jumps possible.
All of Bean Dreams’ curveballs and level twists are laid out in a fair yet challenging manner, just as the should be in any top-tier platformer.
Coupled with an Amiga-like aesthetic and a lovely catchy soundtrack, Bean Dreams is rightly regarded as a mobile platforming classic.
Price: Free + IAP
VVVVVV
The original, indie, gravity-swapping, neo-retro “platformer”, VVVVVV sees you play as a lone space explorer who has to find out what’s going on in an abandoned space station. While there isn’t any literal jumping, you can reverse the direction of gravity to make you freefall your way down to platforms while avoiding spikes and hazards. See a bunch of electric pitfalls in front of you? Flip gravity around so you can walk on the ceiling.
That’s a very simple example, though, and the majority of the hazards and puzzles you’ll face are far more fiendish, with later sections having you pressing the gravity-reversing button multiple times to make your character “glide” through narrow crevices.
You will die a lot, but the checkpoints are at the start of each room so replaying tough sections isn’t too grating. The soundtrack is ace too, lovingly composed by chiptune maestro SoulEye.
Price: £1.99
Vulture Island
If you’d rather have a more exploration-heavy 2D platformer along the lines of Cave Story and La Mulana, you absolutely can’t go wrong with Vulture Island. Heck, even if point-and-click adventure games are more your style you’ll find lots to love here.
You play as three kids stranded on the titular island after a gyrocopter accident. You switch between the characters on a constant basis, tackling different sections with each. Can’t solve of the three kid’s puzzles? Switch character and try a different section and you might find that helps with the other one.
Exploring the island is the crux of this game, but most of the puzzles here are more than just “jump on these platforms to go from point A to B”. You will have to combine items into other weird contraptions to solve certain puzzle obstacles.
While this platformer isn’t as short or conventional as many others on this list, it is worth it if you want something a bit more complex.
Price: £3.99
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