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Tips and tricks to master 'Super Mario Run,' the first ever Mario game for iPhone

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Tips and tricks to master 'Super Mario Run,' the first ever Mario game for iPhone

Having trouble collecting the five coins? Here are some tricks:

Having trouble collecting the five coins? Here are some tricks:

Sometimes, the coins are hidden in boxes that you punch (question marks boxes and regular bricks).

Sometimes, the coins are down at the bottom of a pit and it looks like certain death if you jump for them — but all you need to do is slide down the wall, which Mario will automatically do if you fall into a pit. As you collect the coin, tap the screen to hop from wall to wall, until you're out of the pit.

Sometimes, the coins are hidden inside of a Boo (the ghosts!). If you jump backwards over them while they're moving, they'll drop the coin and disappear. Jump backwards by jumping into a wall and wall-jumping off of it.

Sometimes, the coins require you jumping further backwards than it seems possible — if you use Princess Peach, you can float after jumping backwards (which extends the distance traveled).

Sometimes, you keep missing the last coin on a level and just want another shot. Tap the bubble icon in the top of the screen and you'll use one of your "lives" to enter a bubble. Since you're floated backwards while in the bubble, you can simply rewind part of the level by using one.

Most of the time, though, you just have to time your jumps really carefully and plan a route. And for that, there are no tips or tricks — just practice.

The game's three modes are deeply intertwined — finding the right balance of the three is crucial.

The game

Playing World Tour gets you Toad Rally tickets. Playing Toad Rally gets you new Toad followers for the rebuilding of the Mushroom Kingdom — the more followers, the higher your kingdom "level." The higher your kingdom's level, the larger is becomes. The larger is becomes, the more spaces you have to build things. Building houses for your Toads makes them happy, and they produce coins every day. The more stuff you put in your kingdom, the more stuff you unlock to put in your kingdom.

And so the cycle goes.

Focusing on the kingdom is important because it unlocks playable characters for the World Tour and Toad Rally modes. Want to play through World Tour as Toadette? Keep growing that kingdom (by crushing Toad Rally mode)!

Get better at Toad Rally!

Get better at Toad Rally!

If you're having a hard time in Toad Rally, we've got some ideas:

-Try your best to chain moves — bounce from enemy to enemy, and plan your route carefully. The route repeats, so you have some time to figure it out.

-As you land on an enemy, tap the screen — Mario (or Peach or Toad or whoever) will bounce ever higher with each landing and corresponding tap. The game is very forgiving about timing on these, so don't worry about making it perfect. If you look anywhere close to landing it, try tapping the screen.

-Collect as many coins as possible, and focus on the pink coins especially. Your goal in Toad Rally is to impress the Toads that are watching the race. To this end, they like it when you essentially parkour through the level, snagging pink coins as you go.

-If you see a star, prioritize getting to it. Getting a star power-up will vacuum in coins as you go, which is likely to result in a "Coin Rush" (where coins shower out from all over the place). It's a great way to go from doing okay to doing very well.

-If you're losing over and over, try playing against the Nintendo AI character. Or take a break! It's casual. But don't stack a bunch of losses, as it'll dig a hole (every time you lose, some of your Toad friends leave town).

There are some secret moves other than tapping:

There are some secret moves other than tapping:

Well, there's at least one secret move — swiping backwards in mid-air. While playing as Mario, you can swipe against the direction you're moving while in mid-air to stall. It's called, appropriately enough, the "Midair Stall." Go figure.

If you tap on the menu icon in the lower left corner of the screen and click, "Notebook," you'll find a "Tips and Tricks" section that details all the special moves of every character in the game.

For instance, Princess Peach floats if you touch and hold the screen while in mid-air. Yoshi has a similar effect, called the "Flutter Jump." Give it a look yourself!

Check your kingdom daily for new stuff and bonus levels!

Check your kingdom daily for new stuff and bonus levels!

The kingdom is, if nothing else, a means of keeping you hooked in long after you've finished the initial 24 levels of World Tour mode. And as such, there are new things every day.

-If you play Toad Rally every day, for instance, there's a reward waiting for you in the My Nintendo section of the kingdom.

-If you have Toads with houses, they'll start producing coins that replenish daily.

-If you have a bonus level house (which you should after playing World Tour mode), you should play it once a day for free coins and Toad Rally tickets.

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