Dr. Mario World

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Dr. Mario World was a puzzle game in the Dr. Mario series for iOS and Android smartphones. The game was originally set to release on July 10, 2019^[1], but ended up being released a day earlier on July 9.^[2] It is a free to download game with in-app purchases that was co-developed by Nintendo, LINE, and NHN Entertainment, and was available initially in 59 countries/regions including Japan and the United States. The game supports multiple languages including Japanese and English. Dr. Mario World is the second Mario game for mobile devices, following Super Mario Run, though it is the first free-to-play mobile game featuring microtransactions and gacha mechanics in the Mario series. Pre-registration for the game opened on July 1.^[3] Like Super Mario Run, the game requires a constant internet connection to play the game. Dr. Mario World closed on October 31, 2021 with the Dr. Mario World Memories website being available from October 31, 2021 to April 27, 2022.^[4]

Dr. Mario World takes advantage of the touchscreen controls of the smartphone, where players can drag capsules with the touchscreen to eliminate viruses, though the core gameplay is slightly tweaked in the single player as opposed to prior Dr. Mario titles in that players solve puzzles with a limited number of capsules rather than infinite capsules against a time limit. New gameplay elements include four introduced colors of viruses: green, light-blue, purple, and pink viruses, which occur mixed in the regular red, blue, and yellow viruses later in the game. Dr. Mario World features the debut of playable Mario characters as doctors than prior Dr. Mario games. These doctors have special abilities which help clear levels more easily. In addition, doctors can be paired with a wide variety of assistants, which constitute primarily of generic Mario enemies. As well as having a single player mode, Dr. Mario World introduces a competitive Versus mode, where players battle against opponents online in a gameplay style similar to the traditional Dr. Mario games.

Gameplay[]

The gameplay is somewhat similar to the previous Dr. Mario titles, but with some differences. The capsules must be dragged by the player onto the board. Tapping the capsule will make it rotate. Notably, the board in Dr. Mario World gravitates upwards, as opposed to previous Dr. Mario games, which gravitated downward. The three red, yellow, and blue viruses from previous games appear, alongside new green, purple, light-blue, and pink ones.

Dr. Mario World is different from pervious entries in the series in that there is a limited number of capsules. The number of capsules varies depending on the level. There is also a star system, where the player will gain stars depending on how well they did and how many capsules they have left.

Aside from viruses, there are other things that appear on the board. Shells, which clear a whole row when matched up, bombs, which destroy everything in a 3 x 3 radius when cleared, and locks, which unlock cells that contain viruses.

There are nine worlds in the game, which are a grassland, a desert, a beach, a haunted house, a cloud land, a mountain, an amusement park, a Super Mario Galaxy themed world, a jungle, and snow world. New worlds will be added later.

There are several playable doctors, all characters from the Mario series. When the player starts, they play as Dr. Mario. After clearing enough levels, the player will have the option to choose between him, Dr. Peach, and Dr. Bowser. The two doctors not chosen can be obtained from the staffing menu, along with other doctors. There is also assistants, which are all enemies from the Mario series. Each character and assistant. has a special skill.

Additionally, making enough matches will allow the player to use rainbow capsules, which match with any kind of color.

Levels in Dr. Mario World can only be played if the player has at least one heart. Hearts will replenish over time. Additionally, clearing a level replenishes a heart.

Dr. Mario World has an in-game currency known as Diamonds. Diamonds can be used to purchase more capsules if the player runs out. Diamonds must be purchased with real money at the shop.

Doctors[]

Name	Stage Mode Skill	Versus Mode Skill
Dr. Mario	Clears rows (1) in the lowest position.	Clears rows (1) in the lowest position.
Dr. Bowser	Clears rows (2) at random.	Clears rows (1) at random.
Dr. Peach	Clears columns (1) at random.	Clears columns (1) at random.
8-Bit Dr. Mario	Immediately eliminates special viruses (3).	Prevents opponent from controlling half-capsules (duration in seconds: 4).
Dr. Baby Daisy	Changes next capsules (4) into matching-color capsules.	Changes next capsules (2) into matching-color capsules.
Dr. Baby Luigi	Changes objects (1) into shells.	Changes objects (1) in your stage into shells.
Dr. Baby Mario	Changes objects (1) into exploders.	Changes objects (1) in your stage into exploders.
Dr. Baby Peach	Changes next capsules (2) into rainbow capsules.	Changes next capsules (1) into rainbow capsules.
Dr. Baby Rosalina	Changes objects (1) into rainbow capsules.	Changes objects (2) in your stage into rainbow capsules.
Dr. Baby Wario	Collects all coins at the targeted location.	Sends coins (3) to your opponent.
Dr. Blooper	Immediately eliminates viruses (2) of the most common color in the stage.	Immediately eliminates viruses (2) of the most common color in the stage.
Dr. Boo	Eliminates objects in a random 2 x 2 area, including objects that require multiple matches.	Eliminates objects in a random 1 x 1 area, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Bowser Jr.	Pops bubbles (10).	Hides viruses (2) in opponents stage in bubbles.
Dr. Daisy	Eliminates an object (tap to choose).	Eliminates objects in a 1 x 1 area (tap to choose center).
Dr. Diddy Kong	Changes next full capsules (4) into two half-capsules.	Changes next full capsules (3) into two half-capsules.
Dr. Dolphin	Pops bubbles (4).	Hides viruses (1) in opponent's stage in bubbles.
Dr. Donkey Kong	Eliminates objects at the targeted location by throwing a barrel.	Sends rows (1) of viruses to your opponent.
Dr. Dry Bowser	Clears rows (2) at random, including objects that require multiple matches.	Clears rows (1) at random, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Fire Mario	Clears rows (1) in lowest position, including objects that require multiple matches.	Clears rows (1) in lowest position, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Fire Luigi	Clears leftmost columns (1) and lowest rows (1), including objects that require multiple matches.	Clears leftmost columns (1) and lowest rows (1), including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Fire Peach	Clears columns (1) at random, including objects that require multiple matches.	Clears columns (1) at random, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Fire Rosalina	Eliminates objects in a random 3 x 3 area, including objects that require multiple matches.	Eliminates objects in a random 3 x 3 area, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Goomba Tower	Selects locations (10) at random and eliminates objects at those locations.	Selects locations (6) at random and eliminates objects at those locations.
Dr. Iggy	Immediately eliminates floatie viruses (3).	Sends floatie viruses (3) that can be eliminated with one match to your opponent.
Dr. Kamek	Immediately eliminates viruses (4) of the most common color in the stage.	Immediately eliminates viruses (4) of the most common color in the stage.
Dr. King Boo	Eliminates viruses (5) at random, including viruses that require multiple matches.	Eliminates viruses (4) at random, including viruses that require multiple matches.
Dr. Koopa Troopa	Breaks blocks (4) one time.	Changes viruses (1) in opponent's stage into blocks.
Dr. Larry	Immediately breaks colorful crates (7).	Sends colorful crates (2) to your opponent.
Dr. Lemmy	Immediately breaks barrels (10).	Hides viruses (1) in opponent's stage in barrels.
Dr. Ludwig	Breaks ice on objects (10) one time.	Hides viruses (2) in opponent's stage in ice.
Dr. Luigi	Eliminates objects in an L shape.	Prevents opponent's capsules from rotating (duration in seconds:5)
Dr. Luma	Causes viruses in lowest rows (6) to move upward until they collide with another object (some exceptions).	Causes viruses in lowest rows (5) to move upward until they collide with another object (some exceptions).
Dr. Morton	Changes bubble machines or ice fans (3) into empty blocks.	Hides viruses (2) in opponent's stage in ice or bubbles.
Dr. Nabbit	Increases score by 3000 points.	Changes objects (2) in your stage into exploders, shells, or rainbow capsules.
Dr. Petey Piranha	Immediately eliminates objects (1) in lowest position of each column. If an object can't be eliminated, it won't be.	Eliminates objects (1) in lowest position of each column, including objects that require multiple matches.
Dr. Piranha Plant	Eliminates objects (3) at random.	Eliminates objects (2) at random.
Dr. Rosalina	Capsule pieces that have stopped moving can be moved again for 7 seconds.	Randomly changes the form of virus (2) in opponent's stage.
Dr. Roy	Immediately breaks crates (7).	Sends crates (2) to your opponent.
Dr. Toad	Selects locations (10) and eliminates objects at those locations.	Selects locations (5) and eliminates objects at those locations.
Dr. Toadette	Changes objects (2) into handy boxes at random.	Hides viruses (2) in opponent's stage in clouds.
Dr. Waluigi	Eliminates dust virus (10).	Changes viruses (2) in opponent's stage into dust virus.
Dr. Wario	Adds capsules (3) to your total. In timed stages, adds seconds to the clock (6).	Prevents opponents's attack meter from filling (duration in seconds: 3).
Dr. Wendy	Breaks blocks (10) one time.	Changes (2) viruses in opponent's stage into blocks.
Dr. Yoshi	Eliminates objects (3) at random.	Eliminates objects (3) at random.

Assistants[]

Name	Stage Mode Skill	Versus Mode Skill
Amp	Grants 20% chance an exploder will appear on stage start.	Grants 20% chance an exploder will appear on stage start.
Ant Trooper	Fills skill meter 30% more when four or more viruses are eliminated at the same time.	If targeted by opponent's skill, grants 30% chance of canceling skill effects.
Banzai Bill	Grants 10% chance of easier skill meter increase.	If you send viruses to your opponent, grants 10% chance of sending an extra row.
Blooper	Grants 10% chance initial capsules (2) will be matching-color.	Grants 20% chance initial capsules (4) will be matching-color.
Bob-omb	Increases score by 400 points.	If opponent uses a skill, grants 4% chance attack meter fills instantly.
Bomb Boo	Grants 5% chance of extra capsules (3) when the number of capsules remaining reaches 3.	Grants 50% chance of half-full skill meter on stage start.
Bone Goomba	Grants 20% chance rotating cannons (1) will appear on stage start.	Grants 20% chance rotating cannons (2) will appear on stage start.
Bony Beetle	Increases score by 15% when four or more viruses are eliminated at the same time.	If only three rows remain, grants 20% chance to clear lowest rows (1).
Boo	Fills skill meter 10% more when yellow viruses are eliminated.	Increases speed both your and your opponent's skill meters fill by 20%.
Boom Boom	Grants 20% chance an exploder will appear on stage start.	If an object has reached the 2nd row from the bottom line, grants 20% chance that all capsules will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Boomerang Bro.	Increases base score by 50 points for every light-blue virus eliminated.	Grants 20% chance a shell will appear on stage start.
Broozer	Grants 20% chance pop cannons (1) will appear on stage start.	Grants 20% chance pop cannons (2) will appear on stage start.
Bullet Bill	Grants 4% chance of full skill meter on stage start.	Grants 20% chance of full skill meter on stage start.
Buzzy Beetle	Grants 20% chance a shell will appear on stage start.	Grants 20% chance a shell will appear on stage start.
Cheep Cheep	Grants 5% chance viruses (2) will be eliminated on stage start.	Grants 10% chance your attacks will be 10% faster.
Chain Chomp	Grants 10% chance rainbow meter sections (3) will be filled on stage start.	Grants 20% chance an exploder will appear on stage start.
Clampy	Grants 10% chance rainbow meter sections (3) will be filled on stage start.	Increases chance to defend by 2%.
Conkdor	Grants 15% chance rotating cannons (2) will appear on stage start.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 15% chance rotating cannons (2) will appear.
Crowber	Grants 10% chance of extra capsules (1) on stage start.	Increases number of cleared pieces to fill both your and your opponent's attack meters by 10%.
Dolphin	Increases base score by 50 points for every blue virus eliminated.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 20% chance an exploder will appear.
Dry Bones	Grants 5% chance of extra capsules (3) when all capsules have been used.	When next capsule appears, grants 10% chance it will be a rainbow capsule.
Fish Bone	Grants 15% chance of extra capsules (2) when all capsules have been used. (Once only).	Grants 30% chance of defending against four-row attacks.
Fly Guy	Increases base score by 50 points for every red virus eliminated.	Increases speed both your and your opponent's attack meters fill by 10%.
Fuzzy	Grants 5% chance of initial capsules (3) will be matching-color.	If opponent uses a skill, grants 4% chance to clear a column in your stage.
Galoomba	Grants 20% chance pop cannons (1) will appear on stage start.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 15% chance pop cannons (2) will appear.
Goomba	Increases score by 1%.	If opponent attacks, grants 4% chance attack meter fills instantly.
Goombrat	Fills skill meter 10% more when blue viruses are eliminated.	If opponent attacks, grants 30% chance the next capsule will be a rainbow capsule.
Hammer Bro.	Increases capsule float time by 1.2x.	If opponent uses skill, grant 4% chance to clear a column in your stage.
Honey Queen	Grants 10% chance a skill charger will appear on stage start.	Grants 30% chance a skill charger will appear on stage start.
Huckit Crab	Increases base score by 50 points for every yellow virus eliminated.	Grants 20% chance a rainbow capsule will appear within 20 seconds of match start.
King Bob-omb	Grants 5% chance viruses (2) will be eliminated on stage start.	If you send viruses to your opponent, grants 4% chance of sending an extra row.
King Boo	Grants 4% chance of extra capsules (5) when the number of capsules remaining reaches 5.	If you send viruses to the opponent, grants 3% chance of sending 2 extra rows.
Koopa Paratroopa	Increases base score by 50 points for every red virus eliminated.	If an object has reached the 2nd row from the bottom line, grants 20% chance that all capsules will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Koopa Troopa	Grants 50 bonus points for capsules remaining on stage clear.	If opponent attacks, grants 4% chance attack meter fills instantly.
Lakitu	Grants bonus points (50) for every capsule remaining on stage clear.	Grants 10% chance initial capsules (6) will be matching-color.
Mechakoopa	Increases base score by 50 points for every yellow virus eliminated.	Increases speed both your and your opponent's attack meters fill by 10%.
Monty Mole	Grants 10% chance to earn 5 extra coins on stage clear.	If you eliminate a virus, grants 20% chance your attack meter will fill extra.
Octoomba	Grants 10% chance of half-full skill meter on stage start.	Decreases time until your and your opponent's stages begin to shrink by 10%.
Penguin	Fills skill meter 20% more when four or more viruses are eliminated at the same time.	Grants 30% chance of disregarding opponent's defense when attacking.
Piranha Plant	Grants 5% chance viruses (2) will be eliminated on stage start.	If an object has reached the 3rd row from the bottom line, grants 20% chance that all capsules will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Para-Beetle	Grants 20% chance a shell will appear on stage start.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 20% chance a shell will appear.
Parabomb	Grants 15% chance exploders (2) will appear on stage start.	Grants 15% chance exploders (2) will appear on stage start.
Paragoomba	Increases base score by 50 points for every blue virus eliminated.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 20% chance a shell will appear.
Peepa	Increases base score by 50 points for every green virus eliminated.	If all viruses in your stage are eliminated, grants 20% chance an exploder will appear.
Pokey	Grants 10% chance of extra seconds (3) in timed stages.	Grants 4% chance your attacks will be 20% faster.
Pom Pom	Grants 10% chance viruses (1) will be eliminated on stage start.	If you are about to lose, grants 20% chance that viruses (1) will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Porcupuffer	Grants 10% chance of extra seconds (3) in timed stages.	If opponent attacks, grants 6% chance received viruses will be matching-color.
Scaredy Rat	Increases base score by 50 points for every light-blue virus eliminated.	If opponent attacks, grants 6% chance received viruses will be matching-color.
Scuttlebug	Fills skill meter 10% more when red viruses are eliminated.	Decreases time until your and your opponent's stages begin to shrink by 10%.
Shy Guy	Grants 10% chance of easier skill meter increase.	Increases chance to defend by 2%.
Sledge Bro.	Grants 4% chance of full skill meter on stage start.	If you eliminate a virus, grants 20% chance your attack meter will fill extra.
Spike	Grants base score by 50 points for every green virus eliminated.	Grants 4% chance your attacks will be 20% faster.
Spiny	Grants 10% chance of rapid skill meter increase.	If opponent uses a skill, grants 4% chance attack meter fills instantly.
Spiny Cheep Cheep	Fills skill meter 10% faster.	If you are about to lose, grants 20% chance that viruses (1) will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Star Bunny	Grants 10% chance of full-size rainbow capsules when the rainbow meter fills.	If an opponent attacks, grants 30% chance the next capsule will be a rainbow capsule.
Stingby	Grants 8% chance of extra seconds (8) in timed stages.	If only eight rows remain, grants 10% chance to send rows (2) of viruses to your opponent.
Sumo Bro.	Grants 10% chance to earn extra coins (5) on stage clear.	Grants 20% chance a rainbow capsule will appear within 20 seconds of match start.
Sushi	If there are blue viruses (2) remaining, grants 40% chance all blue viruses will be eliminated.	Grants 30% chance of defending against two-row attacks.
Swoop	Increases score by 1%.	If an object has reached the 3rd row from the bottom line, grants 20% chance that all capsules will be eliminated. (Once only.)
Thwomp	Increases score by 400 points.	Increases number of cleared pieces required to fill both your and your opponent's attack meters by 10%.
Urchin	Grants 15% chance shells (2) will appear on stage start.	Grants 15% chance shells (2) will appear on stage start.
Whomp King	Increases score by 30% when viruses are eliminated with a rainbow capsule.	If opponent attacks, grants 20% chance rows of received viruses will be decreased by 1.
Wiggler	Grants 10% chance a skill charger will appear on stage start.	Decreases speed both your and your opponent's skill meters fill by 20%.
Yellow Shy Guy	If there are yellow viruses (2) remaining, grants 40% chance all yellow viruses will be eliminated.	Grants 30% chance of defending against one-row attacks.

Promotion[]

A Twitter account was created to promote Dr. Mario World. The account is "run" by the three main viruses, red, blue, and yellow, and it posts videos of the three viruses getting into various situations, often ending up with one of them touching a capsule and disappearing.

Reception[]

Critical reception[]

At launch, Dr. Mario World received generally mixed to somewhat negative reviews. Critics were somewhat divided but leaned positively on its puzzle aspect and its multiplayer mode, but near unanimously criticized its overabundance of microtransactions and its online requirement. It currently holds a score of 58 on Metacritic based on fifteen reviews^[5] and a score of 55.94% on GameRankings based on eight reviews.^[6]

Chris Carter of Destructoid gave the game a 6/10, praising the accessibility and puzzles the game has to offer, but criticized the microtransactions, claiming "I've been playing mobile games consistently since Flight Control in 2009; so you could say I've had many encounters with energy systems and the like. The situation is definitely case-by-case, nuanced, and depending on the game the juice can absolutely be worth the squeeze. But seeing cute Mario characters reduced to this, with all of the psychological tricks in the book thrown in, is depressing. Just energy, just "you can finish this hard level if you pay," or just gacha would have been a lot as it is."^[7] In a review without a score, Ben Bertoli of IGN expressed skepticism over the change in gameplay compared to previous entries in the series, and was slightly more critical of the microtransactions, stating "While it doesn't make it unplayable, to be sure, it makes it very clear from the get-go where this Dr. Mario's priorities lie." He concluded that it was still a fairly decent game to play for those who enjoy puzzle games.^[8] In an even more negative review, Glen Fox of Gamezebo gave the game a 2/5, criticizing practically everything about the game; he called the puzzles "artificial difficulty" and "uninspired," and raised a larger furor over the microtransactions, stating that he never expected Nintendo to engage in such predatory practices.^[9]

In stark contrast to other critics, Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life gave the game an 8/10, and praised mainly the multiplayer mode. While he agreed with other critics that the single-player mode was muddled with excessive microtransactions, he believed that the gameplay was fitting for a mobile device, and believed the multiplayer mode would be the game's highlight.^[10]

On the Google Play storefront, Dr. Mario World currently has an average user score of 3.9 out of 5, while on Apple's App Store, it has an average user score of a 4.5 out of 5.

Sales[]

Dr. Mario World received 2 million downloads in the first 72 hours of its launch.^[11] It also received $100,000 from its in-app purchases. While it had only half of the downloads Super Mario Run had in the same time window, which was exclusive only to iOS at launch, and it is the lowest grossing Nintendo mobile game at this launch window, Dr. Mario Worlds revenue is comparable to other games in its genre such as Candy Crush Friends Saga; Dr. Mario World generated 75% of the revenue compared to Candy Crush Friends Sagas $137,000 in the same markets.

Dr. Mario World has reached 5 million downloads globally and players have spent $500,000 on in-app purchases in its first week, which is comparable to the top 25 puzzle games in Dr. Mario Worlds genre. For example, Toon Blast grossed approximately $325 million in 2018, yet saw just $90,000 in its first week.^[12] Dr. Mario World charted as the #1 free iPhone app in Japan and #6 in the US.

Pre-release and unused content[]

Unused text strings for Dino Piranha and King Kaliente have been found in the games code.^[13]

References[]

External links[]

• Dr. Mario World at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
• Dr. Mario World at GameFAQs
• Official website