Nintendo is continuing to bring more of its beloved franchises to the mobile market, and the upcoming release of Dr. Mario World is the next step in that process. Announced just a couple weeks ago, this mobile adaptation of Dr. Mario brings a gameplay style similar to the successful Candy Crush Saga, and it will be incorporating its own take on online multiplayer with friends.

Nintendo has released a new video detailing Dr. Mario World's multiplayer features, showcasing how they'll work alongside social media and versus play. Users will be able to link their social media accounts in order to make it easy to find friends. Players will be able to see their friends scores and rankings, and they will also be able to invite them to join in versus play.

Versus play is similar to the standard single-player mode shown in the game's first trailer, however, it adds an "Attack Meter" that throws additional "viruses" on the opponent's board once it's filled. Character also have their own special skills they can use to help clear their boards as quickly as possible. For example, Princess Peach's skill allows her to remove an entire row of viruses at random, while Toad's skill removes five viruses, at random, from across the board. In the first trailer, Toad's skill caused ten viruses to be removed, though it appears Nintendo has nerfed that skill in multiplayer to make the game more balanced.

Still following the approach of Candy CrushDr. Mario World will be available as a free download, and it comes with five worlds to play at launch, with more planned for release in the future. Those new worlds will likely come at a cost, and additional lives, diamonds, and coins will also be available for purchase, with real money, should players choose to do so. It will be possible to earn enough coins and diamonds to buy new characters without having to pay, though it will take much longer.

Time will tell if Dr. Mario World is able to attract a large audience over an extended period of time. This isn't the first time a mobile game has taken the nuts and bolts of Candy Crush's success and tried to mold it into something 'new," though none of those who've tried to clone the game's success are as popular as Nintendo. Plus, Nintendo has found success with mobile games before, and, with the Mario name attached to it, Dr. Mario World may have enough to win people over.

Dr. Mario World launches on July 10th for iOS and Android devices.

Source: Polygon