Hello, Mario! is a new made-for-kids app as part of Nintendo's big Mario push

• Hello, Mario! is Nintendo's new pitch into the Mario lifestyle circle
• It comes as part of the new My Mario line of products
• Poke, prod and pinch Mario's face like in the 64 version to get various reactions

Those of you back in the day (and those who played the DS port) will remember Mario 64. A seismic shift in platformers, for sure. But you know what really made it? The ability to tug, prod and stretch Mario's newly polygonated face! And that childish glee is something that Nintendo want to emulate with the new app Hello, Mario!

Alright, perhaps not to that grotesque a degree. But Hello, Mario! is an upcoming app meant to offer something of that interactive fun. Aimed at children and parents, it's aimed at encouraging children to try different inputs centred on Mario's face, allowing them to see all manner of reactions.

It's part of a whopping new push called 'My Mario' by Nintendo to once more reinforce the middle-aged Italian plumber's odd position as a favourite of kids worldwide. The new line of Mario-themed products includes not just this app, but building blocks, board books and other accessories, with Hello, Mario! arriving on iOS, Android and Switch.

Its-a-me!

Having shied away from mobile for so long, any news of Nintendo leaning towards our humble platform (sarcasm intended) is newsworthy. More than that, it's also indicative of Nintendo shifting to a weird pseudo-lifestyle brand format. After all, for many of us, discovering Mario as kids was done via gaming, not by picture books.

Either way, though, it shows that mobile is certainly not the only avenue, especially given it's standing toe-to-toe with Switch in having this new app delivered right to it! Who knows, maybe we can expect some other crossover launches in the near future?

With the line of products (including Hello, Mario!) starting their release cycle on August 26th, we may not need to wait long to find out.

Meanwhile, if you want to see what kind of competition Nintendo might have in its most well-trodden genre, why not check out our list of the best platformers for Android to see what options there are out there?