Nintendo has finally slapped a price on Super Mario Run

Super Mario Run, the first mobile game featuring Nintendo's iconic mascot, will be landing on the iOS App Store on December 15. 

A portion of the game will be available to download for free, but players will need to shell out $9.99 to unlock the full experience. 

It's a price point that's sure to raise a few eyebrows, and with most App Store titles retailing for significantly less than $10, it's one that shows Nintendo has no qualms about betting big on its star franchise.

First unveiled by Shigeru Miyamoto at an Apple press event back in September, Super Mario Run was described by the veteran designer as a "full-fledged Mario game" built from the ground up for mobile devices. 

Unlike the famous plumber's console offerings, Super Mario Run is a one-touch platformer that sees Mario run through levels on his own, relying on players to guide him past obstacles by tapping the screen. 

Speaking to Time magazine shortly after the Apple event, Miyamoto explained Nintendo was bringing Mario to mobile because the market is simply too big to ignore.

"[There was] a point in time when our hardware systems were the number one gaming platforms in the world," said Miyamoto.

"But now we see that smart devices have reached significant penetration across the globe. So for us as designers, our goal is always to try to bring our characters and games to as broad an audience as possible."

Super Mario Run will actually be Nintendo's second mobile release of the year, following in the footsteps of social app Miitomo. 

Mobile games based on the Fire Emblem and Animal Crossing franchises are also due to release soon, with Nintendo promising to launch those titles by March 2017.