Let’s A-GO! How To Get Super Mario Guidance On Google Maps Today (Updated)
Google often brings themed additions to its wildly popular Google Maps navigation app to celebrate pop culture. We’ve seen it previously with nods to Star Wars: The Force Awakens and last year with a Ms. Pac-Man shout-out. This time around, Google is showing some love for Nintendo’s most iconic character: Mario.
Tomorrow is Mario Day, as in March 10th or Mar10, and to celebrate, Mario will take over as your directional guide in the Google Maps app. When punching in your destination, a yellow tappable question mark block (which should be familiar to those that have played countless Mario games) will pop up. Once you hit the question mark, you will be able to enable “Mario Time”.
During your route, Mario will ride along with you on a red go-kart until you arrive at your final destination. Google says that this Mario integration will be available for one week, so you will have plenty of time to get motorin’ with gaming’s favorite plumber (sorry, Luigi).
There’s also an added bonus if you don’t mind some repetitive tapping. If you tap the question mark 100 times before unleashing Mario, you’ll be greeted with an Easter egg in the form of the iconic 1-UP sounds from Nintendo’s library of games.
In order to hop in the driver’s next to Mario, you will need to install an updated version of Google Maps for Android or iOS, which will be available later today.
