Mario Kart Tour looks the part, but is let down by the typical mobile shop features and a clunky control system.
I have been a rabid Mario Kart fan ever since I was able to pick up a video game controller. Over the last two decades I’ve given each entry in the series a spin, from the early-noughties GameCube title Double Dash all the way up to the latest Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Switch.
I’ve spent countless hours perfecting my driving line on certain courses, racking up an embarrassingly large amount of points through online multiplayer, and beating friends on the regular. So, naturally, you can imagine my excitement when a new mobile game was announced – Mario Kart Tour.
The game finally released today and after an hour or so of play, I’ve found that it’s a mixed bag of gorgeous graphics, momentary racing thrills, and frustrating control schemes that dampen the fun at nearly every turn. It’s a more substantial Nintendo mobile game than Animal Crossing or Miitomo and will keep you engaged for longer, but if you want the full experience it’ll cost you more than a few pennies and probably won’t be as satisfying as the main games.
How does Mario Kart Tour work?
Mario Kart Tour is structured differently to previous versions of the franchise and utilises mechanics that cater toward typical mobile gaming behaviours.
Rather than dropping you into a full grand prix with four long races at a time, for example, Mario Kart Tour splits its cups into singular, shortened races that you can opt in and out of at any time. The focus is on short bursts of play rather than long sessions and for the most part this works well.
Each race is two laps long and there’s a variety of combo scores, currencies, and XP opportunities to continually level up as you go. As expected there is a premium currency alongside the freemium ‘coins’ and you can purchase bundle packages to unlock specific content.
It can be a bit intimidating at first as there’s a lot here to wrap your head around, but once it does click you’ll find tons of interesting ways to customise your kart and get the best scores possible.
Old courses are back from various eras of Mario Kart as well as new ones based on real world locations, including both New York and Paris. You can now carve up the track and jump through the Eiffel Tower…or trash the city, apparently.
https://youtu.be/84uYTXyLS3c