Nintendo’s mobile efforts have been divisive to say the least. Since the launch of Super Mario Run in 2016 it has struggled to combine its traditional quality of gameplay with mobile’s monetization in a fair and effective way. Few people seemed happy with Mario Run’s premium price of $10, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp’s dearth of content made it less than exciting to invest in, and Dragalia Lost, Fire Emblem Heroes, and Dr. Mario World all use familiar but frustrating microtransaction tactics that work against the gameplay. After racing through Mario Kart Tour, it seems Nintendo is still struggling with this difficult hurdle in this free-to-play version for iOS and Android. The numbers on the price tags next to Tour’s microtransactions are surprisingly big, but at least the actual driving works well and often feels impressively similar to a traditional Mario Kart game.

Similar, but definitely not equal to. The racing is more restrictive and simpler, making it an undeniable downgrade from Mario Kart 8, the most recent (and arguably best – fight me) Mario Kart, but the transition to one-handed mobile devices is handled well. Classic tracks have been tweaked and redesigned to take advantage of the vertical perspective and the single-input touch controls work well. You can choose traditional turning controls, which are recommended for newcomers, but I went with the drift controls option which locks you into a drift as soon as you start turning. It took some getting used to, but I felt comfortable sliding around wide turns to build up boost after only a few races. Swiping up to launch weapons forward works well, as does swiping down to drop them behind. I did run into some trouble making my way down winding paths, but during those moments where I was speeding down the track expertly launching turtle shells at my opponents I felt like I was playing a real Mario Kart game – an impressive feat on a phone.

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One of the smart elements of Tour that accounts for the mobile platform is the brief time commitment of each play session. Tracks are short and races are only two laps, as opposed to the typical three, and I liked getting through a race in just a few minutes. Likewise, a full cup is only three races, capped off with a unique mission involving hitting a certain number of jumps or racing through a certain number of rings, as a pair of examples. I like these special bonus races at the end of each cup because they let me use racers and karts I had not yet unlocked, and they also teach specific mechanics like how to take full advantage of the boosts awarded for hitting a jump. They’re also quicker than driving a full race, which again helps the pick-up-and-play nature of Mario Kart Tour.

“ It’s kind of crazy that Tour has launched as a single-player-only game.

Microtransaction Reaction Mario Kart Tour’s microtransactions are troubling. Currently you can buy a pack for $19.99 that includes 45 Rubies (which will give you 10 chances to unlock random drivers and karts), unlocks Mario as a driver (feel free to raise an eyebrow over him not being available from the beginning), and five Star Tickets, which can be exchanged for the Grand Stars necessary to continue the campaign. Alternatively (or on top of that), you can pay $4.99 a month (the first two weeks are free when you sign up) to regularly receive assorted goodies, drivers, and karts. Subscribing also gives you access to the 200cc speed. Racing at the higher speed does not award a better score or additional unlocks, but I don’t like that the fastest, most challenging mode is locked behind a paywall. Loading Those prices are way too high – you could quickly reach the cost of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at that rate – but I did not feel tempted to purchase them, and not just because of the sticker shock. You can race as much as you want as often as you want, but I played enough in a short amount of time that I was barred from racing certain cups despite having the proper number of stars. For those last few cups you have to wait a certain number of days for them to become available, but you can use quick tickets (which are occasionally unlocked through normal play and cannot be bought outright) to make them unlock faster. That’s just needlessly frustrating. The main incentive to spend real money is to get new randomized racers and karts from buying rubies to “fire off the pipe” which is truly what the process is called. You’re not earning loot boxes in the traditional sense, but it is functionally similar. If you unlock Baby Daisy twice, for example, it levels her up and makes her a slightly better racer, which makes it easier to earn more Grand Stars. Tour is generous with its playtime, presenting no barriers that ever completely prevent you from racing, but I did run into races where I could not unlock all of its stars, even if I came in first place, just because I did not have the right racer or kart yet. In those instances, I felt cheated out of the victory I’d earned.



I was able to have a satisfying playthrough of all Tour currently has to offer by taking advantage of the subscription service’s free two-week trial and not spending any money, but even then I was not able to get all the Grand Stars on each cup. When playing Mario Kart as a single-player racer (which is the only way to play it today) getting top honors on each cup is pretty much the only goal, and to be prevented from doing that just because the pipe has not yet seen fit to award me Diddy Kong is annoying.





The resulting races are still fun and enjoyable even if you’re not playing against real people, but I can’t help but feel as though I am being fooled. Looking through the various in-app manuals and FAQs, it doesn’t imply anywhere I am playing with others, but it also doesn’t talk about racing against A.I. – at least not anywhere I could see.Reached for comment on multiplayer, a Nintendo PR representative said: “We have nothing to announce on this topic."