Mario Kart Tour Concludes The Mario Mobile Trilogy Of The 2010s

Mario Kart Tour is finally here and available for iOS and Android devices [8]! Before its release, I could tell that there has been quite a lot of hype for it and even I was looking forward to it, planning to download it onto my phone and try it out [19] [20] [21] [22]. A Mario Kart title outside of Nintendo consoles worked for the arcades four times, right [16]? Quite surprisingly, the number of downloads for the app during its release date has beaten the record that Pokémon GO held since 2016 [2] [3] [12]. Wow! Having app being downloaded over ten million times within one day is one colossal whopper of achievement after so much hype and I guess it could make up for why some folks have spotted a few flaws of Dr. Mario World, including a few Nintendo nerds and mobile gamers [15]. Now that I have downloaded it on my iPhone and ensured that my data will be saved by linking it to my Nintendo account, I shall analyse the next sensation in Mario Kart history with you all while some of you may be thinking of an HD remake of Super Mario Kart at some point in the 2020s [8] [18].

The title screen. [8]

I found the controls in simple mode to be alright [8]. The acceleration happens automatically, which I guess makes the gameplay more appealing to casual mobile gamers. How I could just tap above to hurl an item forwards and below to toss it backwards was very easy to remember. One thing that was enabled at the start of the game is the drifting that results in a turbo, otherwise known as “manual drift”, making the gameplay more practical for mobile devices [8]. When I had it off later, I realized I could receive a turbo from drifting by moving my fingertip further to the left or right and nearer the bottom of the screen, which is another sign of the controls being practical for mobile devices. For the best boost at the starting line, I always hold my finger tap on the screen when the countdown reaches number two [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]. I suppose I do not need to be concerned about the app’s controls anymore, as long as some alternations are still around for other players [8]. If only the option to go to the settings during the gameplay would pause it, so no unintentional slip up will occur during some alternations.

I started my game with the Simple control method. [8]

A pretty nice demonstration on how to control the kart and such. [8]

Now, what do I also mean by “some alternations” when it comes to Mario Kart Tour’s controls, besides enabling manual drift? To test another way of steering the kart, I have decided to turn off the smart steering and manual drift and turn on gyro handling, which is tilting the device to steer the kart. I found the feeling of tilting my iPhone to be okay, but I discovered that I could still steer with my thumb or finger on the screen. Quite ironically, as someone who has been so used to the motion controls of a Wii remote inserted into a Wii Wheel since 2008 [9], I preferred to just use a fingertip to steer in Mario Kart Tour. I will admit that I did struggle with the smart steering off and the manual drift on as the steering was often out of my grasp, but I at least saw some mighty ultra mini-turbos in action. Apart from changing the method of steering, I would honestly recommend leaving “Auto-item” off, so that the items can be used when necessary. If you want manual drifting, I would recommend enabling smart steering too or at least steering at the right time. 

You can turn any control method on or off, which can increase the app’s accessibility for players who prefer a different kind of control method. [8]

Oh. One more thing about the controls. There is also an icon at the bottom of the screen you can tap to change the camera’s view to the front of the racer. It is not really necessary to me unfortunately, unless you want your racer to take a kart selfie. [8]

Let us discuss the roster too, my dear fellow Mario Kart lovers. As someone who wrote about her history and thought about her finally being a racer, I knew the beautiful and further empowered Pauline would be an unlockable driver in the app [21] [22] [23] [24]! But sadly, we do not get to choose our favourite racers, karts and gliders at the start. Luckily for me, the first character I got to receive was Toadette and once I completed the tutorial, I got to play as my homegirl, Princess Peach. As my data progress, I was more than happy to play as Mario in his new musician outfit that reminds me of his New Donk City musician suit from Super Mario Odyssey [10]. If you want a few more characters, you will have to just keep following the standards of a certain reward system involving earning enough grand stars. Yes, I will admit that it is slightly disappointing and the roster is not as big and ambitious as the one in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe [6]. Ultimately, at least we get to see two new rival racers in action, who are Pauline and Peachette. Just look at the regular Koopa Troopa’s piercing eyes.

Theoretically, the rarity of getting a new driver depends on the characer’s icon. The chances of getting Peachette, Pauline, Metal, Mario, Musician Mario and Dry Bowser are rather minimal since the background of their icons are pink. [8]

I quite like how one rewarding system is presented with a pipe that can blast the result of winning a race into the night sky like a firework, which was where I got my first and second playable characters from [8]. Another type of in-game currency besides the traditional coins is rubies and amounts of them are used for accessing the pipe to unlock a new character, kart or glider. For a brief moment, I saw a gold pipe that rarely appears to give you a bigger or rarer reward. Sometimes the results of launching the reward from the pipe will result in a glider you already have, but it will at least raise its skill meter. As I mentioned earlier, another rewarding system requires getting enough grand stars for earning tour gifts that contain rewards, such as a new racer and a few more rubies, as well as new cups. At least I can believe that these reward systems can at least further motivate plenty of players into trying to unlock all of the cups after succeeding in the Mario Cup in order to unlock as many unlockables as they can [8].

Cause player, it’s a firework! Come and let your reward burst! [8]

Look how pretty the rubies are! [8]

Aside from how you can also buy a racer, kart or glider at the shop with the coins, there are also star tickets, item box tickets and driver points up tickets [8]. Now, what are they for exactly? Well, the item box ticket lets you use an item when you have not hit an item box, but they are only three of them you can use at first. The star tickets are used for when you just want to unlock a new cup already and are struggling to get enough points for the last grand star on a course. Lastly, the driver points up tickets are used to increase the amount of a character’s raise base points after accessing the roster of drivers. I think these tickets may increase some player’s temptation to give in to some mild microtransaction mania, which I will briefly discuss later on, but at least they give the app more of its own recognition and can still be possibly earned by earning enough grand stars for a tour gift. As for the usual coins, I would keep on playing until I get enough for a glider or character I want, including the Peach Parasol [5] [6] [8].

Mario Circuit for the old schoolers! For the new schoolers, the item box ticket can be used just by tapping the icon at the top of the screen. [8]

A star ticket I got from a tour gift. [8]

What is quite interesting is that starters can only access the Mario Cup and certain amounts of grand stars that are earned for racing can unlock the other cups [8]. This order of unlocking may seem too linear, but it can still motivate the player into racing to unlock more characters and such. I am not too keen on how the same course needs to be raced on again when a new cup is unlocked sometimes as it may decrease the satisfaction for those who just wanna discover every single one of them [8]. Despite this, some of the same courses are available to be raced on quite differently. The “R” next to the course’s name stands for “reversed”, meaning that the racers race within the opposite direction, which is like as if the developers gained inspiration from noticing child versions of me and my sister purposely driving backwards in Mario Kart DS for a laugh [7]. The “T” means that the course will have additional ramps and other obstacles. It seems quite weird that each course is done in only two laps instead of the usual three, but I guess it can enhance the appeal of the more casual Mario Kart racers [8]. 

I like how a course can be raced in reverse or with a few alternative ramps and such. [8]

Challenges are a gamer’s best frenemy. Similar to the challenges in Mario Kart DS [7], Mario Kart Tour provides a task after three races in each cup. They are pretty simple, but can still provide a decent challenge for the younger and more casual players. It was quite satisfying to knock down some goombas in the Goomba Takedown challenge [8]. Another aspect that follows today’s mobile gaming trends is the daily challenges list, which rewards the player with a grand star when a challenge is done successfully. I can say that it can be quite satisfying after you complete them. One last list of challenges is a set of tour challenges, standard challenges and gold challenges that are only available with a gold pass [8]. Not only do they offer small rewards for doing them, but also reward you with badges you can brag about. I can remember doing those kinds of challenges to earn small rewards, such as collecting a certain amount of collectables back when I played Sonic Dash [13]. Setting up a list of challenges for a mobile gamer is quite a trend, but it at least gives Mario Kart Tour its own character within the Mario Kart franchise.

A set of daily challenges in the app. [8]

My first achievement within the set of standard challenge was using at least one item ticket. I was also rewarded with a ruby for that. [8]

I would say that the most challenging aspect of the app is getting the best high score possible to gain more grand stars. It would be recommended that you select the character, kart and glider you own that are considered to be the highest scoring for the bonus points. Points are scored by:

•       Doing turbos
•       Hitting opponents with items
•       Collecting coins
•       Finishing a lap in first, second or third place
•       Gliding in the air with a glider
•       Doing a trick after leaping from a ramp

Considering how I mentioned that it is disappointing and seems too randomized that you can only play with a kart and glider you both earn from the pipe or tour gift, I am afraid to state that if you wish for a higher chance to earn more grand stars by improving your high score, you will need to select the one that would score the highest bonus points and the biggest combo bonus. I can state that scoring the highest score to get the most stars possible just like in the Angry Birds games also expands on the app’s individuality within the Mario Kart series [1]. 

A whole new course! In a mobile game that is new! I’ve gained a neat combo! Flying solo! Keep at it and you’ll progress in the game really soon. [8]

My record has been beaten, which means I earn another grand star. [8]

Levelling up seems rather common in mobile apps these days, like daily login bonuses. I can as someone who still loves playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp [4]. The player level will increase from every victory and decrease from every defeat, which reminds me of those race points from the days of racing against players from around the world on Mario Kart Wii through Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection [9]. For every kart and glider available, I am fascinated at how they level up after you raced with them. And yes, when a character you already have celebrates his or her victorious position, he or she can have their EXP level risen. And as I mentioned earlier, their skill meters and point meters can also be increased. Even though I think Mario Kart Tour does have its ways of standing out from the Mario Kart series, I think it relies a little too much on today’s appeal of mobile games, including daily challenges and login bonuses, which is why I and some other Nintendo nerds may consider it to technically be a spin-off of the Mario Kart series rather than one of the main installments. The same statement could go for the Arcade GP series [16].

Leveling up is pretty peachy! [8]

I was able to unlock 150cc as I reached Player Level 2. I honestly don’t think the idea of making the EXP decrease if the player does poorly is a good idea as it can lead to some discouragement. However, as long as an empty bar does not make the level go down, I would not consider it to be a big deal. [8]

What else expands on Mario Kart Tour’s individuality? Well, the ability to hold three use items at a time when you choose a certain character for a certain course after smashing an item box is amazing [8]. The item frenzy that occurs when breaking an item box results in three of the same items in a row sure is crazy [8]. Aside from the slightly methods of receiving items, we still cannot forget that the app has received criticism for how its microtransactions seem a bit too money-hungry for the tastes of us Mario Kart racers, including £19.99 for a chance to race with Mario in his usual plumber attire and £4.99 a month for a gold pass [8] [17]. Luckily for me, I just spend some rubies I earned on a pipe launch to unexpectedly get him. I shall not spend a penny on any microtransactions as I simply wish to analyse it and at least get some enjoyment from it without a gold pass, even though I can understand that Nintendo has to earn money from the game at some point. As usual, I am up for playing a new installment for discovering its exclusive aspects.

The item frenzy that occurred during the tutorial. [8]

They got to have…money. [8]

Besides Peachette and Pauline’s capabilities of racing and courses being alternated sometimes, what about multiplayer? Well, a message that appears when I tap the multiplayer icon in the menu states that it will be available in a future update. That, my dear Mario Kart racers is another reason the app has received some criticism [17]. However, it seems that I currently get to race against the recorded data of other Mario Kart Tour racers from Japan and the West when I choose a course [8]. I can tell by the usernames on the list of racers before the race starts. Additionally, once I unlocked the Koopa Cup, I noticed that I could see if I could get a higher ranking than a bunch of other players in the weekly ranking. I can say there is at least some competition between plenty of other Mario Kart Tour players who have it on their mobile devices to some degree so far. After all, the app cannot be played offline, so we’d better stay connected [8]! Seriously, what is the point of racing if there will be nobody to race against?

Let us hope the developers will keep their pinky promise for a multiplayer mode for playing the app with your friends locally. There is a friends list after all. [8]

Not to pat myself on the back, but I already am quite proud of myself for being in first place. [8]

Overall, this is a sign of Nintendo’s thing for designing applications for third-party mobile devices is further increasing its aspirations. With the record for “The Most Downloaded Mobile Game” beaten and plenty of faithfulness to what makes Mario Kart a hit in this decade [2] [12], I am sincerely enjoying the app, despite how it appears to be watered down compared to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and its criticism for its microtransactions and such. Analysing it reminds me of how I analysed Pokémon GO at university [3]. In a future update for Mario Kart Tour, I would like bikes and ATVs to be available for racing in. Mario Kart Tour may not be as hugely aspiring as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe [6], but in my opinion, it is worth trying out as either a Nintendo nerd, a mobile gamer or both at least once for its vibes from both ends of the spectrum. Moreover, as you reflect on the appeal of Super Mario Run and decency of Dr. Mario World, you could say that Mario Kart Tour has concluded a trilogy of Mario mobile apps in the second half of the 2010s [8] [11] [15] [17]. Anyone up for an HD remake of Super Mario Kart someday [18]?

If you’re into Mario Kart Tour, feel free to stay tuned for any future update. [8]

By the way, the graphics of Mario Kart Tour remind me of the ones in Mario Kart 7. [5] [8]

References

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