Nintendo said they were getting into mobile gaming, and boy have they ever. Animal Crossing, Super Mario, Pokémon, and Fire Emblem all have mobile versions. Now, Mario Kart Tour joins the list of mobile Nintendo titles and, to be honest, it’s a great way to play the iconic racing game on the go.

Gameplay

Most races are two laps, and you control your character via three options. Beginner players are told the best option is a simple swipe control, moving left and right with a finger. Experienced players are recommended to play with a drift swipe, meaning that when you swipe, you drift instead of simply move left and right. This keeps you moving faster as you speed through drifts, but requires more timing and skill. Lastly, gyro handling is available to steer with motion controls.

Hands down, my favorite option is drift swiping. Gyro controls feel very touchy right now and, to be honest, work about as well as you’d imagine. The beginner option just offers too few options to make the most of turns and corners.

After every race, your finishing place earns you experience. As you gain experience, so do your karts, characters, and gliders. It’s a way of building better stats for your owned items. Every race yields you points and stars. Stars get you better races and points earn you the option to buy things like new power-ups. It’s a typical mobile game setup and it feels on par in terms of micro-transactions as other Nintendo mobile games.

It’s worth noting that we see new maps as well. Early options like New York Minute and Cheep Cheep Lagoon look wonderful and feel great. Of course, the controls make it feel more mobile-like than a true Mario Kart game, but I’m pleased with the outcome. Various items are unlockable to help with your equipment stats and you can also gift items to friends, much like Pokémon Go. The game requires you connect a Nintendo account, so be sure to use the same one for your My Nintendo points to earn coins.

Game Modes

The main way the game encourages racing is through various tours. Each tour available in-game lasts two weeks. Once you earn a certain number of stars, you can compete in cups, which earn you new characters and items. It’s a very crowded, confusing way of organizing things.

Plus, you’re able to use in-game currency and earned points to purchase things, none of which is really explained in the early hours of gameplay. Once you complete your first tour, there are also challenges, in which you can take on various requirements to earn extra points and power-ups. Lastly, a multiplayer mode is labeled as inbound, pointing to a future option to play with others online.

Final Thoughts

I felt the biggest downfall of Super Mario Run was the fact that it didn’t feel like the game it was based on. The continuous running didn’t feel like a true Mario game. In Mario Kart Tour, the experience is more true to the source. Additionally, the game is fun for short bursts of action, and it’s my opinion that some version of mobile Mario Kart is better than none. Don’t pour money from your wallet into this one, but play every now and then, and you’ll likely enjoy it.

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Mario Kart Tour

8

Score

8.0/10

Pros

• Great Mobile Version for an Iconic Game
• Good Courses that Keep with the Game's Fun Style
• Fair with its Micro-Transactions

Cons

• No Multiplayer at Launch
• Controls are Just a Little Clunky