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.
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.
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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."
Verdict
The actual gameplay and racing of Mario Kart Tour is well done: controlling the karts feels good, the courses and characters look and sound great, and playing simplified one-handed Mario can be a lot of fun. But the road to a mobile version of Mario Kart is a bumpy one. On top of multiplayer not currently being available at all, Nintendo continues to struggle with how to comfortably monetize a mobile game without hamstringing its gameplay. Tour’s prices are prohibitively high and not getting top honors on a race despite winning first place just because you don’t have the right racer or kart feels unfair.
