Nintendo’s smartphone games shrink down their source experience to enjoy on the go, and the next one is big: Mario Kart Tour. This will be the third mobile Mario game, following Super Mario Run and Dr. Mario World – but of course, on the go-karts and tracks beloved by gamers for decades.
Mario Kart Tour will be released on iOS and Android on September 25, which is a mere week away, and will be free-to-play.
The game has been in closed beta for Android in certain countries and, so far, it looks to bring a faithful (though vertically-aligned) Mario Kart experience, though there seems to be a lot of in-game currencies and microtransactions you’ll have to deal with to get all your favorite characters.
Following the failure of Miitomo, Mario Kart Tour is a good sign that Nintendo is going to be investing in mobile adaptations of its more popular IPs, rather than trying anything more weird or new any time soon.
Cut to the chase
- What is it? Mario Kart on mobile!
- When can I play it? September 25
- What can I play it on? iOS and Android phones
Mario Kart Tour – when can I play it?
Mario Kart Tour’s exact release date is September 25, on iOS and Android, for free with in-app transactions. It has been released in closed beta on Android, giving players an early look at the soon-to-be-released mobile game.
The game was first announced as in-development in February 2018, Mario Kart Tour was meant to be officially released in early 2019, which has since been pushed to September of this year.
Surprised? Nintendo’s mobile titles have historically been subject to delays, and given the fact that Fire Emblem Heroes and Animal Crossing Pocket Camp are still undergoing updates, it makes sense that it’s taken Nintendo this long to put the final touches on its next big mobile foray.
Mario Kart Tour – how much will it cost?
Going on Nintendo’s past mobile releases, we can’t be absolutely sure whether Mario Kart Tour will be a free-to-play title with microtransactions, or a one-time purchase game with no paid extras. Now that the closed beta has come out, chock-full of microtransactions and multiple in-game currencies, we’re pretty sure this is how the final game will be monetized.
A recent report from the Wall Street Journal has said that the game will be ‘free-to-start’. While this is a little unclear, Super Mario Run is also a free-to-start game which does give us some idea as to how the model could translate to Mario Kart Tour. What this means is you can play it for free, but there could be a lot to buy in-game.
DeNA CEO said "Mario Kart Tour," a Nintendo-DeNA smartphone game planned for FY18, will be free-to-start.
— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) February 8, 2018
It’s still possible that Mario Kart Tour will – like Super Mario Run – be released as a free trial which gives access to one or two tracks and a limited number of characters and cards. After players have gone through this trial, they’ll then be able to purchase the full game for around $10/£10 and get access to all of the game’s features as well as free updates at later stages.
It’s possible that the game will be set up like Animal Crossing Pocket Camp, which is free to download but has certain content which can only be accessed for a fee. Although this is a model that would also work for Mario Kart Tour; we could quite easily see the game being free to download with certain tracks, characters and cars requiring an additional purchase.
But it’s far more likely that Mario Kart Tour will go the route of previously-released free-to-play Nintendo titles like Fire Emblem Heroes that run on gacha-style pay-for-a-random-item/character via in-game currency, which can always be bought with IRL cash.
It’s a setup that has worked well for Nintendo: two years after Fire Emblem Heroes launched, players have spent a combined $500 million on the game, per Sensor Tower. Hopefully the monetization mechanisms in Mario Kart Tour won’t be too obnoxious – Nintendo did just tell its partners to rein in the microtransactions.
- If you love Mario, check out our Super Mario Maker 2 review
Mario Kart Tour – which platforms will it be on?
Though Nintendo hasn’t confirmed anything here just yet, we think it’s safe to assume that Mario Kart Tour will be released on both iOS and Android as other mobile titles have been.
Mario Kart Tour – how will it play?
Unfortunately, Nintendo hasn’t released any official details on how Mario Kart Tour will actually play. But if the closed beta is anything to go by, the game looks to be a streamlined version of the console games. Take a look at this beta footage and explainer:
Characters automatically drive forward while you drag your finger on the screen left and right to turn. Some items (like invincibility stars) are automatically used if you pick them up, others are activated just by touching the screen. It’s a lot like how Super Mario Run, Nintendo’s first mobile game, was simplified from its console versions.
There’s even room in this kind of control system for motion controls, whereby players turn their phone onto its side and turn the screen like they would a steering wheel, though we haven’t seen that gameplay implemented yet.
As in the latest Mario Kart games, players pick a driver, kart and glider, then they’re matched against seven other players online. Maps are a mix from the entire series: the initial Toad Cup features courses from SNES, 3DS and GameCube versions of Mario Kart. There is a purported list of maps collected in a ResetEra thread.
How the multiplayer element will come into the game has yet to be confirmed, too, though the beta information does suggest it will be 8-person multiplayer connecting over the internet.
Nintendo’s mobile games usually require that the player be online but whether they’ll face off in live races or simply race around an AI populated track and try to establish themselves on a variety of leaderboards is currently unclear.
A big part of the fun in Mario Kart is the unpredictability of facing-off against real opponents, so we’d definitely like to see live races rather than a leaderboard system.
Mario Kart Tour courses: what can we expect?
So far, 16 returning courses have been announced and include some fan-favorites like Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart Double Dash!! and Luigi’s Mansion from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7. Here’s a complete list of the courses announced so far:
- Mario Circuit 1 (SNES)
- Choco Island 2 (SNES)
- Rainbow Road (SNES)
- Koopa Troopa Beach (N64)
- Kalimari Desert (N64)
- Bowser Castle 1 (GBA)
- Dino Dino Jungle (GCN)
- Yoshi Circuit (GCN)
- Luigi’s Mansion (DS)
- Waluigi Pinball (DS)
- DK Pass (DS)
- Toad Circuit (3DS)
- Daisy Hills (3DS)
- Cheep Cheep Lagoon (3DS)
- Shy Guy Bazaar (3DS)
- Mario Circuit (3DS)
- Rock Rock Mountain (3DS)
Besides the 16 regular courses, Nintendo has announced five reverse courses (a series staple) that include the original Rainbow Road (SNES), Kalimari Desert (N64), Luigi’s Mansion (DS), Toad Circuit (3DS) and Waluigi Pinball (DS).
If you’re looking for something a little… different, Mario Kart Tour will be the first game in the series to use real-world locations as inspiration for courses.
Two of these courses have been announced so far – one for Tokyo and one for new York (called New York Minute) – the latter of which can be seen in the trailer below.
Unfortunately, Nintendo has yet to announce if these courses will be available at launch or if they’ll come … wait for it … sometime down the road.
Source: Tech Radar