Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour makes a surprisingly fantastic mobile game because of the tons of items to collect, the fun gameplay loop, and the short but sweet matches!

Mario Kart Tour has an imprecise control, difficult to master, but if you manage to cope with it you will find an addictive video game

Whether in line at the airport or waiting for the doctor, the desire to take a ride on the track will not fail. A little more care and foresight from the Kyoto House would have been enough and Fire Emblem Heroes would have had a worthy rival in their stable.

Monetization really does stand out as being greedy and egregious, but it can't mask what is an otherwise fun adaptation of the Mario Kart formula on mobile.

This is some of the most fast-paced, frenetic Mario Kart action ever, but only to those who subscribe to its gold pass. For everyone else, this is still a surprisingly inventive spin-off, but one that also feels undermined by greed.

Mario Kart Tour turns toward a larger than ever audience with an even more accessible formula, free to play. But it was deeply tweaked through both gameplay and economic models, which results in an overall hazardous experience with imprecise controls, battle scoring oriented races and competition geared by equipment collection, hence micropayments with shamefully randomized (and time limited) gains. As fun as it can be, this mobile episode looks like a superficial entry into the series, still driving at full speed only on consoles.

Get used to Mario Kart Tour’s unconventional control system and ignore its overpriced and unnecessary subscription service and you’re left with a fun, free mobile take on the series. It was never going to replace Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but by not including an energy system and promising regular new content Nintendo is at least offering a decent alternative to pass the time when you’re out and about without your Switch.

Mario Kart Tour is a fun – and free – racing game. It's always online, and it never lags. But characters and karts aren't varied as usual, there are too many elements to buy, and its control system is simple, but not intuitive.

Nintendo is still struggling with how to make a great mobile game, but Mario Kart Tour’s racing is solid.

Mario Kart Tour is the best exploration of the franchise in the worst-case scenario. Nintendo has bet for a vibrant and appealing experience both in playability and in visual terms, but they are telling the payers that they are destined to pay if they want to get the best score in every single track; unless you are lucky enough to get that 1% chance pilot. Bad «game as a service» design, but they are still on time to reverse the situation by being less aggressive with the in game payments.

Don’t get me wrong. When Mario Kart Tour flashes its moments of brilliance, you’ll have a bit of fun with it. As a free game, I think there’s little reason not to at least give it a shot. There’s always room for Nintendo to utilize steering assist and get this game back on track in future updates. But in its current state, it’d be difficult not to deem Mario Kart Tour the weakest of Nintendo’s current mobile offerings.

Mario Kart Tour is a good mobile racing game that could be even better with another monetization system. Thanks to its good gameplay and a remarkable technical section, this title stands out among other mobile games.

We’ve had some fun with Mario Kart Tour but, overall, is a disappointing game. Poor control and a omnipresent free-to-play system are simply not good enough for this franchise.

Mario Kart Tour is a well done experiment, fun to play and suitable game for players of all ages. The game itself is too expensive compared to the full console game, limited due to the absence of a multiplayer mode. Potentially, you will risk spending more to unlock all the Mario Kart Tour characters than you would spend buying a Nintendo Switch with Mario Kart 8, which should make both players and Nintendo think that the path taken is not the right one.

As a big Mario Kart fan, my heart is bleeding.

The prospect of unlocking every part and every racer depends entirely on draining your wallet - but there is a good chance that I will keep returning with millions of others. The attraction of Mario Kart is even in its diluted form and with a dirty aftertaste too large to resist.

Mario Kart Tour may have some nice visuals, it’s also very uninspired when it comes to track design and spends too much time trying to find ways to get your money.

Ultimately, Mario Kart Tour is going to be divisive because people will invariably want it to be something it’s not. Tour is a mobile game for casual and mobile-centric gamers— period. Its monetization is aggressive but completely avoidable. While I’m outspoken against the way that developers have been turning to microtransactions and “games as a service,” I’m also of the opinion that the only reason these models exist is because consumers refuse to stop supporting them. So, if Mario Kart Tour isn’t the sort of game for you… don’t download it. Otherwise, this is a serviceable take on the series that is marred by finicky controls and convoluted player progression.

Mario Kart Tour could have been a decent outing for the series (not a great one by any means), but its held back by its aggressive and obnoxious microtransaction system.

Mario Kart Tour is a blemish on the franchise it shares its name with. The genre-defining creativity found in past entries is completely absent here, replaced by a hollow experience that's simply coasting on the name and goodwill of the games that came before it. I can only hope this is Nintendo's mobile initiative hitting rock bottom, and that it's all uphill from here. Because I can't stand the thought of another one of my favorite series having its reputation dragged the mud in search of a quick buck.

No multiplayer, but a multitude of point- and currency-systems. Even though you can unlock a lot for free, the finance model takes a toll on the game design – too much to make this an entertaining party game.

It's entirely possible to enjoy Mario Kart Tour without spending a dime, but the game can never quite escape the sleazy shadow of its true nature - a loot box delivery system.

I sincerely hope that investors see this as a wake-up call that's harmful to Nintendo's long-term reputation. [Issue #43 – November/December 2019, p. 26SW]