Mario Kart Tour

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This article is about a game that has just been released on September 25, 2019. Major changes should be made by a contributor who has a reliable source.
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Template:Infobox Mario Kart Tour is a mobile game in the Mario Kart series. First announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018,[1] it is the third Mario mobile game overall, following Super Mario Run and Dr. Mario World, the sixteenth overall installment in the Mario Kart series, and a spin-off title. Like Super Mario Run, it is free-to-start from the App Store and Google Play.[2] Unlike Super Mario Run and similar to that of Dr. Mario World, the game more heavily incorporates a free-to-play microtransaction mechanic, where players have restrictions and timers unless they spend some of the various types of currencies in-game, as well as having loot boxes in the form of items being launched out of pipes. The game reuses many assets from Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, and Mario Kart 8, as well as returning gameplay mechanics such as gliding and character specific special items. In addition, the game introduces some features new to the Mario Kart franchise such as reverse tracks and ability to deploy a large amount of any item during a race, including Spiny Shells and Bullet Bills. On April 23, 2019, Nintendo opened applications for participating in a closed beta test of the game to Android users in North America and Japan, which began on May 22, 2019 and ended on June 4, 2019.[3]

The game officially launched for both iOS and Android devices on September 25, 2019 in 163 territories, which covers nearly the same roster of availability as Super Mario Run, with the exceptions of Belgium and Vietnam, the former of which banned games with loot boxes in 2019. Users who pre-registered acquired the game a day early. Unlike previous Mario mobile games, a Nintendo Account is required to be playable.

Gameplay

As a racing game, the goal of Mario Kart Tour is to best rivals and come in first, using items obtained by driving through Item Boxes to the player's advantage. The game is played in a portrait position, where the phone's touch controls are used to play the game, such as dragging the finger across the screen to steer the kart.[4] Unlike other Mario Kart games in the series, karts accelerate automatically and can steer players away from walls and drops if they approach too closely. The game returns the gliding mechanics from Mario Kart 7, where players can glide through the course whenever they drive over certain ramps, and players can perform tricks. Unlike Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, however, players cannot customize their vehicle's tires. In addition, Bikes, ATVs, anti-gravity courses, and 12-player races do not return in this game.

Every time players complete a race, they are awarded with Grand Stars and rubies, the latter being the game's premium currency. Rubies are used to purchase pipes which randomly shoot out a driver, a kart, or a glider, all which have their own rarities.[4] Each driver, kart, and glider have favored courses, where they offer advantages if they are used on particular tracks. For example, a character that drives on a preferred course may earn extra items per Item Box. A new mechanic is Frenzy mode, which can be achieved by collecting three of the same item; when active, it grants the racer invincibility and an unlimited supply of that item for a period of time.[5][6][7] Rarer characters have better bonuses and more preferred courses. In addition, characters have special items exclusive to them, similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'s item system. All drivers and karts can be leveled up, and they all come with upgrades when done so. Duplicates can be earned from pipes, and those go towards the repeat character's level up progress. Coins can be obtained in races as well depending on the player's performance, and these can be used to purchase new items from the store and also can be used to purchase more rubies.[4] Rubies can also be spent in Coin Rush where players can obtain as many coins as possible.

Drivers

The driver roster in Mario Kart Tour
The character list as it appears in-game

There are currently 34 playable characters (35 if including Gold Mario, who appears exclusively in the Coin Rush mode) in Mario Kart Tour. Upon launching the game for the first time, players start with either Toad, Toadette, or Peachette. Unlike other Mario Kart games, there are no weight classes between characters, but they are sorted by their rarity of unlocking them, via opening up randomized green pipes with rubies. There are three tiers of rarity: Normal, Super, and High-End. While the Normal characters are easier to unlock, rarer characters have a greater amount of starting points, have a higher top speed, higher coin-earning rates, likelihood of picking up mid-race weapons and items, and have more favored courses. Once players clear the tutorial, they are rewarded with a random Super-class character.

The following lists the playable characters and their special item.

Normal

Super

High-End

Other

The following characters have been confirmed to be playable, though their rarities are unknown, as they are currently not available.

Courses

In addition to the courses listed below, many alternate courses are also featured in the game; courses can have an "R" (Reverse) and/or "T" (Trick) variant. Courses marked with "R" are driven in backwards orientation; the track will have altercations if necessary to make this possible. Courses marked with "T" feature many additional (glider) ramps and trickable obstacles, and are otherwise the same.

Original

Retro

Super Mario Kart (SNES)

Mario Kart 64 (N64)

Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)

Mario Kart 7 (3DS)

Unreleased

Original

Mario Kart DS (DS)

Tours

Main article: List of tours in Mario Kart Tour

Each tour consists of a series of cups, with each cup containing three courses and a Bonus Challenge. The following tables list the courses that make an appearance in each tour; "N" indicates a normal course, "R" a reversed course, "T" a trick course, and "R/T" a reversed trick course.

New York Tour

Course Origin Cup
File:MKT Icon MarioCup.png File:MKT Icon DonkeyKongCup.png File:MKT Icon YoshiCup.png File:MKT Icon KoopaTroopaCup.png File:MKT Icon ToadCup.png File:MKT Icon PeachCup.png File:MKT Icon BowserCup.png File:MKT Icon DryBonesCup.png File:MKT Icon ToadetteCup.png File:MKT Icon DaisyCup.png File:MKT Icon DiddyKongCup.png File:MKT Icon BabyMarioCup.png File:MKT Icon ShyGuyCup.png File:MKT Icon BabyPeachCup.png File:MKT Icon DryBowserCup.png File:MKT Icon MetalMarioCup.png
New York Minute Original T N R R N R/T T R/T
Cheep Cheep Lagoon 3DS N N T R
Mario Circuit 1 SNES N R N T
Dino Dino Jungle GCN N N T R
Toad Circuit 3DS N N T R
Rock Rock Mountain 3DS N R T N
Yoshi Circuit GCN N R N T
Daisy Hills 3DS N T N R
Koopa Troopa Beach N64 N R N T
Shy Guy Bazaar 3DS N T N R
Bowser's Castle 1 GBA N N T R

Tokyo Tour

Course Origin Cup
File:MKT Icon RosalinaCup.png File:MKT Icon LakituCup.png File:MKT Icon ToadCup.png File:MKT Icon PeachCup.png File:MKT Icon BowserJrCup.png File:MKT Icon MarioCup.png File:MKT Icon BabyDaisyCup.png File:MKT Icon LudwigCup.png File:MKT Icon ToadetteCup.png File:MKT Icon LarryCup.png File:MKT Icon BabyRosalinaCup.png File:MKT Icon WendyCup.png File:MKT Icon WarioCup.png File:MKT Icon DaisyCup.png File:MKT Icon DryBowserCup.png File:MKT Icon PeachetteCup.png
Tokyo Blur Original T N R R N R/T
Mario Circuit 3DS N N R N T
Rainbow Road SNES N N T
Neo Bowser City 3DS N R N
Mario Circuit 2 SNES N R T
Yoshi Circuit GCN N R N T
Shy Guy Bazaar 3DS N R T N
Toad Circuit 3DS N N T
Choco Island 2 SNES N R N T
Kalimari Desert N64 N T R N
Rock Rock Mountain 3DS T N N

Items

Item Box items

Items function mostly the same as in previous installments in the series. As in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, every character has their own special item that (most) other characters cannot get. A large change to the item system is introduced; depending on the character and course they're used on, players can get one to three items at once. In the case that a character gets three of the same item, they will activate the new Frenzy Mode, in which they become temporarily invincible and can use unlimited supplies of the respective item until the invincibility runs out. Any item can appear in Frenzy Mode, except for the Star, which is exclusive to certain challenges.

The game introduces five new items to the series, being the Bubble, the Banana Barrels, the Mushroom Cannon, the Coin Box, and the Dash Ring, all of which are character-exclusive items.

Image Name Description Characters
Banana from Mario Kart Tour. Banana[15] "Don't let this one give you the slip! Your kart will spin out if you hit one. You can carry one behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack." All
File:MKT Icon GiantBanana.png Giant Banana[16][17] "Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. The only banana split you'll be sad to see!" Donkey KongMorton Koopa Jr.
File:MKT Icon GreenShell.png Green Shell[15] "Flies straight and crashes any kart it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack." All
File:MKT Icon TripleGreenShell.png Triple Green Shells[17] "Three Green Shells revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw all of them at once and they'll fly in a straight line." File:MKT Icon Koopa Troopa.pngFile:MKT Icon Dry Bones.pngIggy KoopaLakitu
File:MKT Icon RedShell.png Red Shell[17] "Homes in on a kart in front of you and crashes whatever it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack." All
File:MKT Icon SpinyShell.png Spiny Shell[15] "Chases down the kart in 1st place, crashing through anyone it hits before reaching its target. This will make you regret being in 1st place! Or even near the kart in 1st place..." All
File:MKT Icon BowserShell.png Bowser's Shell[15][17] "This big ol' shell on loan from Bowser will crash any karts it hits and keep on going. It can only be thrown forward." BowserDry BowserBowser Jr.
File:MKT Icon Bobomb.png Bob-omb[15] "This will walk towards opponents who get too close, and then explode when it touches a kart or when some time has passed. Karts caught in its blast will crash." All
File:MKT Icon DoubleBobomb.png Double Bob-ombs (new)[17] "Two Bob-ombs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them both at once. Two is better than one, right?" File:MKT Icon Shy Guy.pngMario (Musician)Wario
Mushroom from Mario Kart Tour. Mushroom[15] "This classic item gives your kart a speed boost. Doesn't get much simpler than that!" All
File:MKT Icon TripleMushroom.png Triple Mushrooms[16][17] "Why use just one Mushroom when you can use three? Tap the screen to use them all at once for a longer-lasting speed boost." ToadToadette
File:MKT Icon MegaMushroom.png Mega Mushroom[15] "Increases your kart's size, allowing you to crash any opponents you hit. You'll return to regular size after some time or when you're hit by an item." All
File:MKT Icon BulletBill.png Bullet Bill[15] "Transforms you into a Bullet Bill for a set amount of time. You'll dash forward with all the power of a Bullet Bill and crash any opponents that you hit." All
Blooper from Mario Kart Tour. Blooper[15] "Squirts ink onto the karts in a higher position than yours, blinding the other drivers for a set amount of time. You can wipe the ink off by swiping the screen." All
Lightning from Mario Kart Tour. Lightning[15] "Calls down lightning to spin out your opponents and destroy the items they hold. Those struck will be smaller and slower for a set amount of time." All
File:MKT Icon FireFlower.png Fire Flower[18][17] "Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once, spinning out any kart they hit. You're really burning up the track now!" MarioFile:MKT Icon Metal Mario.png
File:MKT Icon BoomerangFlower.png Boomerang Flower[17] "Tap the screen to throw a boomerang. Not only will it spin out any karts it hits, but it will collect any surrounding Coins for you, too." File:MKT Icon BBMario.pngLarry Koopa
File:MKT Icon SuperHorn.png Super Horn[15] "The loudness of this horn will blow away any surrounding items and karts. It can repel Bloopers, and even Spiny Shells!" All
Coin from Mario Kart Tour. Coin[15] "This gives you two Coins. It's used automatically once you pick it up." All
Heart from Mario Kart Tour Heart[19][17] "This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. It will vanish upon taking damage. You can stack up to five at once." Princess PeachPrincess DaisyWendy O. Koopa
File:MKT Icon YoshiEgg.png Yoshi's Egg[17] "Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!" Yoshi
Bubble from Mario Kart Tour Bubble (new)[20] "Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Watch out, because it will vanish upon taking damage!" File:MKT Icon BBPeach.pngFile:MKT Icon BBDaisy.pngFile:MKT Icon Baby Rosalina.pngLemmy Koopa
File:MKT Icon BananaBarrels.png Banana Barrels (new)[21] "Arm your kart with two fully-loaded barrels of Bananas! Continually shoots out Bananas in front of your kart for a set time." Diddy Kong
File:MKT Icon MushroomCannon.png Mushroom Cannon (new)[22] "A cannon designed to resemble a Mushroom. Continually shoots out Mushrooms in front of your kart for a set time." PeachettePeach (Kimono)[12]
File:MKT Icon LuckySeven.png Lucky Seven[7] "Seven items (Red Shell, Banana, Green Shell, Bob-omb, Super Horn, Mushroom, and Blooper) revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to use all seven items at once." Pauline
File:MKT Icon CoinBox.png Coin Box (new) "Spits out coins with reckless abandon. It's a very generous item!" Mario (Hakama)
File:MKT Icon DashRing.png Dash Ring (new) "Pass through this for a burst of speed. Your opponents can use it too, so make it count!" RosalinaLudwig Von Koopa

Inventory items

These items are collected throughout the course of the game through various means, such as challenges, log-in bonuses, and Tour Gifts.

Image Name Description
Coins from Mario Kart Tour Coin Coins gathered during races are used to purchase items and characters in the Shop.
Rubies from Mario Kart Tour Ruby
Grand Star
Item Ticket
Star ticket
Quick ticket
Coin Rush ticket
Point-boost ticket
Level-boost ticket

Karts

Normal

Super

High-End

Other

The following karts were revealed in the game's trailers:

The following karts were present in the game's beta, but are currently unavailable:

Gliders

Normal

Super

High-End

Bonus Challenges

Thumbnail of the Donkey Kong Cup challenge from the New York Tour; a Ring Race challenge set on SNES Mario Circuit 1
Thumbnail of Donkey Kong participating in the "Ring Race" challenge

Challenges are similar to the Missions mode from Mario Kart DS and the tournaments from Mario Kart Wii, and are found at the end of each cup.

  • Ready, Set, Rocket Start: "Pull off a Rocket Start!"
  • Ring Race: "Clear (number) rings."
  • Do Jump Boosts: "Do (number) Jump Boosts."
  • Big Reverse Race: "Aim for 1st!"
  • Goomba Takedown: "Hit (number) Goombas."
  • Glider Challenge: "Glide at least (distance)."
  • Steer Clear of Obstacles: "Don't crash!"
  • Vs. Mega (opponent): "Aim for 1st!"
  • Smash Small (opponent): "Smash (number) opponents."
  • Break Item Boxes: "Hit (number) Item Boxes."

Badges

Main article: List of badges in Mario Kart Tour

Updates

The following is a list of updates the game has received since launch.

Version 1.0.2

Release date: October 3rd 2019

  • The game may become unplayable if a nickname is not entered when linking a Nintendo Account.
  • Certain players may encounter error code 805-9314 after linking a Nintendo Account and become unable to play the game.
  • The game may become unplayable when players transition to the main screen after the game starts up.
  • Other minor issues.

Reception

Initial impressions of the beta have been mixed. Journalists have praised the gameplay and graphics, but have criticized the free-to-play gacha elements of the game. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica has compared the game's in-app purchases to Spiny Shells, blowing up the classic Mario Kart experience. He has suggested that "the developers pick a side: attach an annoying economy to a deeper control scheme and more legitimate online options, or make it cheaper and less obnoxious to watch Mario drive himself."[4] Ethan Gach of Kotaku has also stated that the game is "a mostly faithful but stripped-down recreation of Mario Kart decked out with all the microtransactions and lottery mechanics mobile games are infamous for" and also lamenting the lack of a multiplayer mode.[25] Steven Asarch of Newsweek has complained about the game's "freemium greed" and that it is "ruined by microtransactions".[26]

As of October 2, 2019, Mario Kart Tour received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic Metascore of 58.[27]

Pre-release and unused content

Main article: List of Mario Kart Tour pre-release and unused content

The beta version of the game saw multiple changes in the final game. The stamina element was removed, and the timers restricting access to certain cups can be sped up using quick tickets. Additionally, rubies were originally emeralds.

Gallery

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Tour.

References to other games

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese マリオカート ツアー[?]
Mario Kāto Tsuā
Mario Kart Tour
Chinese 瑪利歐賽車 巡迴賽 (Traditional)[28]
Mǎlìōu Sàichē Xúnhuí Sài
马力欧卡丁车 巡回赛 (Simplified)[29]
Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē Xúnhuí Sài
Mario Racing Tour

Mario Kart Tour

Trivia

  • This and Mario Kart DS are the only games in the series where Lakitu does not appear as referee at the start of a race.

External links

References

  1. ^ Nine Months Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2018 (2018). Nintendo. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  2. ^ Takashi Mochizuki (February 7, 2018). 'DeNA CEO said "Mario Kart Tour," a Nintendo-DeNA smartphone game planned for FY18, will be free-to-start.' Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  3. ^ Romano, Sal (April 24, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Android closed beta test set for May 22 to June 4. Gematsu. Retrieved May 22, 2019.
  4. ^ a b c d Machkovech, Sam. (May 22, 2019). Mario Kart Tour beta hands-on: Microtransactions land like a nasty blue shell. Ars Technica. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  5. ^ Mario Kart Tour on the App Store
  6. ^ Nintendo Mobile (August 27, 2019). Mario Kart Tour : Race. YouTube. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c d e Nintendo Mobile (September 24, 2019). The race begins September 25th! Mario Kart Tour News, Vol. 1. YouTube. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  8. ^ https://twitter.com/mariokarttourEN/status/1169807683219673093 Mario Kart Tour Twitter
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Nintendo Mobile (August 27, 2019). Mario Kart Tour - Trailer. YouTube. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
  10. ^ https://twitter.com/mariokarttourEN/status/1170411414332133377
  11. ^ https://twitter.com/mariokarttourEN/status/1170524657134366721 Mario Kart Tour Twitter
  12. ^ a b c d e [1]. Twitter. Retrieved October 8, 2019.
  13. ^ Template:Media link
  14. ^ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named LaunchTrailer
  15. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Footage uploaded to Streamable
  16. ^ a b Jaron (May 22, 2019). MARIO KART TOUR BETA GAMEPLAY + SOUND 🔈. YouTube. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  17. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Ziphonix (May 22, 2019). 15 Minutes of Mario Kart Tour Gameplay! YouTube. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
  18. ^ Screenshot uploaded to Imgur (May 22, 2019, 9:06 UTC)
  19. ^ Screenshot uploaded to Google Drive (May 22, 2019, 12:12 UTC)
  20. ^ https://twitter.com/ToonTris/status/1176553126461083649
  21. ^ Tweet by @mariokarttEN. Twitter. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  22. ^ Tweet by @mariokarttEN. Twitter. Retrieved September 7, 2019.
  23. ^ a b [2]. Twitter. Retrieved October 9, 2019.
  24. ^ Nintendo Mobile (September 24, 2019). 【9/25開幕!】マリオカート ツアー ニュース #1.YouTube. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
  25. ^ Gach, Ethan (May 22, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Is Pretty Good When It’s Not Nickel And Diming You. Kotaku. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  26. ^ Asarch, Steven (May 23, 2019) ‘Mario Kart Tour’ Beta Potential Bogged Down By Microtransactions. Newsweek. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
  27. ^ Mario Kart Tour Metacritic page. Accessed October 2, 2019.
  28. ^ https://mariokarttour.com/zh-TW
  29. ^ https://mariokarttour.com/zh-CN

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