Over 100 million times, the games of the "Mario Kart" series have already sold. Even the latest installment of the main series, "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe", is one of the most successful games on the Nintendo Switch. It's almost puzzling that Nintendo has just released an offshoot for smartphones. Since Wednesday morning, the app called "Mario Kart Tour" on your mobile phone. But is the mobile game more than an elaborate attempt to ask fans to pay? The most important questions and answers.
What is "Mario Kart Tour?"
It is a game app for iOS and Android . The variant for Apple devices requires the iOS version 10.0 or higher . Thus, "Mario Kart Tour" runs from the iPhone 6s and the iPad from the 5th generation, the Air 2 and the Mini 4. Android users need a device running Android 4.4 or higher . "Mario Kart Tour" is downloadable for free, but is financed by optional in-game purchases. And, attention: The game is intended for traveling, but needs a permanent connection to the Internet .
In order to play , users also need a Nintendo account . If one is created or an existing account is selected, it will be linked to the game.
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Mobile Game: This is "Mario Kart Tour"How is the game controlled?
The "Mario Kart" typical races are controlled by touch screen. There are different types of control: The player can choose the simple control , then the input is limited to the steering and the use of items. However, we recommend manual drifting , which comes close to controlling the "Mario Kart" parts for consoles and handhelds.
Here, the player must control the drift of the character by keeping his finger on the screen and countering. Successful drifts trigger boosts that make the player faster. There is no need to accelerate during the entire game, your own kart accelerates by itself. If you want, you can also activate a motion control , but it is quite cumbersome.
Which modes are there in "Mario Kart Tour?"
The game basically consists of many cups in which the player competes against computer-controlled drivers. In these cups, however, not only is it important to get into first place, but also to score as many points as possible, for example by making a lot of jumps or long flights.
There is no multiplayer mode at the start , the opponents controls the computer. Direct duels with friends should be possible only through a "future version update". By ranking , the player can only measure himself indirectly with other players from all over the world. These duels at best times run for two weeks each, then the winner is certain. In addition, there is a separate friend ranking to which friends can be invited. On Wednesday morning, however, both rankings were not yet online.
The individual cups are playable in different degrees of difficulty : 50 cc, 100 cc, 150 cc and 200 cc. However, the latter level of difficulty can not be unlocked, the access must be bought with the so-called Gold Pass (see below). There was no such thing in any "Mario Kart" game.
Is the game fun?
Yes, "Mario Kart Tour" is fun - as long as you race . The control is, after a short settling time, precise and reminds of the role models, despite the lack of gamepad sticks. In the game are new courses, but also many tracks from old games before, from the parts for Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64 and Nintendo 3DS about - fans of the series will remember. The graphics are very beautiful, on the ear there are well-known, immediately in the ear going melodies.
Overall, "Mario Kart Tour" but probably designed for playing in between . The gameplay is also significantly slowed down by the fact that so far only against the computer can be played and that there are some artificial restrictions in terms of additional purchases and the multiple game-internal currencies.
Is the game a cost trap?
"Mario Kart Tour" is a classic "Free to Play" game that can be downloaded and played for free. However, there are many ways to spend money - if you fall into a collective rage, even a lot of money.
There are four currencies in the game:
- Gold coins : These are collected on the tracks and can be traded in the shop for characters or bonuses. Thus, the character Bone Dry costs 800 gold coins. After more than an hour of playing, we had 200 gold coins. This currency can not be purchased with real money.
- Rubies : If you go through a cup for the first time, you get 20 rubies. These can be used in the shop to "ignite the tube". Against 5 rubies you have the chance to spit out a green tube a content. It is therefore the classic Lootbox, as it occurs in other games.
Via the tube one arrives at new vehicles, gliders or drivers. However, the chances of getting the really sought-after pieces are very low: Pauline gets the figure in the "New-York-Tube 1" initially with a chance of 1.0309 percent . Rubies can be bought with real money. For example, three rubies (which do not even reach for the tube) cost 2.29 euros in the shop of the game. For 135 pieces are required 74.99 euros. - Stars : After the player has won a cup or set a new record, he gets stars. These are needed to unlock new cups and get presents like characters or rubies.
- Star tickets: They have the same function as the stars, but can only be bought with real money . In the "New York set" for a whopping 21,99 euro approximately 45 rubies, 5 star tickets and Mario are contained as play figure.
In addition, there is a subscription offer called Gold Pass for 5.49 euros a month , which attracts players with special missions and access to the highest difficulty class 200ccm (To classify the award: Apple's Flatrate Apple Arcade, with "Sonic Racing" a matchless racing game without in-app lock offers and access to dozens of other games offers, costs € 4.99 per month.).
Bottom line, "Mario Kart Tour" so elaborated shopping system that you could see the game with shop as a shop to which a game is affiliated. Nintendo barely misses a chance to tempt fans into investing in the game , be it in the Gold Pass or in Rubies. Although most content can be unlocked without real money , it takes a lot of time in single player mode, which was never the strength of the "Mario Kart" games.
What should parents consider?
It is probably not a good idea to leave children unattended . Especially not if the account is connected to a credit card. "Mario Kart Tour" may be beginner-friendly, optically child-friendly and rewarding and initially release many new characters, vehicles and bonuses.
But at the latest when it comes to getting a rare character from the Lootbox tube, the patience is probably exhausted quickly and the lure large, for money directly to an object of desire to come. Of course, parents can just say "no" - but with quarrels is to be reckoned.
So it may just then, if you have several children, be nerve-sparing, just a switch or a cheaper Switch Lite with "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" to buy. This game with multiplayer mode and without all the cost traps of the mobile version is anyway the much better "Mario Kart".
