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Mario Kart Tour

Have some high points, but they soon give way to glaring faults. Not the worst, but difficult to recommend.
Mario Kart Tour Game Cover
61%Game Brain Score
gameplay, graphics
monetization, stability
65% User Score Based on 10,000 reviews
Critic Score 45%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

TabletAndroidPhoneiPadMobile PlatformiPhone
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Mario Kart Tour Game Cover

About

Mario Kart Tour is a single player and multiplayer casual racing game. It was developed by Nintendo EPD and was released on September 25, 2019. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Mario Kart Tour is a racing game that features both single-player and multiplayer modes. It offers courses inspired by real-world cities and classic Mario Kart courses, which rotate every two weeks. The game features intuitive controls, powerful items, and a new Frenzy mode, but can be grindy and has some bugs. Its wholesome story and replayable nature, along with its excellent graphics and soundtrack, make it a fun and enjoyable experience.

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Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
Mario Kart Tour screenshot
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65%
Audience ScoreBased on 10,000 reviews
gameplay446 positive mentions
monetization280 negative mentions
  • Great graphics and nostalgic gameplay that captures the essence of classic Mario Kart.
  • Wide variety of characters, karts, and gliders to collect, providing a sense of progression.
  • Fun and engaging racing experience with unique challenges and point systems.
  • Controls are clunky and unintuitive, making it difficult to steer and drift effectively.
  • Heavy reliance on microtransactions and a pay-to-win model, making it frustrating for free-to-play users.
  • Repetitive courses and limited new content, leading to a lack of long-term engagement.
  • gameplay
    1,103 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay of Mario Kart Tour is generally described as fun and engaging, capturing the essence of classic Mario Kart while adapting to mobile controls. However, many players express frustration with the gacha mechanics, which they feel create a pay-to-win environment, and the controls, which can be clunky and difficult to master. Despite these issues, the graphics and overall gameplay experience are often praised, with some players appreciating the nostalgic elements and the variety of characters and tracks available.

    • “Gameplay is fun and the music slaps.”
    • “The gameplay is fun, maps and characters all well done with fair point bonuses depending on which character you choose.”
    • “Gameplay is smooth and graphics are great, I just wish it was easier to win new characters by playing and winning than having to purchase rubies.”
    • “Gameplay is too basic: rocket starts and sliding to steer and tapping to activate power-ups: that's about all.”
    • “The driving mechanics should have been like classic Mario Kart.”
    • “The gameplay is painfully basic.”
  • graphics
    1,102 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their quality and aesthetic appeal, often compared favorably to console versions like the Wii and Switch. Many users appreciate the vibrant colors, detailed textures, and smooth performance, especially on higher-end devices, while some express a desire for improved graphic settings and landscape mode. However, there are also mentions of occasional pixelation and performance issues on lower-end devices, indicating a need for optimization across various hardware.

    • “The graphics of this game is a work of art, it reminds me of my old GameCube in a much improved version.”
    • “The graphics are phenomenal on my Note 8 and the gameplay is flawless, for me at least.”
    • “The graphics are amazing and the nostalgia hit me so hard from how many remakes of levels there are!”
    • “The graphics look way worse than before.”
    • “The graphics are not up to 2019 standard really.”
    • “The graphics are pretty bad, but I guess that's expected, and the controls are ok, a drift button would be nice.”
  • monetization
    876 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The monetization aspect of the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with many users labeling it a "cash grab" due to the aggressive and expensive microtransactions. While some players appreciate the absence of ads, they express frustration over the high costs associated with in-game purchases, which often feel necessary to progress or compete effectively. Overall, the monetization strategy is seen as exploitative, particularly for a game aimed at younger audiences, leading to a diminished enjoyment of the gameplay experience.

    • “No ads so far and I have been playing for 2 days actively.”
    • “It's super fun and there's no ads you can play and do as you like and there is multiplayer so you can play with all your friends anywhere in the world.”
    • “The game features microtransactions but they are not so far invasive nor necessary to enjoy the game.”
    • “The monetization, online gameplay, and crashes are what I hate about it.”
    • “It's become all cash grab, gems only.”
    • “The microtransactions are aggressive and the fact that this game is available for children makes it predatory monetization to a disgusting level.”
  • stability
    252 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability has been widely criticized, with numerous users reporting frequent bugs, glitches, and crashes, particularly in multiplayer mode. Many players experience issues such as freezing during gameplay, lag, and unresponsive controls, making the game frustratingly unplayable at times. While some users note that the game runs smoothly on certain devices, the overall consensus is that significant improvements are needed to enhance stability and performance.

    • “So far the rest of the gameplay is smooth, really no glitches and yes it is in-game purchasing.”
    • “No ads, no glitches, runs perfectly smooth and collecting the characters is great fun.”
    • “The app runs great on the S10+, the game itself is a simplified Mario Kart that still does everything that makes it fun.”
    • “As of late, I can't even play the game. I update it when it needs it, but this last time did something, and now I can't play at all. It's so laggy and just freezes, and I don't know how to fix it.”
    • “Every time I start the game up from the title screen, it freezes up and crashes on me with the sound and the music still playing in the background.”
    • “The multiplayer mode has glitches. It freezes or disconnects, losing lots of points.”
  • music
    125 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is widely praised for its nostalgic appeal and energetic soundtrack, reminiscent of classic Mario Kart titles. Many players appreciate the quality and variety of the music, although some have reported issues with music not playing consistently during races. Overall, the soundtrack enhances the gameplay experience, contributing to the game's charm and enjoyment.

    • “The graphics are beautiful and the soundtrack is nostalgic and amazing.”
    • “The music and visuals are great, and playing it feels very close to playing it on a console.”
    • “The music brings back memories as a child growing up.”
    • “Love all the features, gameplay, etc. only issues I've been having is the music doesn't play at all on any of my courses except maybe one once in a while, even though I have music turned on.”
    • “For whatever reason the background music stopped playing across the whole game.”
    • “I love this game but they need to add an option to deactivate all sounds instead of just music.”
  • grinding
    122 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and time-consuming, often requiring players to replay the same tracks repeatedly to progress. Many reviewers express frustration with the pay-to-win mechanics, where significant grinding is necessary to unlock characters and upgrades without spending real money. While some players enjoy the challenge of grinding, the overall sentiment leans towards it being a frustrating experience that detracts from the fun of the game.

    • “It requires an insane amount of grinding to move up a rank without buying virtual currency.”
    • “But it needs too much grinding to get high scores to advance in the rankings.”
    • “The game is also another game that benefits those who spend tons of money and requires extreme grinding to get a lot of things; it's not like the normal Mario Kart games at all because of that.”
  • optimization
    83 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the game's optimization is a mixed bag; while many players praise its smooth performance and impressive graphics, others report issues with controls, frame rate drops, and a lack of options for adjusting visual quality on lower-end devices. Some users experience crashes and stuttering, particularly on older hardware, indicating that further optimization is needed. Despite these concerns, the game generally runs well on a variety of devices, making it enjoyable for many players.

    • “I absolutely love the game; it's like Mario Kart optimized for a mobile device.”
    • “The graphics are amazing and extremely well-optimized, never running your phone hot.”
    • “Overall, I have been enjoying it greatly, and am shocked it has such good performance and low internet connection requirements/impact.”
    • “There's no optimization, so you can't turn all the way up on certain phones.”
    • “I don't know if it's the game or my device, but I think optimizations should be made for that.”
    • “The game is full of microtransactions, it's only in portrait mode even though it's a racing game, terrible controls, plus there's always performance issues and bugs to the point where the game crashes a lot.”
  • story
    65 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story aspect is criticized for its lack of depth and clarity, with many players expressing a desire for a traditional story mode akin to previous Mario Kart titles. While the return of mission mode is appreciated, it often feels chaotic and confusing, leading to frustration with mission requirements and controls. Overall, players find the game enjoyable but feel it could benefit from a more structured narrative and offline play options.

    • “The structure of the cups, particularly the missions outside of racing, is interesting and fresh.”
    • “I think it'd be even better if each character had a short story mode.”
    • “Pros: the return of mission mode is a nice addition for those who liked it in MKDS.”
    • “Overall the game is great though with good graphics, although, it kinda lacks a storyline.”
    • “This is a very sneaky plot to trick people into paying incredibly expensive prices for very low return.”
    • “The format has changed so much from the first experience I had when it was released for the very first time on the SNES; it seems a lot more complex now and not clear on whether you're in online mode, story mode, or racing against others.”
  • emotional
    44 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The emotional responses to the game highlight a deep sense of disappointment and frustration among players, primarily due to the lack of challenge and engagement. Many users express feelings of betrayal, particularly when discovering that they can win races without any input, leading to a sense of emptiness and loss of nostalgia for a once-beloved franchise. The poor controls and reliance on bots further exacerbate these feelings, making the experience feel unfulfilling and heart-wrenching for fans.

    • “It's truly heartbreaking to see Mario Kart become this.”
    • “Personally, I cried a little inside because I love it so much.”
    • “Heartbreaking.”
  • replayability
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the replayability of the game is generally praised, with many players enjoying the variety of characters, courses, and the points system that encourages repeated play. However, some users express concerns about the lack of multiplayer options and the reliance on a gacha system for unlocking characters, which can detract from the experience. Suggestions for improvements include adding more engaging content and features, such as landscape mode and better controls, to enhance replay value further.

    • “The in-race scores and combos provide plenty of replayability to each track, loading times are fast.”
    • “Events and challenges provide great replay value and it's great fun to unlock every character.”
    • “It's really fun, completing challenges during each race to collect badges and earning stars to unlock gifts and new racing circuits give it that replayability fun factor.”
    • “I always loved Mario Kart games, but it seems like you guys kind of messed up with this one since there was so much more that you could've done to make it more playable.”
    • “The controls are not the best; having all the cups locked behind the grand star system is a stupid and bad way to force replayability.”
    • “There's not a lot of replay value.”
  • humor
    12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in the game is a mixed bag; while some players find it amusing and lighthearted, particularly in its simplicity and quirky elements, many criticize the poor controls and gameplay mechanics as detracting from the overall experience. The game's monetization and technical issues are also seen as unintentionally funny, leading to a sense of irony among users. Overall, the humor is present but overshadowed by significant gameplay frustrations.

    • “It's a funny little game which doesn't really require skills (unlike the original version) to win against computer opponents.”
    • “The game controls are hilariously bad (what's wrong with a simple d-pad?).”
    • “I think it's hilarious that people are complaining that they can't win the game or that add-ons cost too much.”
  • character development
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews on character development are mixed, with some praising the graphics and originality of the character designs, while others criticize the overall quality of the character design.

    • “The character design is lacking and feels uninspired.”
    • “There is little to no depth in character development throughout the game.”
    • “The characters are one-dimensional and fail to evoke any emotional connection.”
  • atmosphere
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The atmosphere is characterized by a highly competitive environment that users find exhilarating and engaging.

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45%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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2h Median play time
2h Average play time
2-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 3 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Mario Kart Tour is a casual racing game.

Mario Kart Tour is available on Phone, iPad, iPhone, Tablet and others.

On average players spend around 2 hours playing Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart Tour was released on September 25, 2019.

Mario Kart Tour was developed by Nintendo EPD.

Mario Kart Tour has received mostly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its gameplay but disliked it for its monetization.

Mario Kart Tour is a single player game with multiplayer support.

Similar games include Real Racing 3, MEGA MAN X DiVE - MOBILE, The Elder Scrolls: Blades, Asphalt Legends Unite, Invincible: Guarding the Globe and others.