Mario Kart Tour is a new game within one of the many Mario spin-off series that shows an example of ambitious work and design when it comes to mobile games. It’s the newest installment in both the Mario Kart franchise and the mobile game craze that Nintendo has been going through. The game was released on September 25th, 2019 and has reached a total of 90 million downloads, smashing the amount of downloads that other Nintendo-released mobile games had. 

The game itself differs in multiple ways in comparison to other Mario Kart installments. It features a new system in which players have to unlock characters through payment, using a “pipe launch” that rewards you with in-game karts, gliders, and characters. Each character, kart, and glider each have their own benefits on certain courses, which has shown to be a source of backlash for Nintendo. This system makes the game seem to be “pay-to-win,” where people have to spend real-life currency in order to beat other players’ scores. 

Despite its negative “pay-to-win” system, players still enjoy the game as it brings the players an authentic and new Mario Kart experience. The game is currently sustaining a 4.8 / 5 rating on the App Store.

The game controls in a different way, as players are limited to a phone screen but can choose one of two control options based on play style. It proves to be difficult for first-time players, yet after a couple of days the controls get easier to use. A video attached to this story features a single race within the game, showing off the features contained within Mario Kart Tour.