Mario Kart on the Go!

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Anthony Sacramento, Staff Writer

Nintendo’s latest mobile game “Mario Kart Tour” is now available on IOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, as well as on Android devices.

Nintendo is at it again with finding new ways for fans to play their favorite Mario character where ever they go. Unlike Nintendo’s previously released “Super Mario Run (2016),” which is a game where single players can tackle courses with unique challenges with Mario himself or other popular characters, “Mario Kart Tour” is a multiplayer racing game. Players can challenge each other on the race track live to see who gets the number one spot. The game is free to play, with in-app purchases (in-game currency called “rubies”) that players can use for upgrades and unlocks.

Players immediately unlock one rider and get a tutorial on first plays, which introduces them to the “Mario Kart Tour” driving mechanics, using different controls to race your vehicle than the ones you’re probably used to if you played Mario Kart games for Nintendo’s various consoles. Specifically, players won’t have to worry about an acceleration button since karts will always be moving forward, instead players will slide their fingers side to side on the screen to steer left or right and a simple tap to fire off any times or weapons you might pick up while racing on the track.

High scores earn players points that can be redeemed for in-game unlocks, and the game also features other new mechanics, like “frenzy mode,” which gives you a timed period of unlimited items use whenever players pick up three of the same. Another feature the game has is special challenges that introduce new ways to win instead of just placing first in a race with other kart drivers.

The new twist behind the “Tour” component of the game is Nintendo’s way of mixing courses inspired by real-world cities in with levels that are taken from the classic fan favorite Mario kart games. These will be cycling every two weeks for a fresh global tour on a regular basis. Along with these around-the-world destinations, the in-game characters will also get costume inspiring looks.

Based on Nintendo’s track record, “Mario Kart Tour” should be perfectly playable without any in-game purchases, but players may feel that they hit a progression wall pretty quickly without picking up some currency.