Mario kart tour

Mario Kart Tour is a mobile game in the Mario Kart series. First announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018, it is the third Mario mobile game overall, following Super Mario Run and Dr. Mario World, the ninth main installment in the Mario Kart series, and the sixteenth installment overall. Like Super Mario Run, it is free-to-start from the App Store and Google Play. 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 gacha 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

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.

On March 2, 2020, Nintendo announced that multiplayer would officially be implemented into the game on March 8, 2020, 8:00 p.m. (PT). Prior to this, on October 31, 2019, Nintendo announced the first multiplayer beta test exclusive to Gold Pass members,[6] which began on December 18, 2019, 11:00 p.m. (PT) and ended on December 26, 2019, 9:59 p.m. (PT). On January 21, 2020, Nintendo announced a second multiplayer beta test for all players, regardless of having a Gold Pass subscription or not, which began on January 22, 2020, 11:00 p.m. (PT) and ended on January 28, 2020, 9:59 p.m. (PT). The second multiplayer beta test allowed players to play with each other in their immediate vicinity based on their device's location data.

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## Gameplay

   ​​​​​The goal of the game is to be in first place at the end of each race, using items obtained by driving through Item Boxes. The game is played in a portrait position, while the phone's touch controls are used to play the game, such as dragging the finger across the screen to steer the kart. There are three ways the player can make turns. For the phones supporting it, the gyroscope can be used to steer. Touch controls can be used in two configurations. The main setting has the driver jumping every time the screen is tapped, making drifting the main way to take turns, controlled by how the fingers slide on the screen. In the other configuration, the kart does not jump when tapping the screen, which results in it steering and auto-drifting as the fingers slide on the screen. This configuration does not allow the charge of an Ultra Mini-Turbo. Similarly to *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe* with auto-accelerate and smart-steering enabled, karts accelerate automatically and can steer players away from walls. The intensity of smart-steering can be changed in the game's settings.

The game's mechanics are based on *Mario Kart 7* and most of the Retro Courses are also available as either normal or retro courses in Mario Kart 7. A few features from *Mario Kart 8* that required substantial changes to the game, such as Bikes, ATVs, anti-gravity, and 12-player races, are missing, while the 200cc class is present. Other features from *Mario Kart 8 Deluxe*, such as auto-accelerate, smart-steering and Ultra Mini-Turbos, return. Unlike previous games the player cannot customize their tires.

When a race is completed, the player will be awarded with Grand Stars, experience points for the used driver, kart and glider, and coins. If the player finishes in the top three places, the gauge to level up will be filled, while if the placement is 5th or lower, the gauge will be dropped. When the gauge is already empty, however, the player will not go level down. Grand Stars are awarded depending on whether a certain point threshold has been reached. Experience points for the driver, kart and glider are awarded depending on the placement. The coins obtained are those collected during the race, but a player will get one additional coin for every 1,000 points obtained during the race. Each day, it is possible to obtain up to 150 experience points for drivers, karts and gliders and up to 300 coins by racing. When those limits are reached the player cannot obtain experience points or coins by racing until the next day. In order to continue gaining experience points or collecting coins, the player can use point-boost tickets for the former and can play Coin Rush or get rewards from challenges for the latter. Filling up the gauge to level up gives a reward to the player, increases the points earned when reaching a specific placement in the race and, when level 7 or level 12 are reached, allows the player to buy more items in the shop.

The game features Tour Challenges and Gold Challenges, which reward Grand Stars, and Standard Challenges, which reward rubies, the main premium currency of the game.

Another premium item, bought with real-life currency according to a monthly subscription model, is the Gold Pass, which grants access to the 200cc engine class, additional items from Tour Gifts and Gold Challenges.

Each driver, kart and glider have favored courses, on which they offer advantages if they are used. Each course has three tiers for each driver, kart and glider. Third tier drivers receive one item from every Item Box, second tier drivers receive two items and first tier drivers receive three items. Second tier karts give a bonus points multiplier of 1.5 and first tier karts give a bonus points multiplier of 2. Second tier gliders increase the time between two point-gaining actions to count as combo and give a combo bonus multiplier of 2 and first tier gliders increase the combo-time even longer and give a combo bonus multiplier of 3. The player can enter a Frenzy by obtaining three of the same item at the same time, which allows the player to temporarily use that item an infinite amount of times in addition to granting them invincibility. Super and High-End drivers, karts and gliders have a higher number of points gained when choosing them and more preferred courses. In addition, drivers have their own special items, similar to *Mario Kart: Double Dash!!'*s item system. Karts have their own driving-related bonus such as increasing the effectiveness of drafting, while gliders increase the likelihood of obtaining a certain item and the points gained when using this item. All drivers, karts and gliders can be leveled up, and they all come with upgrades when done so.

The courses the player can play depends on the tour, which changes every two weeks. Each tour has sixteen cups, and adds new drivers, karts, gliders and courses, including one course that is new to the series. Each cup contains three races and one bonus challenge. Bonus challenges require the player to beat a certain goal with a certain character, kart and glider. Once each of the courses and the bonus challenge is played and enough Grand Stars are obtained, the player can move on to the next cup. Tour Gifts appear between cups which give the player items if enough Grand Stars are obtained. Every week, one of the tour's cups is a ranked cup. In a ranked cup, the player is placed on a leaderboard based on their overall score in the game against nineteen other players. The player gains a reward and increases in tier at the end of the week if the end position is within the best ten places.

## Multiplayer

Multiplayer mode was added to *Mario Kart Tour* on March 8, 2020, where up to eight human players can play against each other. There are three modes available: a mode to play with friends or other players nearby; Standard Races, a mode where the player competes against random players from around the world; and Gold Races, a mode exclusive to Gold Pass members where the player competes against other members. Players race against each other in three courses in a chosen cup of the current tour; the cup changes every 15 minutes. In the "With Friends or Others Nearby" mode, the player can set the rules themselves, including the engine class, number of item slots, and inclusion of CPU racers.

In Standard Races, there are two sets of rules that interchange daily: 100cc with default item slots, and 100cc with two item slots. In Gold Races, there are four: 150cc with default item slots, 150cc with two item slots, 200cc with default item slots, and 200cc with one item slot. In both of these modes, there is also a grade system for players that changes depending on their performance. The grades range from F to A (S in Gold Races).