We all know very well that Nintendo has made some great games in their history, and we all know someone who has owned or owns one of their consoles or has played any of their games. 

There is one well-known series that defines their history, however, and it’s not the Mario Bros games. The game in question is Mario Kart. 

Mario Kart has had some incredible history. The legendary series started with “Super Mario Kart” in 1992 on the SNES, or Super Nintendo Entertainment System, then proceeded with “Mario Kart 64” on the very well known N64 system, as well as a game for the GameBoy Advanced, and the popular “Mario Kart Double Dash” for the GameCube.

Then, we get to the modern era. It starts with “Mario Kart DS”, which was made for the Nintendo DS handheld console. Then they made “Mario Kart Wii”, which was made for Nintendo’s competitor to the Xbox and PlayStation. When Nintendo then came out with their 3DS, a version of the original that brought in 3d elements, they made a Mario Kart for that too, “Mario Kart 7”, which introduced more elements such as gliders. They then made “Mario Kart 8” for the Wii U, which was a version of the Wii that introduced the handheld feature of the console. Then there was the Nintendo Switch, one of the most popular consoles in recent history, which had a “deluxe” version of the Wii U game “Mario Kart 8”. 

Now, they’ve changed the game big time. In January 2018, in an article on Kotaku, editor Luke Plunket cites Nintendo of America’s Twitter post which said “The checkered flag has been raised and the finish line is near. A new mobile application is now in development: Mario Kart Tour! #MarioKartTour Releasing in the fiscal year ending in March 2019.”

They then started beta testing the game just about a year later after that announcement. “A closed beta for Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour mobile game will run from May 22 to June 4 in Japan and the United States, Nintendo has confirmed. Applications for the beta are open from now until May 7 on the game’s official website, which notes that the test will be exclusive to Android”, said Jon Porter, writer for the website The Verge. After the test ended, the game was released in September. 

The premise of the game is like the other Mario Kart game, to win races, but there is an added element, points you get for actions you do, such as jump boosts, the position you finish, as well as hitting people with shells, banana peels, and rocket starts. You also get points and perks for item boxes for the characters you get from the shop or get unlocked from “the pipe”, which you purchase chances with gems to get characters, carts, and gliders that help your points total for the cups you play.  Your goal is not only to finish first, but to get enough points to earn 5 stars. There are also weekly rankings on certain cups for the combined total of all the points you scored in the 3 races. 

The game is a lot of fun to play, but it gets frustrating. The frustrating part is when you get hit by items and end up finishing in a lower position. In terms of gameplay, it runs smoothly on my Galaxy S8, and I rarely get any lag. 

Mario Kart Tour is available on iOS and Android. It is free to play, but there are elements in which you can purchase with real money, such as gems, and a subscription plan called the “gold pass”, where you get extra perks as well as exclusive items. The game is rated E for everyone.