The mobile version of arguably the world's greatest video game has started its closed beta today and details have been leaking by the minute.
Mario Kart Tour is due for release this summer as the first smartphone specific iteration of the hugely popular franchise. Today's closed beta is only accessible to certain users who registered prior to the May 7th deadline but some information from the experience so far has made its way online.
It's reported that the game will have automatic acceleration and work in a vertical screen only display, meaning all you'll need to do is steer. While it seems a strange decision to restrict the peripheral track vision on-screen, it's indicative of how so many mobile apps, games and videos are adapting to 'one hand' policy when it comes to accessibility.
Judging by early reports there appears to be a vast array of playable characters but alas there is still no sign of Birdo, who hasn't been seen since Mario Kart Wii.
Alright, so the current roster seems to be:
1. Mario
2. Luigi
3. Peach
4. Daisy
5. Rosalina
6. Toad
7. Toadette
8. Yoshi
9. Wario
10. Waluigi
11. Bowser
12. Donkey Kong
13. Koopa Troopa
14. Shy Guy
15. Dry Bones
1/2 pic.twitter.com/RluDBB49Mm— Mario Kart (Tour) News (@kart_tour) May 22, 2019
16. King Boo
17. Baby Mario
18. Baby Luigi
19. Baby Peach
20. Baby Daisy
21. Baby Rosalina
22. Metal Mario
23. Dry Bowser
24. Larry
25. Lemmy
26. Ludwig
27. Wendy
28. Morton
29. Iggy
30. Roy
2/2 pic.twitter.com/NVgMkfUAf6— Mario Kart (Tour) News (@kart_tour) May 22, 2019
There are also a multitude of tracks, including old favourites like Mario Circuit, Rainbow Road and Luigi Mansion. While the game will be free to play, unfortunately most of the characters and tracks will likely be behind some sort of monetisation mechanism. It's also reported that this will be a gacha system, similar to the microtransaction loot boxes etc that we see in the likes of Fortnite and Apex Legends, except the unlockable items will actually be beneficial rather than purely cosmetic.
Of course, everything must be taken with a pinch of salt, given that this is a beta version, meaning everything is subject to change before the full release.
