Nintendo's venture into mobile games has brought fans of the company many surprises, including Mario Kart Tour. The series' arrival on mobile devices has allowed for quite a bit of experimentation by adding new characters, costumes, tracks, and seasonal events never before seen in a Mario Kart game.
As 2020 comes to a close, it only seems fitting to celebrate the coming of the new year in any way possible, and Mario Kart Tour is doing just that with the game's second annual New Year's Tour. The new tour sees the return of some of the game's Party Time costumed characters, as well as the addition of the long-awaited Lakitu (Party Time), to the game's cast of playable characters.
A new video released by Nintendo shows off what the game's New Year's Tour 2021 has to offer. Among other features, players will have the chance to obtain the returning Pauline (Party Time) and Toad (Party Time), as well as the brand new Lakitu (Party Time), who finally leaves the sidelines to make his playable debut.
The celebratory tour will run from December 30 to January 13, and players will also have the chance to obtain the Party-Wing kart and race on the brand new RMX Rainbow Road 2 track, another new version of Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart on the SNES. The tour's description states that players can spot kadomatsu, a traditional Japanese decoration associated with the New Year, around some courses. Additionally, alongside the usual tour challenges, players will have the chance to complete New Year's Challenges which all yield rubies which can be spent on Mario Kart's in-game store purchases. New Year's Log-In bonuses will be active during the New Year's event as well.
Since Lakitu (Party Time) only previously appeared as an NPC, many are glad to see him join Mario Kart Tour as Lakitu's first alternate costume. Though Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to do well on the Nintendo Switch, it will be interesting if the next mainline installment of the series will take inspiration from Mario Kart Tour.
Mario Kart Tour is available now on mobile devices.