The Removal of Gacha Rolling in Mario Kart Tour is The Best Thing That's Ever Happened
Since Mario Kart Tour’s release in 2019, the gacha pipe mechanic has been one of the most despised features in the game. Suppose you haven’t played or don’t remember, the pipe mechanic is essentially a gacha rolling system that requires players to purchase an in-game currency called Rubies and roll for playable characters, karts, and gliders.
It was such an irritating feature because it meant that the player with the better gear always had a higher chance of winning the race. It was also pretty hard to score good gear too, so rolling became pretty costly if you weren’t lucky.
Mario Kart Tour currently has 193 playable drivers, 246 karts, and 172 gliders. To roll for one of these drivers or gliders, you’d need to spend five Rubies for a pipe pull, and purchasing ten Rubies alone costs $5.99, so you can see how difficult it is to acquire a rare character, let alone the money you’d need to cough up for it.
With the recent news of the gacha pipe’s riddance and replacing feature being a Spotlight Shop, players like me couldn’t be happier. After years of having my pockets drained of money because of these microtransactions, I can now freely enjoy Mario Kart Tour without selling an arm and a leg for the best drivers, karts, and gliders. Well, technically, I’d still have to spend money, but at least not my entire month’s saving because of my poor luck.
So, what does that mean for all the rare attainable equipment and characters? Nintendo has announced it will replace the gacha system with a Spotlight Shop, which features various gear, including drivers that can be purchased outright. This feature means I don't need to worry about what I might get from a gacha pipe pull, since it'll be gone and I can literally pick up whatever I need, whenever I want, or when the opportunity pops up in the Spotlight Shop.
Despite this mechanic still being a microtransaction, it eliminates the randomness and gambling mentality that plagued Mario Kart Tour for the past few years. For free-to-play players, it’s almost as if nothing’s changed; you’re still technically spending cash on gear, but at least, if you ever decide to put in a few bucks here and there, you know exactly what you’re getting in Mario Kart Tour. It also allows players to save and selectively purchase different drivers or gliders in the Spotlight Shop when the opportunity arrives.
Although removing the dreadful gacha system has honestly taken way too long for it to happen, it’s better late than never. This is a massive improvement for Mario Kart Tour and levels the playing field for players. In some way, it also adds some sanity back into the minds of players like me, who’ve sadly lost more to gacha pipes than actually winning races. In saying so, I could've also just been bad at the game. Either way, Nintendo plans to officially remove the pipe mechanic and gacha system on October 5, 2022.
💬 What are your thoughts on Mario Kart Tour gacha-free? How do you feel about the soon-to-be-implemented Spotlight Shop?
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