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KartRider Rush+ (iOS, Android) - the CTR to Mario Kart Tour?

Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509



While downloading the latest Mario Kart Tour update I saw this on the Play Store and decided to check it out. I tried the KartRider Drift beta on Xbox One, but I had no idea a mobile version was being made.

For starters, anyone who hated the controls or vertical orientation of MKT will be glad to know that this game is played horizontally and uses big virtual buttons that work pretty well. The gameplay is your standard kart racer stuff with drifting that feels a little more realistic than most, and you can choose between several different modes. There are standard races focused on pure skill, item races that add wacky weapons, relay races where you and another player both race one lap, time trials, and even a whole voice-acted Story Mode to play through. The online is really snappy, and I was able to get into races within seconds of joining a lobby. You can send quick messages to the other players and voice chat within the lobbies. I didn't mess with it much, but strangely enough you can even own a house and play some minigames with friends there.

My main mobile game turn-off was thankfully nowhere to be seen, as there are no timers or stamina meters to limit your playtime as far as I could tell. However, similar to games like Fortnite, there are a ton of cosmetics to spend money on as well as several passes and subscriptions. I did see a few things that appeared to give gameplay advantages in the item mode, but since the itemless mode is considered the default, it doesn't seem too bad.

Overall, the game seems extremely polished and I definitely plan on playing more. If you've been looking for a mobile game to scratch the kart racing itch, you might want to check this one out. Also, I present this screenshot without comment:

Screenshot_20200514-135143_KartRider_Rush.jpg
 
Okabe

Okabe

Is Sometimes A Good Bean
Member
Aug 24, 2018
19,922
Just downloaded it to test as the first game on my new phone


That being said I played the shit out this yearrrrrrs ago so I hope it's good
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
I played a bit more of this, I'm Silver II in the ranked mode now. It's fun to begin with but once you get to the more complex tracks the game really starts to shine. It definitely carves out a unique niche compared to stuff like Mario Kart or CTR, there's a huge focus on executing drifts perfectly and hitting the shortcuts. The way you can leverage nitro to help you drift through corners faster to build even more nitro gives it a bit of a Ridge Racer feel. I like the little rearview mirror that only pops up in the corner when there's another racer coming up behind you.

I also discovered that the cosmetics are a bit strange in that you rent most of them. I've never seen a game do that before. For example, I wanted to buy the ridiculous Thug Life hat which appeared to cost 70 batteries, but that's actually just for a 10 day rental of the hat. To unlock it permanently, it's 380 batteries, which translates to over $5. Still, with so much incredibly high-quality gameplay available for free I guess I can't complain. I went ahead and dropped five bucks on batteries since there was a promotion that permanently unlocked a cute character and kart for doing so.
 
shoyz

shoyz

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
531
The production values are insane, it puts MKT to shame. And what obscene content glut, there's like a billion submenus to click on.
High skill ceiling, real MP, and a ton of modes, wow. It's from Nexon so I wanted to hate it, but it's great.

One huge question mark for me though is why this is an entirely separate release from the upcoming console/PC 'Kartrider Drift' rather than sister versions; it's hard to get invested in Rush+ knowing Drift is coming and might be completely separated. Maybe they'll cross-over?

The only thing I find off-putting is the amount of monetizations. $5 Season pass - cool. $3 monthly sub? Hm. Two separate monthly top-up meters. Hidden at ~lv20 is a VIP system with weekly payouts. Mystery shop refreshes. Mystery boxes.

Oh, make sure you log in from an iOS device if you can, the prereg visor is way cooler than the helmet Android users get.
 
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Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
shoyz said:
The production values are insane, it puts MKT to shame. And what obscene content glut, there's like a billion submenus to click on.
High skill ceiling, real MP, and a ton of modes, wow. It's from Nexon so I wanted to hate it, but it's great.

One huge question mark for me though is why this is an entirely separate release from the upcoming console/PC 'Kartrider Drift' rather than sister versions; it's hard to get invested in Rush+ knowing Drift is coming and might be completely separated. Maybe they'll cross-over?

The only thing I find off-putting is the amount of monetizations. $5 Season pass - cool. $3 monthly sub? Hm. Two separate monthly top-up meters. Hidden at ~lv20 is a VIP system with weekly payouts. Mystery shop refreshes. Mystery boxes.

Oh, make sure you log in from an iOS device if you can, the prereg visor is way cooler than the helmet Android users get.
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Yeah, I thought this was basically a mobile port of Drift, but it doesn't seem like it's connected to it despite being pretty much the same game. And there are definitely a few too many random submenus with things to buy for its own good. At most I can see myself maybe paying for the season pass since it lasts two months, but forget all those other subscriptions and whatnot.

I don't know what the iOS visor looks like, but... I like the helmet!

Screenshot_20200514-234458_KartRider_Rush.jpg
 
jon bones

jon bones

Member
Oct 25, 2017
26,012
NYC
this FEELS really good, but i don't know about the car / upgrade system. it feels like it could get p2w as it's not cosmetic - you can get better cars and then upgrade them
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
jon bones said:
this FEELS really good, but i don't know about the car / upgrade system. it feels like it could get p2w as it's not cosmetic - you can get better cars and then upgrade them
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I think it's mitigated by the fact that you can't easily pay to get the currency needed to upgrade cars. I could only find one place to buy them (the Bonus Fortune menu currently sells some in a pack with a few other items for $1), but it only contains 300 crystals and you can only buy it once per day. To level up a car just once you need 2250 crystals and the crystal requirements only get higher from there, so even if someone wanted to P2W they'd still be heavily limited by time.
 
Phil32

Phil32

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,568
Thanks for bringing this game to my attention, OP. It's a lot of fun! I'm getting way too overwhelmed by all of the currencies and such though! ha
It'd be cool to have an ERA club or whatever it's called for this game.
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
Phil32 said:
Thanks for bringing this game to my attention, OP. It's a lot of fun! I'm getting way too overwhelmed by all of the currencies and such though! ha
It'd be cool to have an ERA club or whatever it's called for this game.
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Good idea. It costs 128 batteries to make a club (bit of a random number...), so seeing as I already bought some I went ahead and created it. You should be able to find the club by simply searching for "ResetEra". It requires approval to join so randoms can't join, anyone who wants in can just let me know who you are with a post in this thread.
 
Phil32

Phil32

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,568
Camjo-Z said:
Good idea. It costs 128 batteries to make a club (bit of a random number...), so seeing as I already bought some I went ahead and created it. You should be able to find the club by simply searching for "ResetEra". It requires approval to join so randoms can't join, anyone who wants in can just let me know who you are with a post in this thread.
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Awesome! My name in KartRider is the same as my ERA name, so I'll send a request later today. Thanks for setting up a club!
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
Good lord, the License Tests seriously separate the wheat from the chaff. I managed to get through most of them but the final L1 tests have given me a serious run for my money. Balanced Driving is giving me flashbacks to the hardest missions in All-Stars Racing Transformed. Probably for the best I get hit by the casual filter now, anyone who can actually beat these would assuredly whip me in an L1 lobby anyway.
 
shoyz

shoyz

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
531
A5VyN2H.png


Season 1 Ranked mode rewards include, if you're able to reach high enough ranks, a 1yr rental of racer Uni, a permanent Uni, and the ultimate S1 Ranked reward is this permanent S1-exclusive gold color spray for Uni. Inbetween is the iOS exclusive Visor. Anyone wanting to rep California would also be inclined to login on an iOS device; exclusive Cali license plate.

A bit annoying that they put stats on all the costume stuff, so playing default Uni is a disadvantage.
 
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Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
shoyz said:
A5VyN2H.png


Season 1 Ranked mode rewards include, if you're able to reach high enough ranks, a 1yr rental of racer Uni, a permanent Uni, and the ultimate S1 Ranked reward is this permanent S1-exclusive gold color spray for Uni. Inbetween is the iOS exclusive Visor. Anyone wanting to rep California would also be inclined to login on an iOS device; exclusive Cali license plate.

A bit annoying that they put stats on all the costume stuff, so playing default Uni is a disadvantage.
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Gold Uni is secretly commentary on the duality of man. Do you stay humble and use the characters/items with practical bonuses, or do you flex by showing off your blinged out baby?

I'm already nearing Platinum I, so I'm hoping I can manage to get those permanent unlocks.
 
shoyz

shoyz

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
531
Camjo-Z said:
I'm already nearing Platinum I, so I'm hoping I can manage to get those permanent unlocks.
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I'm not sure when it starts but they start padding out the ranks like crazy, and it takes a deceptively long time to hit those high ranks. At first I thought it wasn't too bad (3->2->1, then rank up), but then they add star requirements, then it's actually 3->2.6->2.3->2->1.6->1.3->1->0.6->0.3->rank up (though the stars require 30pts, not 50, so not quite this bad).

Then at Diamond they increase it to 3 stars per level, and increase it to 5 levels per rank (so you start at Diamond 5). Insanely brutal grind now. They also add challenge requirements to rank-up, and I'm not sure what the penalty is for failing.
I also realized far too late that winning a game with a friend/partner gives +1 point, so don't solo queue in teams.
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
shoyz said:
I'm not sure when it starts but they start padding out the ranks like crazy, and it takes a deceptively long time to hit those high ranks. At first I thought it wasn't too bad (3->2->1, then rank up), but then they add star requirements, then it's actually 3->2.6->2.3->2->1.6->1.3->1->0.6->0.3->rank up (though the stars require 30pts, not 50, so not quite this bad).

Then at Diamond they increase it to 3 stars per level, and increase it to 5 levels per rank (so you start at Diamond 5). Insanely brutal grind now. I also realized far too late that winning a game with a friend gives +1 point.
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Yeah, I made this shocking discovery when I reached Diamond V two days ago. At least they give you over two months to do it, so it might be possible. I wish you didn't have to meet an extra set of requirements to get the prize though. If I actually manage to reach Genius III, I think I've earned that permanent gold spray without having to finish 100 more races!

Didn't know about the extra friend point, I'll have to start inviting people I see online.
 
shoyz

shoyz

The Fallen
Oct 26, 2017
531
Also keep an eye on your daily ranked mission, and reset it for something other than ranked points. Much as 5 ranked points sounds nice, it's nowhere near as valuable as the 300 K-Coins I was able to reset it for instead.
 
OP
OP
Camjo-Z

Camjo-Z

Member
Oct 25, 2017
6,509
Screenshot_20200525-141208_KartRider_Rush.jpg


Once you reach Master it takes 4 stars to reach the next rank, but thankfully it's proving to be really easy to consistently gain points. I stick to Item races and group up with other good players, so I don't lose very often. I really enjoy the item balance in this game, it's very rare that I get utterly bombarded by a ton of attacks and I like that you have to actually think about when you use them lest you accidentally waste an item or trip up your teammate with friendly fire.
 
toilet_sandpaper

toilet_sandpaper

Member
Aug 31, 2019
421
I've playing this for two weeks now and enjoying it. I play everyday to get the daily EXP prizes. If I play more thant that I usually get bored, but one hour per day is a good dose of fun.
 
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