After the introduction of bikes as playable vehicles in Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, which then carried over to Nintendo Switch port Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s only natural that some players were left disappointed by their absence in Mario Kart Tour. Might motorcycles or even bicycles be added to Nintendo’s free-to-play mobile racing game via a free update in the future, though? Here’s everything you need to know about Mario Kart Tour bikes.
Will I be able to ride bikes in Mario Kart Tour?
The addition of two-wheeled vehicles — be they engine or pedal-powered — has been a hot topic of debate since the first mobile installment in the Mario Kart series launched last month. To many, it’s seemed likely, but now there’s new evidence that looks to definitively point towards bikes being introduced to the arcade racer.
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An unofficial Twitter account named Mario Kart Tour News has acquired datamined information that shows the word “Bicycle” has been added to the game files. Though bikes aren’t playable just yet, often elements can crop up early in a game’s code as developers prepare for the eventual addition of any asset(s) in question.
What’s perhaps most interesting about this finding, however, is the specific reference to a bicycle. As aforementioned, motorbikes have previously featured in the popular series, but never have players been able to race while riding a bicycle specifically. This raises numerous questions, such as how a peddle vehicle would hope to compete with the horsepower behind the game’s existing karts, or whether a new control scheme would be implemented in order for the player to mimic the physical effort of peddling. The latter has been seen in many games, where simply holding the “acceleration” button when riding a bicycle results in a leisurely pace, but repeatedly tapping proportionally ups the tempo.
If and what form of bikes get implemented into Mario Kart Tour remains to be seen, though it appears more likely than ever that two-wheelers are, in fact, going to be added to the MKT vehicle roster.
