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| Mario Kart | |
|---|---|
 Logo since 2005 | |
| Genre(s) | Kart racing |
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Creator(s) | |
| Platform(s) | |
| First release | Super Mario Kart August 27, 1992 |
| Latest release | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit October 16, 2020 |
| Spin-offs | |
Mario Kart[a] is a series of kart racing games and a spin-off Mario franchise developed and published by Nintendo. Players compete in go-kart races while using various power-up items. It features characters and courses mostly from the Mario series as well as other gaming franchises such as The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, F-Zero, Excitebike, and Splatoon.
The series was launched in 1992 with Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), to critical and commercial success.[1] The Mario Kart series totals fourteen games, with six on home consoles, three on handheld consoles, four arcade games co-developed with Namco, and one for mobile phones. The latest game in the series, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, was released on the Nintendo Switch in October 2020. Over 178.19 million copies in the series have been sold worldwide.
Gameplay[edit]
In the Mario Kart series, players compete in go-kart races, controlling one of a selection of characters, mainly from the Mario franchise. Up to twelve characters can compete in each race (varying per game). Players can perform driving techniques during the race such as rocket starts, slipstreaming, drifting, and mini-turbos.
Gameplay is enhanced by power-up items obtained by driving into item boxes laid out on the course. These power-ups vary across games in the series, but generally include Mushrooms to give players a speed boost, Red and Green Shells to be thrown at opponents, Banana Peels, and hazards such as Fake Item Boxes. The game selects an item based on the player's current position in the race, utilising a mechanism known as rubber banding. For example, players lagging far behind may receive more powerful items such as Bullet Bills, which give the player invincibility while auto-piloting them forward at great speed, while the leader of a race may only receive small defensive items, such as Shells or Bananas. This gameplay mechanism allows other racers a realistic chance to catch up to the leading racer.
In the original game, Super Mario Kart, the player takes control of one of eight Mario series characters, each with differing capabilities. In single player mode players can race against computer-controlled characters in 4 multi-race cups consisting of 20 tracks (5 in each cup) over three difficulty levels (50cc, 100cc and 150cc). Alternatively players can race against the clock in a Time Trial mode. In multiplayer mode two players can simultaneously take part in the cups or can race against each other one-on-one in Match Race mode. In a third multiplayer mode – Battle Mode – the aim is to defeat the other players by attacking them with power-ups, destroying balloons which surround each kart.
Each new game has introduced new gameplay elements, such as new circuits, items, modes, and playable characters.
- Mario Kart 64 introduced 3D graphics, 4-player racing, slipstreaming,[2] items dangling (the ability to hold bananas and shells to defend against projectiles) and introduced two new playable characters: Wario and Donkey Kong. It also introduced seven items: the Fake Item Box, Triple Red Shells, Triple Green Shells, Triple Mushrooms, the Banana Bunch, the Golden Mushroom, and the Spiny Shell. In addition to the three Grand Prix engine classes, Mirror Mode was introduced, in which tracks are flipped laterally.
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit included all 20 Super Mario Kart tracks as unlockable content, as both games use the mode 7 effect.
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!! involves 2-player driving and featured co-operative LAN play and double-manned karts. It also introduced double item boxes. It further added eleven new playable characters: Daisy, Birdo, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Paratroopa, Diddy Kong, Bowser Jr., Waluigi, Toadette, Petey Piranha, and King Boo. It introduced a revamped Spiny Shell and character exclusive items, and introduced unlockable characters and karts. Mirror mode is now played on 150cc. It also introduced new alternate battle modes: "Shine Thief", and "Bob-omb Blast".
- Mario Kart DS featured dual-screen play to take advantage of the system's capabilities. It introduced custom emblems. It also introduced Online play via the now defunct Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, a mission mode, and proper retro tracks. New playable characters included Dry Bones, R.O.B., and Shy Guy (who is exclusive to DS Download Play). This game also added three new items, the Blooper, the Bullet Bill, and the triple bananas. The Bob-omb is now a normal item, no longer being Wario and Waluigi's special item.
- Mario Kart Wii introduced motion controls, the ability to perform mid-air tricks, and bikes. The racer cap was raised from 8 to 12.[3] It introduced six new playable characters: Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, Funky Kong, Dry Bowser, and two Mii outfits. It introduced three new items: the Mega Mushroom, the Thundercloud, and the POW Block, the last two of which are exclusive to this kart game. It also introduced a new battle mode titled "Coin Runners".
- Mario Kart 7 featured stereoscopic 3D graphics and the return of dual screen functionality. It introduced gliders and submersible karts, a first-person perspective, and full kart customization. It introduced four new playable characters: Metal Mario, Lakitu, Wiggler, and Honey Queen. In addition, Shy Guy is a fully playable character as opposed to being exclusive for Download Play. It also re-introduced Coins for a small speed boost, though they can now be used to unlock kart parts.
- Mario Kart 8 introduced the 200cc engine class,[b] anti-gravity racing, ATVs, uploading highlights to YouTube, up to four local players in Grand Prix races, downloadable content, HD graphics, and fifteen new playable characters: the Koopalings (Iggy Koopa, Roy Koopa, Lemmy Koopa, Larry Koopa, Wendy O. Koopa, Ludwig von Koopa and Morton Koopa Jr.), Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link from The Legend of Zelda, and Villager (male and female) and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, the last six which are available as downloadable content.[4]
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe added a revamped battle mode, which included the new "Renegade Roundup", the return of double item boxes, ultra mini-turbo, and added 6 characters that were absent from the original game. These characters include King Boo, Dry Bones, Gold Mario, Bowser Jr, and the male and female Inklings from Splatoon, in addition to giving the female Villager her own character slot. From 2022 to the end of 2023, the "Booster Course Pass" DLC expansion pack added new race courses and returning characters to the game.
- Mario Kart Tour was the Mario Kart debut on a mobile phone, and introduced a points-based system for certain racing actions. It introduced Peachette, Pauline, Hammer Bro (and his boomerang, fire, and ice alts), Monty Mole, Captain Toad, Dixie Kong, Kamek, Nabbit, King Bob-omb, Chargin' Chuck, Poochy and many alternate versions of each character. It introduced Frenzy Mode, and before its removal in late 2022, gacha and loot box mechanics. It reintroduced character-specific items and the Mega Mushroom. Multiple new tracks were introduced in this game and later added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via the DLC expansion pack.
- Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit uses a combination of augmented reality (AR), remote-controlled karts, and cameras, to create tracks using markers in the physical world, on which onscreen opponents are raced.
Modes[edit]
Each game has a variety of modes. The following five modes recur most often in the series:
- Grand Prix – Players compete in various "cups" of four courses each (five in Super Mario Kart) with difficulty levels based on the size of the engine, larger engines meaning faster speeds. Before Mario Kart 8 there were four difficulties: 50cc, 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror Mode, where all tracks were flipped horizontally. In Mario Kart 8, a fifth difficulty level: 200cc, was added.[b] Players earn points according to their finishing position in each race and the placement order gets carried over to the next race as the new starting grid. At the end of the cup, the top three players with the most points overall will receive a trophy in bronze, silver, and gold. As of Mario Kart DS, players are also ranked based on how well they raced (three to one stars, A, B, C, D, and E). Three stars is the best rank, while E is the worst.
- Time Trials – The player races alone in order to finish any course in the fastest time possible. The best time is then saved as a ghost, which the player can race against in later trials. Mario Kart: Double Dash!! introduced Staff Ghosts, which are ghosts set by members of the Nintendo development team.
- Match Race (or VS.) – Multiple human players race on any course with customized rules such as team racing and item frequency.
- Battle – Multiple human players use in-game offensive items (shells, etc.) to battle each other in a closed arena. In the most common battle type, balloon battle, each player starts with three balloons and loses one per hit; the last player with at least one balloon wins. Various battle types have been added to the series, and single-player battles with CPU controlled players.
- Online Multiplayer – Players compete in races and battles through online services, such as Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, Nintendo Network, and Nintendo Switch Online. Players can share Time Trial ghosts, and participate in tournaments. In races and battles, players are matched by VR (VS Rating) and BR (Battle Rating) respectively, which is a number between 0 and 99,999 (9,999 in Mario Kart Wii). Players gain or lose points based on performance in a race or battle. The game attempts to match players with a similar rating.
Development[edit]
The debut game in the Mario Kart series was Super Mario Kart released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992. Its development was overseen by Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto, the Japanese designer of many successful Nintendo games including Super Mario Bros. Darran Jones of NowGamer suggests that the success of Super Mario Kart resulted from the Super Mario characters, and being a new type of racing game.[5]
Games[edit]
| 1992 | Super Mario Kart |
|---|---|
| 1993 | |
| 1994 | |
| 1995 | |
| 1996 | Mario Kart 64 |
| 1997 | |
| 1998 | |
| 1999 | |
| 2000 | |
| 2001 | Mario Kart: Super Circuit |
| 2002 | |
| 2003 | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! |
| 2004 | |
| 2005 | Mario Kart Arcade GP |
| Mario Kart DS | |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | Mario Kart Arcade GP 2 |
| 2008 | Mario Kart Wii |
| 2009 | |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | Mario Kart 7 |
| 2012 | |
| 2013 | Mario Kart Arcade GP DX |
| 2014 | Mario Kart 8 |
| 2015 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2017 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| Mario Kart Arcade GP VR | |
| 2018 | |
| 2019 | Mario Kart Tour |
| 2020 | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit |
Console[edit]
| Year | Game | Platform | Virtual Console/ Nintendo Switch Online re-release | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii | Wii U | 3DS | New 3DS | Switch | Android /iOS | |||
| 1992 | Super Mario Kart | SNES |  |
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| 1996 | Mario Kart 64 | Nintendo 64 | |
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| 2001 | Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Game Boy Advance | |
[nb 1] | [nb 1] | |
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| 2003 | Mario Kart: Double Dash!! | Nintendo GameCube | † | |||||
| 2005 | Mario Kart DS | Nintendo DS | |
† | † | |||
| 2008 | Mario Kart Wii | Wii | ‡ | † | ||||
| 2011 | Mario Kart 7 | Nintendo 3DS | ‡ | ‡ | ||||
| 2014 | Mario Kart 8 | Wii U | ‡ | |||||
| 2017 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Nintendo Switch | ‡ | |||||
| 2019 | Mario Kart Tour | Android/iOS | ‡ | |||||
| 2020 | Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | Nintendo Switch | ‡ | |||||
Available on Virtual Console or Nintendo Switch Online