Super Mario Kart really is an amazing game when you think about it. With its crude Mode 7 terrain and honestly plodding pace it should fail as a racing game. But the genius behind its mechanics and design has allowed it to become one of the most popular series in gaming. We should have seen it coming. Mario has worn many hats during his gaming career, from a golfer to a boxing referee. Why wouldn’t a racing game be so far-fetched? That it would so go on to spawn the entire kart racing genre speaks to its quality and it remains fun to this day.
The genesis behind Super Mario Kart’s creation is interesting. While we all loved F-Zero I’m sure I’m not the only one who lamented the lack of multiplayer. During their tests at creating a split screen experience Nintendo used Mario characters as a test. They liked it so much they stuck with it and a star was born. Released in 1992 Super Mario Kart would go on to become one of the best-selling SNES games of all time. Although Nintendo has added many features the core of the game is still the same, showing just how well designed the game is.
Calling Super Mario Kart F-Zero with weapons is a pretty close description. To be fair the game is not as fast as Nintendo’s future racer and with good reason. Each track is five laps long and while that sounds excessive they are pretty short. The shorter tracks create more opportunities to wrestle for position and makes items worthwhile. Tossing in items completely changes the dynamic of your typical race and it is pretty amazing how well they’ve integrated the Mario power-ups. In addition to mushrooms, turtle shells and stars banana peels, feathers and lightning are thrown in the mix. Every item is smartly designed, from the rare miniaturizing lightning strike to the deadly red shell. Players in lower positions get better items to even the odds while first place is usually relegated to bananas. This bit of balancing has always been controversial in the series although it works here.
One feature that was dropped in later installments is the use of coins. Coins serve multiple functions in Super Mario Kart. The most important use is to reach your top speed; for slower characters like Bowser and Donkey Kong this is critical. They also protect you from collisions with other players. Any time you fall out of the track boundaries Lakitu will fish you out for a few coins. Without them you’ll have to do so manually which…you might as well give up. It is easy to overlook the depth coins add to the game but I like the dynamic it adds. Next to items collecting coins kept you engaged and I was sad to see it disappear in the later games.
There’s a surprisingly large volume of content for such an old game. Or maybe I’m still jaded from the racing games of the 32-bit era. Super Mario Kart has 3 Cups composed of five tracks each. Progression is linked to points earned from 1st to 4th place. If you can manage to earn first place on all 3 the Special Cup is unlocked. Earning that will take some skill as the game puts up a decent fight depending on the class. Overall the course design is generally excellent. While most tracks are short there are enough hair pin turns and other obstacles to keep them interesting right up until the last lap. If I have one complaint it’s that they heavily recycle certain stage themes. However the track layouts are different that it isn’t a major concern.
As much as I like the single player mode Battle Mode is what made Super Mario Kart a household name. While it is still fun to an extent this aspect has aged pretty badly. The arenas are far too large for just two players, leaving long gaps without any confrontation. The small selection of weapons works exceedingly well against the computer but is lacking for competitive play. Aside from using a well-timed feather to dodge a red shell you might as well be playing bumper cars. It’s still fun in short bursts but nothing more than that.
While it has a similar look to F-Zero Super Mario Kart is a little more advanced technically. The game is always viewed in split screen, even in GP mode. With that you have a real time map of the track along with everyone’s position. The mushroom kingdom adds some variety to the environments although personal preference comes into play as to which is better. The decades have not been kind to the game though as it is heavily pixelated and has some nasty flickering. The awesome soundtrack is still great however.
In Closing
Even despite all of the further innovations added to the series the original Super Mario Kart is still incredibly charming. It’s light on options but can still entertain a crowd for a good few hours.
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