Super Mario Kart

Super Mario Kart
Developer	Nintendo EAD
Publisher	Nintendo
Platforms	Coin-op (Super Famicom Box), New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo Switch, SNES, SNES Classic Edition, Wii, Wii U
Released	SNES/Super Famicom Japan: August 27, 1992 North America: September 1, 1992 United Kingdom: October 1992 Europe: January 21, 1993 Oceania: 1993 Coin-op (Super Famicom Box) Japan: August 27, 1992 Wii (Virtual Console) Japan: June 9, 2009 North America: November 23, 2009 Europe, Oceania: April 2, 2010 Wii U (Virtual Console) Japan: June 19, 2013 Europe, Oceania: March 27, 2014 North America: August 6, 2014 New Nintendo 3DS (Virtual Console) Europe, Oceania: March 17, 2016 North America: March 24, 2016 Japan: May 9, 2016 SNES Classic Edition/Super Famicom Mini Europe, North America: September 29, 2017 Oceania: September 30, 2017 Japan: October 5, 2017 Nintendo Switch (online emulation service) Worldwide: September 5, 2019
Added to Museum	Wii: February 10, 2010 Super Famicom Mini: October 31, 2017 SNES Classic Edition: March 16, 2018

Super Mario Kart is a kart racing video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis & Development and published by Nintendo. It is a spin-off of the Donkey Kong and Super Mario series and is the first installment of the Mario Kart series.

Story

Eight racers, Bowser (King Koopa), Donkey Kong Jr., Koopa Troopa (Nokonoko), Luigi, Mario, Princess Toadstool (Peach), Toad (Kinopio), and Yoshi, compete in kart races in four cups with five courses each.

Gameplay

Racing mode

There are three speeds, 50cc (cubic centimeters), 100cc, and 150cc which increase in difficulty as the speed gets higher.

The 50cc and 100cc races are available at the start, while the 150cc race is unlocked by completing each 100cc course. The 50cc race includes fifteen courses across the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup. The 100cc and 150cc races contain these courses as well, as well as five more in the Special Cup that are unlocked by completing all fifteen courses in the cup with a final cup place of third or higher.

Coins are placed throughout the track. Coins make the cart faster and allows it to be bumped by other racers. If the coins run out, the kart will spin out when bumped.

There are also items that can be obtained in the question mark blocks, which are based on the Donkey Kong and Super Mario series.

Two coins can also be obtained in question mark blocks placed in specific places throughout each course. The banana peel causes a kart that runs over it to spin out. The mushroom gives a short boost of speed, akin to a nitrous oxide boost in automobile racing games. A green shell travels across the track, bumping off edges, until it falls off the course or hits a kart or water. The red shell acts as a homing missile, traveling across the track on a direct route the the closest racer until it hits its target or is cancelled by water, the course boundaries, or placed items. A feather causes the kart to do a high jump and spin a full three-hundred-sixty degrees. This can be used to avoid obstacles or to use shortcuts. Lightning causes all opponent kart racers to shrink to a miniature size which causes them to move slower. The tiny racers can also be squished if run over. This will give a cartoon-like flat effect and leaf-falling animation, which causes the kart to lose time and have to accelerate to its top speed. There is also the star power, which acts as a Starman, granting invincibility and causing opponent karts to spin out if hit.

This game differs from later Mario Kart games in that the computer-controlled karts don't collect items from question mark blocks. Instead, they have infinite use of their signature items. Mario and Luigi use the star power, Donkey Kong Junior uses banana peels, Koopa Troopa uses green shells. Toadstool and Toad place tiny mushrooms which act like the lighting powerup, in that a kart racer shrinks if the tiny mushroom is ran over. Yoshi uses eggs, which cause karts to spin out when hit. Bowser has an item with a unique ability, fireballs, which move in a small circle when placed and cause karts to spin out when hit.

Battle mode

There is a battle mode wherein two players choose between four battle mode-exclusive courses which don't have a set path. Instead, the goal is to collect items from question mark blocks on the road and try to hit the opponent racer.

Battle mode has an exclusive item, the ghost, known as Boo. It temporarily grants invisibility and invulnerability as well as stealing the item that was collected by the opponent.

Releases

Super Mario Kart was first released on the Super Famicom in Japan on August 27, 1992.

A ROM cartridge was released the Super Famicom Box coin-op machine for hotels exclusively in Japan on August 27, 1992.

This was followed by releases on the international version of the Super Famicom, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The SNES version was released in North America on September 1, 1992, in the United Kingdom on October 1992, in the rest of Europe on January 21, 1993, and in Oceania in 1993.

It was released for the Wii Virtual Console emulation platform in Japan on June 9, 2009, in North America on November 23, 2009, then in Europe and Oceania on April 2, 2010.

Super Mario Kart was released for the Wii U Virtual Console in Japan on June 19, 2013, in Europe as well as Oceania on March 27, 2014, and in North America on August 6, 2014.

It was released on the New Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console in Europe plus Oceania on March 17, 2016, in North America on March 24, 2016, and in Japan on May 9, 2016.

The North American Super Nintendo Entertainment System Classic Edition and the European Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System contained Super Mario Kart when it was released on September 29, 2017. Oceania received the Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System with the game on September 30, 2017. The Asian version of the above miniature video game console, the Nintendo Classic Mini: Super Famicom was released, with Super Mario Kart included, on October 5, 2017 in Japan.

The Nintendo Switch Online emulation service for the Nintendo Switch, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System – Nintendo Switch Online was released worldwide on September 5, 2019. The same day, Japan also received the game on its version of the service, Super Famicom – Nintendo Switch Online.