Rainbow Road

One of the most prominent and well-beloved features of the Mario Kart series is its iconic standard final level, a long, looping course made of solid light set out in space. This level has seen many different renditions over the years, and has effectively become a permanent, irremovable part of the series.

There has been a Rainbow Road stage set in Smash already, though it is specifically based on Mario Kart 7’s layout, arguably one of the best versions. Since this would represent the entire concept, that may be too single-game-focused. A more generic amalgam of the different levels that is still a touring stage could work, or it could even function as the “Final Destination” of the roster. There are several ways you could go here.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrx0XWPOplM

Bowser's Castle

A stage that should have appeared in Smash long ago, Bowser’s Castle is a staple of Mario games, carrying with it its own distinct aesthetic and atmosphere, and offering up numerous possibilities in terms of hazards. The home of Bowser and his minions, the castle has appeared as the final level in nearly all adventure games and makes a constant appearance throughout the Mario Kart series as well.

As a stage, it will be a large-sized stage, with multiple different areas for fighters to brawl. At one end, a drawbridge crosses a pit of lava, with a switch appearing from time to time that will destroy the bridge. Behind it, players will find a small room that leads into a walk-off. In another area, smaller pits fire up lava bubbles and fire bars spin, making various platforms hazardous to stand on. At the top of the castle, a giant stone Bowser will loom over all, occasionally breathing fire at the topmost platforms.

Potential theme: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WnQBZ6idbU

Mario Kart

Super Mario World a success, the Mario franchise continues to expand, pumping out more and more games in as many different genres as you can imagine. One that proves to be insanely popular is Mario’s foray into racing games, as, in 1992, Super Mario Kart is released to the world.

Mario Kart has since proven to be one of the Mario series’ most profitable secondary line of games. Though starting with merely Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Bowser, Yoshi, Donkey Kong Jr., and Koopa Troopa, the series has seen nearly every major character in the series get behind the wheel and make a mad dash for the finish line.

In game, Mario Kart will be one of the fastest character in the game, its speed being its highest priority in terms of stats. Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, Toad, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser will make up the color swaps, all riding around in the pipe frame carts seen in Mario Kart 64. Their moves will pull from the items familiar to the series, from shells in red, green, and blue to boosting mushrooms and banana peels and super stars.

Likelihood rating: Probably not

Mario Kart 64

 MARIO KART 64

Now, let's cover Mario Kart 64, which in many ways was the game that really nailed home and defined what the Mario series was. With full 3D graphics, sixteen distinct tracks across four cups, and the "main eight" that most subsequent titles would build their rosters off of, the impact of Mario Kart 64 is definitely one you can feel across the series as a whole. I know it was the one I grew up with.

As for our characters, as stated before, we see the first appearance of the main eight with Mario, Luigi, Peach, Toad, Yoshi, and Bowser all returning, and Donkey Kong and Wario replacing Koopa and Donkey Kong Jr. As we stated before, there's not much to say on any of them, as the Kart Racing is the core game mechanic. So, what we should be making note of instead is that this game adds in Triple Mushrooms, giving you three consecutive boosts; Super Mushrooms, giving you an indefinite amount of boosts for a short time; Fake Items, that look like regular item boxes; Banana Bunches, that let you lay down a bunch of peels on the road; Triple Green and Red Shells, giving you multiple projectiles; and the world-famous Spiny Shell, a ridiculously powerful blue shell that specifically seeks out the player in the lead with murderous intent. All of these can be added to the Mario Kart moveset.

As for our sixteen tracks, we have: Luigi Raceway, a generic track; Moo Moo Farm, set on a farm naturally; Koopa Troopa Beach, a beach level; Kalimari Desert, a desert track with a train running through it; Toad's Turnpike, a busy highway with lots of cars to run into; Frappe Snowland, a snow level; Choco Mountain, a mountain that looks like it's made of Cocoa Puffs; Mario Raceway, a longer generic Mario track; Wario Stadium, a monster-truck rally type stadium; Sherbet Land, another snow level but with a higher focus on ice; Royal Raceway, another generic track that intersects with the castle from Super Mario 64; Bowser's Castle, a Bowser's Castle level naturally; DK's Jungle Parkway, a jungle level; Yoshi Valley, a sprawling mazelike track; Banshee Boardwalk, a haunted boardwalk once again; and this one's iteration of Rainbow Road, which seems to be roughly the second most popular version out there.

Something I neglected to mention in the last post was the Battle mode, where players could drive around in a square/circle arena and use items against each other to knock out each other's balloons. Luckily, the first game's "arenas" aren't really anything to write home about and are mostly just square versions of the various track biomes. Mario Kart 64, however, has Big Donut, a giant round arena surrounded by lava; Block Fort, one of my personal favorites; Double Deck, a two-story card-table-looking stage; and Skyscraper, a small arena at the top of a, well, skyscraper.

Lakitu returns as the referee, while Boos, Cheep Cheeps, Chain Chomps, Monty Moles (or Chubbies, I guess), Bats (not Swoops apparently), Crabs, Penguins, Piranha Plants, Porcupos, Mr. Blizzards, and Thwomps all appear on the various stages as background elements or obstacles.

Here's what we've got so far:

Characters:

Mario Kart: drive, brake, jump, turn, skid, etc., Banana Peel, Green Shell, Red Shell, Feather, Mushroom, Star, Ghost, Coin, Lightning, Egg, Fireball, Poison Mushroom, Triple Mushroom, Super Mushroom, Fake Item, Banana Bunch, Triple Green Shells, Triple Red Shells, Spiny Shell

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Yoshi

Bowser

Donkey Kong Jr.

Toad

Koopa

Donkey Kong

Wario

Lakitu

Boo

Piranha Plant

Cheep Cheep

Monty Mole

Thwomp

Chain Chomp

Penguin

Piranha Plant

Mr. Blizzard

Stages:

Mario Circuit

Donut Plains

Ghost Valley

Bowser's Castle

Choco Island

Koopa Beach

Vanilla Lake

Rainbow Road

Luigi Raceway

Moo Moo Farm

Koopa Troopa Beach

Kalimari Desert

Toad's Turnpike

Frappe Snowland

Choco Mountain

Mario Raceway

Wario Stadium

Sherbet Land

Royal Raceway

Bowser's Castle

DK's Jungle Parkway

Yoshi Valley

Banshee Boardwalk

Rainbow Road (64)

Big Donut

Block Fort

Double Deck

Skyscraper

Thanks for reading! Next up, we will cover Mario Kart: Super Circuit for the Game Boy Advance!