Growing up, I remember having this Mario Kart 64 remote control kart, featuring Mario. While not my first or only RC car, it is the one I remember most fondly. Back in the day when my brother and myself only had one Nintendo 64 controller, the afternoons I would not get to play on the console, I would zoom around the house with my kart! Attempting to innovate the RC Kart idea in 2020, Nintendo and Velan Studios have partnered up to develop Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
The objective of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is to bring “the fun of the Mario Kart series into the real world by using a Nintendo Switch or Nintendo Switch Lite to race against opponents using a physical kart”. With Mario and Luigi variants of the game available to purchase from 16 October 2020, players will be able to craft courses in the real world (with boosts and weapons), and race against NPC koopalings to complete them.
How successful this game will be is up in the air. A unique concept never goes astray, but the $149.95 AUD (or local equivalent) price point for what might be considered a Mario Kart spin-off game could limit the long-term appeal. That said, in a time where many remain confined to their homes, this appears to be a fun time waster. I look forward to seeing just how creative we can be with track building… and hopefully not scuffing up walls or ripping up carpet in the process.
