Throwback Thursday: "Super Mario Kart" and 20 Years of Banana Peels

Before Blue Shells, before Fire Mushrooms, before inverted tracks, there was this SNES classic

May 29, 2014

Image via Complex Original

Mario Kart 8 drops tomorrow, and for anyone who owns a Wii U, it’s a first-day purchase.

A not-up-for-debate, plunk-down-your-money, first-day purchase. For anyone who doesn’t own a Wii U? It’s a damn good reason to buy one. Finally, after two years of floundering with non-distinct branding, sparse 3rd party support, and amazing games that went unnoticed—Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World— Nintendo has struck gold with Mario Kart 8.

kart

What is it about the Mario Kart franchise that makes it feel so fresh? After eight installments over eight different gaming systems (five consoles and three handhelds), it shows no sign of putting on the brakes. Mario Kart games stand in stark contrast to other, ‘realistic’ racing experiences like Gran Turismo or Need for Speed. The learning curve is shallow—anyone can get on the track and start competing. It takes practice, however, to power slide around corners—to perfect the jumps and shortcuts that will cut your time significantly.

And even then, no one—not even the most talented racer—can account for the insane Power-Ups littering the track. From Red Shells, to spiked Blue Shells, to Banana Peels, to Mushroom Boosters, the Mario Kart items create a ‘rubber band’ difficulty—the pack is always bunched closely, the lead is difficult to maintain, and the worst driver always has a lucky shot.

snes

The Mario Kart series got its start back in 1992, with the release of Super Mario Kart for the SNES. It hasn’t aged gracefully, and it doesn’t stack up to its more realized successors, but Super Mario Kart paved the way for bigger, better games. The game established a high standard of quality for the time, and it introduced several innovative mechanics that we take for granted today.

troop

First, let’s do a rundown of the eight characters. There was Mario and Luigi—the two well-rounded characters, which of course, meant that none of us chose them. There was Yoshi and Princess Peach—good acceleration, with average top speed and average cornering. There was Bowser and Donkey Kong Jr.—the two heaviest racers, with the highest top speed, but the worst cornering and acceleration.

And lastly, there was my favorites, Koopa Troopa and Toad—two light racers with low top speed, average acceleration, and hairpin, tight controls. They were best in the single player campaign. You needed a racer who could take a Red Shell like a champ, recover quickly, and cut corners to catch up.

trophy

Back in 1992, the Mario Kart tracks were shorter and less hazardous, and a single Powerup could change the course of an entire match. One Mushroom booster could place you ahead by three or four spots, and a Red Shell was downright crippling—you went into a dizzying tailspin, and you lost all of your momentum. If you chose a driver with poor acceleration like Bowser, you were totally screwed—there was no way that you were going to place in the Top 4.

bowser

The Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special Cups had wonderful tracks that established some clear precedents for future games. There was Ghost Valley 1, the first Mario Kart track with a shortcut—you could lop precious seconds off your time as long as you had a Feather to make a crucial jump. There was Chocolate Island 2, a mud track with a massive bog—you needed a Mushroom booster to maintain your top speed.

Later Kart classics, like Wario Stadium, owe a debt to these early forerunners like Bowser’s Castle 1, a twisty, slippery beast that made you powerslide over lakes of lava.

rainbow

And of course, there was the first incarnation of Rainbow Road—no barriers, narrow tracks, and flashing Thwomps that could dizzy you on impact. The SNES’s Rainbow Road is still the most unforgiving of the franchise, and beating the AI came down to a combination of luck and skill. All of these tracks were rendered with textured, Mode 7 graphics. They’re not much to look at these days, but the 3D effects—also used in F-Zero (1990) and Pilotwings (1991)—were groundbreaking at the time.

battle

And lastly, who can forget Battle Mode, the addictive dodgeball match where you dueled, one-on-one, against a second player? Three balloons floated around your kart—three hits, and you were done. You always hoped for a Red Shell—it was the only Powerup with homing capabilities. The Green Shell, on the other hand, shot straight out—you felt like Annie Oakley when you scored a hit. If you missed, however, the Green Shell could ricochet against the wall and take you out instead.

glide

Tomorrow, as you hang glide, swim, and whip around the Mario Kart 8 tracks in glorious HD, take a moment to appreciate the original Super Mario Kart—for all that it accomplished, and for all that Nintendo has improved upon since. Let’s hope that Mario Kart 8 reverses Nintendo’s misfortunes. Sony and Microsoft could use the challenge, and a little healthy competition never hurt anyone. We’ll see you on the Wii U multiplayer—Rainbow Road or bust.