2020 marks 35 years since Nintendo’s lovable plumber burst onto the gaming scene in Super Mario Bros, a clever platformer that pitched Mario and his brother Luigi against the evil Bowser in a raucous tour through the Mushroom Kingdom.
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) game was an instant hit and is fondly remembered as one of the best games of all time, introducing surprisingly sophisticated controls and graphics given the computational limitations of the mid ’80s.
While Mario’s star has only shone brighter in the decades since, he’s always been confined to the digital realm – until now. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is his latest outing for the Nintendo Switch console and harnesses the power of augmented reality (AR) to bring the action right into your living room.
The game is an incredibly smart mix of good old-fashioned Scalextrics-style toy car racing and the Mario world we know and love, courtesy of a rechargeable remote-controlled racecar (driven by either Mario or Luigi, depending on the pack you buy) equipped with a small camera. The forward-facing cameras field of vision is beamed to the screen of the linked Switch console, which you use to zip the car around a course you mark out yourself in your own home.
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While the game itself is free for anyone to download from the Switch eShop, you’ll need to buy the full physical package (£99.99) containing the cars to play it properly.
Simply unfold four cardboard gates, place them around your living room, bedroom, hallway or kitchen and direct the little kart through them to create a looping track to race on. Nintendo recommends an area measuring at least 3.5m x 3m to play in, but insists even the most restricted spaces can still present themselves as racing opportunities. Two arrow signboards, which are optional, and a charging cable are also included in the box.
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Once the course is ready, it’s time to race. Players can participate in traditional Mario Kart Grand Prix mode, take on up to four friends in a multiplayer race, set themselves the challenge of beating a time trial or customise courses themselves to create fiendishly difficult new levels – complete with digital obstacles like vicious piranha plants and deadly Thwomp stone blocks, or dropping goodies including shells, mushrooms or speed boosts.
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While the coronavirus outbreak has meant it hasn’t been possible to play the game myself, the game’s ability to blur the lines between the digital and physical worlds looks incredibly impressive from the footage I’ve seen. For example, being hit by a virtual red shell missile from a rival driver causes the physical car to judder to a halt, while gathering an in-game power-up mushroom triggers it to speed up and steer itself across your floor.
Changes in the in-game environment can also affect its driving – a sandstorm causes it to sway side-to-side. Once you’ve mastered a circuit, you can mix it up by adding new physical objects like cardboard boxes, empty water bottles or wooden bricks. The actual racing area is endlessly customisable, so you never have to become bored of lapping the same old course. Collecting coins also unlocks increasingly outlandish new costumes for Mario/Luigi and his car, including cowboy, builder and knight get-ups.
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These features are not only charming but incredibly immersive – it’s easy to imagine children being completely captivated by the complex interplay between what’s in front of them and what’s on the Switch screen. Up to four players can race together (providing they have Switches and karts each, there’s no online multiplayer so they’ll have to be physically present to play), and the karts are able to withstand racing on carpets but are recommended for indoor use only.The kart’s speed will depend on which of the four speed courses you’ve chosen, from the modest 50cc or 100cc all the way up to 150cc and 200cc.
If Nintendo’s recent experiments with its Labo cardboard kits demonstrated its commitment to testing the barriers of traditional gameplay, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit looks set to smash through them at top speed. The Japanese company’s signature warmth and wit makes racing remote-controlled cars feel modern again in what promises to be fun for all the family – and one of Christmas’ most sought-after gifts.
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit for Nintendo Switch go on sale on 16 October, priced £99.99