Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit
Template:Infobox Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an installment in the Mario Kart series for the Nintendo Switch announced as part of the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros. The game makes use of physical kart products of Mario and Luigi with a camera attached to the back of the kart, which live streams the surrounding area to the player's Nintendo Switch. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit released worldwide on October 16, 2020.
Creating an ID card for the game was one of the related My Nintendo missions for the Super Mario Bros. 35th Anniversary (though purchasing the game itself was not necessary to complete it).
Gameplay
To set up a course, the player has to place the four gates around the room. Lakitu will come down and paint the kart, and the player has to then drive through the gates, marking how they want the course to appear on the screen. The appearance can be from a simple loop to a curvy track through their furniture. The gates can also be customized, having Item Boxes, Boosts, or hazards. The controller connects to the kart product and controls it, similar to an RC Car. Items affect the kart product when used, such as Mushrooms making the toy move faster or a Koopa Shell making the toy stop momentarily. Using augmented reality, items, Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings appear on the player's screen, as well as the second player's kart.
Modes
Explore Mode
Explore Mode is the mode the player starts off in. Here, they are free to drive around and are able to customize gates. Any items collected in this mode will always be either Mushrooms, Triple Mushrooms, or Golden Mushrooms. Stopping in front of Gate 1 and pressing will call Lakitu and bring up the menu for the other modes. The previous race created can be viewed in this mode.
Grand Prix
The player can compete against CPU opponents in cups, in which trophies can be obtained. There are four different engine classes: 50cc and 100cc are available from the start, while 150cc and 200cc are unlocked when the player has collected a trophy on respectively 5 and 10 different cups. When the player has collected a trophy on 15 different cups, they will unlock Mirror Mode. Each race in Grand Prix is five laps long, regardless of how long or how short the player makes the race.
| Point spread | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th |
| 15 | 11 | 8 | 5 | 3 |
Time Trial
In Time Trial, the player has to complete their course in the fastest time possible. The player can change the kart speed, the number of laps (3, 5, or 7), the music that plays, and the environment to play it. After creating the course, the player will then have to race through it as fast as they can, and the customized gates are taken into account. The only items that can be obtained in this mode are Mushrooms. After racing, the player has the option to keep the current course or change it; changing it will result in inaccurate times and ghost data, which the player is also given the option to clear for a new race. Any coins earned will count toward unlocking a new kart customization.
Custom Race
The player can create courses using their own rules. The player can change the kart speed, the number of laps (3, 5, or 7), the music that plays, and the environment to play it, and the customized gates are taken into account. After creating the course, four random Koopalings will come down for the player to race against. Any coins earned will count toward unlocking a new kart customization.
Characters
Racers
Playable
- Outfits
- Classic Outfit
- Cowboy Outfit from Super Mario Odyssey
- Pirate Outfit from Super Mario Odyssey
- Explorer Outfit from Super Mario Odyssey
- Swimwear from Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart Tour and the 2016 Club Nintendo calendar.
- Space Suit from Super Mario Odyssey, but with a different helmet
- Santa Outfit from Super Mario Odyssey, Mario Kart Tour and the 2016 Club Nintendo calendar
- Builder Outfit from Super Mario Maker, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario Maker 2 and Mario Kart Tour
- Chef Outfit from Yoshi's Cookie, Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart Tour
- Painter Outfit from Super Mario Odyssey
- Baseball Uniform from Super Mario Odyssey
- Football Uniform from Super Mario Odyssey
- Snow Suit from Super Mario Odyssey, but with earmuffs
- Doctor Outfit from Dr. Mario
- Knight Armor from Super Mario Odyssey
- Pumpkin Costume from the Mario Halloween 3DS theme, the 2016 Club Nintendo calendar and Mario Kart Tour
- Silver Suit1, based on Metal Mario from Super Mario 64
- Gold Suit2 from New Super Mario Bros. 2, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Odyssey and Mario Kart Tour
1 - Unlocked when the player has collected a gold trophy on all 100cc cups.
2 - Unlocked when the player has collected a gold trophy on all 150cc cups.
Opponents
- Bowser Jr.
- Ludwig von Koopa
- Larry Koopa
- Lemmy Koopa
- Wendy O. Koopa
- Morton Koopa Jr.
- Iggy Koopa
- Roy Koopa
Other
Kart parts
Karts
- Standard Kart
- Cattle Cruiser
- Landship
- Adventure Buggy
- Scuba Driver
- Rocket Kart
- Candy-Cane Cruiser
- Big Scoop
- Sweet Ride
- Box Kart
- Fastball
- Quarterback
- Snow Drifter
- Rescue Wagon
- Noble Rider
- Haunt Rod
- Koopa Clown (only CPU drivers)
Horns
- Standard Horn (with the icon being a steering wheel)
- Cowbell
- Conch Shell
- Safari Horn
- Dive Alarm
- Cosmic Clamor
- Jingle bells
- Construction Horn
- Bike Bell
- Clown Horn
- Rallying Cry
- Air Horn
- Sledge Horn
- Siren
- Battle Horn
- Pumpkin Organ
Courses
There is also a Random Cup, which includes 3 courses with randomized environments and gate features.
Items
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Mushroom | "Gives you a brief speed boost." |
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Triple Mushrooms | "Three Mushrooms held in your hand. Press to use one of them for a brief speed boost." |
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Golden Mushroom | "For a short time, allows you to use a Mushroom for a brief speed boost every time you press ." |
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Star | "Makes you temporarily invincible and increases your speed." |
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Coin | "Gives you five extra coins. The more coins you have, the faster your kart will go. Collecting coins unlocks new kart themes, horns, and costumes." |
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Banana | "Causes anyone who hits it to lose control briefly. Can be tossed in front of or behind the kart." |
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Triple Bananas | "Three Bananas held in your hand. press to drop one of them." |
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Red Shell | "Red Shells lock on to an pursue the kart in front of you, knocking over the first driver they hit. They can also be thrown backwards." |
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Spiny Shell | "Targets the driver in 1st place and causes a brief loss of control when it strikes. This one won't stop until it catches up with the leader!" |
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Lightning | "Strikes all opponents ahead of you with lightning, causing them to lose their items. It also temporarily reduces their speed!" |
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Bullet Bill | "Temporarily transforms you into a Bullet Bill, steering you along the course. While in Bullet Bill form, you are invincible. Holding brake will cancel Bullet Bill form." |
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Bob-omb | "Bob-ombs explode a short time after use or on impact with a kart. Anyone caught in the blast loses control for a short duration! They can be thrown forwards or backwards." |
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Blooper | "Squirts ink on the karts ahead of you, briefly obscuring the drivers' views." |
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Boomerang Flower | "Strikes the closest opposing racer, jolting their steering." |
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Chain Chomp | "Attaches to the nearest kart, tugging it in different directions along the course. You won't be pulled while holding down ." |
Environments
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Sunshine | "Default environment setting, with no effect on gameplay." |
|
Rain | "Rain will cause Mushrooms to sprout up from the ground. Driving through a Mushroom will grant a brief speed boost." |
|
Snow | "Falling snow will cause Freezies to appear. Driving into a Freezie will encase the kart in ice and make it unable to move for a short duration." |
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Sandstorm | "Occasional gusts of wind will push the kart left or right. Keep an eye out for coins or a rare item box blowing across the course!" |
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Spooky | "Boos and coins will float around the course. Colliding with a Boo results in a temporary loss of vision and a loss of coins. Honking near boos will cause them to hide and allow you to pass through them safely." |
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Underwater | "Submerges your course underwater. Cheep Cheeps will swim around the course trailing a line of coins. Hitting a Cheep Cheep will result in a brief loss of control." |
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Rainbow | "Star-shaped boost gates appear along the course. Meteor showers of coins and Super Stars fly onto the course for players to collect." |
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Lava | "Your course heats up, and Lava Bubbles jump up from lava pools in the ground. Driving into Lava Bubbles causes a brief loss of control." |
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Jungle | "Jungle overgrowth takes over the course. Poison Piranha Plants spit globs that create slick spots on the course. Hitting a slick spot will briefly cause steering difficulty when a kart drives over it." |
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Blizzard | "Intense snow and wind take over the course. Twisters appear along the way. Watch out or they'll try to pull your kart in!" |
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Retro | "Your course in transformed into a classic 8-bit setting. Goombas and coins appear along the way. Hitting a Goomba will result in a brief loss of control." |
Gate features
| Image | Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
|
Item Box | "Picking up item boxes rewards the player with a random power-up." |
| Boost | "Gives any kart passing through the boost zone a brief increase in speed." | |
| Magnet | "Attracts any nearby karts and pulls them towards the gate." | |
| P Switch | "Driving over the P Switch causes a cluster of coins to appear on the course for a short duration." | |
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Piranha Plant | "Chomps down on passing drivers, yanking them out of their karts for a short duration." |
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Amp | "Zaps any kart that touches it and greatly reduces speed for a short duration." |
| Item Pipe | "Item boxes appear from one pipe and travel across the gate and disappear into the pipe on the other side. Time it just right to collect the box and earn a power-up." | |
|
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Chain Chomp | "If you hit the signs underneath the gate, a Chain Chomp will bite down on your kart, dragging you in different directions along with the course for a short time. You won't be pulled while holding down ." |
| Music Note | "Hitting the treble clef at the gate will cause a series of music notes to appear along the course. If you collect all the notes, you'll earn an item box!" | |
|
Magikoopa | "When a kart passes by the magical barrier, a Magikoopa appears and casts a spell on the player. The spell causes the world to transform into or out of Mirror Mode." |
| Fire Bar | "Fire Bars will rotate near the gate and cause any kart that touches them to briefly lose control." | |
|
Thwomp | "Crashes to the ground, causing an earthquake that shakes the screens of any nearby karts. It also briefly impacts steering controls." |
Staff
- Main article: List of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit staff
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit was developed by Velan Studios. Shinya Takahashi served as the general producer of the game, while Kosuke Yabuki, one of the key staff of the Mario Kart series, served as a supervisor. The game's original music was composed by Ryo Nagamatsu, who previous composed for Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8.
Reception
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit received both mixed and positive reviews. In most cases, the unique gimmick of the game was praised, along with the more independent concept offered. However, certain factors, such as the boundaries of a player's actual living area, were mentioned. Two different reviews mention Mario Kart 8 as being an ultimately superior though just as intriguing installment.
| Reviews | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Release | Reviewer, Publication | Score | Comment |
| Nintendo Switch | Janet Garcia, IGN | 7/10 | "Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit’s mixed reality novelty excels when you have the space and motivation to make your courses flourish, but occasional tech hiccups and clogged wheels are hazards just as dangerous as any Blue Shell. That said, when I took the time to really lean into the creative challenge building a track presented me with, I was often rewarded by having a blast racing on it. Some familiar mechanics get lost in the translation to AR, but this is still an enjoyable Mario Kart game no matter what roadway I made." |
| Nintendo Switch | Martin Robinson, Eurogamer | N/A | "There's real magic at the heart of this brilliantly faithful AR take on Mario Kart, but a fair few caveats abound." |
| Nintendo Switch | Steve Watts, GameSpot | 7/10 | "There's fun to be had in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, but you have to invest in it. The more work you put into making your go-kart track craftwork unique, the more enjoyment you'll get out of racing, with or without some frustration and repetition. Mario Kart Live isn't going to have the long-term appeal of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but with some imagination and ingenuity, you can make it something special." |
| Nintendo Switch | Brain Shea, Game Informer | 7.5/10 | "Despite its shortcomings, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit still brings hours of fun. While firing up Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is more convenient and fully featured, Mario Kart Live’s unique take on the series is worth checking out for those looking for exciting twists on a well-worn concept." |
| Nintendo Switch | Damien McFerran, Nintendo Life | 8/10 | "Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a startlingly authentic "mixed reality" recreation of Nintendo's most popular racing series which encourages you to be inventive with your course designs and does an excellent job of combining your real-world surroundings with the fantasy environments of the Mushroom Kingdom; add in a second player (or three) and it becomes even more compelling. The tech side of things is undeniably impressive and it's impossible to not raise a smile the first time you play; the question is how long that magic will last, especially if your home limits your track designs and you've only got the budget to cover the cost of a single car." |
| Aggregators | |||
| Compiler | Score | ||
| Metacritic | 75 | ||
References to other games
- Super Mario Bros.: The retro environment uses 8-bit sprites from this game.
- Super Mario Bros. 3: Part of the music that plays when Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings appear on the track contains a remix of the "Fortress Boss" theme from this game.
- Dr. Mario series: The Doctor Outfit of Dr. Mario and Dr. Luigi reappears.
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: The Chain Chomp returns as an item. In the rainbow environment, Stars can fall from the sky onto the track, like in the Rainbow Road from this game.
- Super Mario Galaxy: The beginning of the music that plays when Bowser Jr. and the Koopalings appear on the track contains a remix of the "Enter Bowser Jr." theme from this game.
- Mario Kart Wii: The Spiny Shell appears in its winged form for the first time since this game.
- New Super Mario Bros. 2: Gold Mario appears as unlockable content.
- Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: Many assets are reused from this game, including models and music. The Koopa Clown reappears. In the rainbow environment, the boost gates from N64 Rainbow Road appear.
- Super Mario Maker: The Builder Outfit reappears.
- Super Mario Odyssey: Many outfits from this game reappear as unlockable content.
References in other games
- Mario Kart Tour: A commemorative badge appears of Mario and the Standard Kart.
Gallery
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
Promotional picture
Screenshot of the game
Japanese Mario RC racer bundle
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | マリオカート ライブ ホームサーキット[?] Mario Kāto Raibu Hōmu Sākitto |
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 马力欧卡丁车实况：家庭赛车场[?] Mǎlì'ōu Kǎdīngchē Shíkuàng: Jiātíng Sàichē Chǎng |
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 瑪利歐賽車實況：家庭賽車場[?] Mǎlì'ōu Sàichē Shíkuàng: Jiātíng Sàichē Chǎng |
Mario Racing Live: Home Circuit | |
| Korean | 마리오 카트 라이브: 홈 서킷[?] Mario Katue Raive: Hom Seokit |
Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit |
References
