Mario Kart 7

Gameplay

Mario Kart 7 sticks to the series’ core formula, where drivers compete in go-karts across a total of 32 tracks, split between brand-new courses and returning retro ones. The majority of these tracks draw from familiar Mario universe settings, though two new ones take place on Wuhu Island, a location originally seen in Wii Fit and Wii Sports Resort. Players can control their kart using standard buttons or, alternatively, by tilting the entire Nintendo 3DS system, which switches the view to first-person and uses the gyroscope for steering. The top screen displays the race, while the bottom screen shows a map of the track. Item boxes placed along the course give drivers power-ups to slow down rivals or boost themselves, including classics like Koopa Shells, Banana Peels, and Super Mushrooms. Three new items debut here: the Fire Flower lets you shoot up to ten fireballs at opponents; the Super Leaf grants a tail that can flip nearby racers, collect Coins, and deflect incoming items; and the Lucky Seven wraps seven random items around your kart at once. Coins appear on the track, and collecting up to ten of them raises your kart’s top speed, though hitting hazards or going out of bounds causes you to lose some. Performing a jump action right before a ramp gives a short speed burst, and hang glider attachments enable controlled gliding sections. Karts can now drive underwater, and the game includes fully submerged track segments to take advantage of this. There are sixteen playable characters, including newcomers Wiggler, Honey Queen, Lakitu, and Metal Mario, plus Mii characters from the 3DS Mii Maker, making seventeen total. Each character falls into one of three weight classes that affect driving style. Before a race, you can customize your vehicle by swapping out its body, tires, and hang glider, each part altering handling and performance.

Development

Development of Mario Kart 7 started in early 2010 at Nintendo EAD, with the original plan being to simply port Mario Kart Wii to the 3DS. However, the team decided to bring back two features that had been considered for that earlier game: hang gliding and underwater driving for karts. A new kart customization system was also introduced to deepen strategy and improve the multiplayer experience. The project was first shown to the public at E3 2010 under the working title Mario Kart 3DS, and it reappeared at E3 2011 with a release window set for late that year.

Producer Hideki Konno later called finishing the game an "act of emergency," because the Nintendo 3DS was selling more slowly than expected. Since Nintendogs + Cats was scheduled to launch first, Mario Kart 7 received a lower priority and only eight staff members started work on it. When the time came to ramp up development, Konno found that many other projects—including The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which had its production stretched into 2011—had taken most of the available staff. To meet the 2011 Christmas season deadline, Nintendo brought in Retro Studios, which had just completed Donkey Kong Country Returns, as a co-developer. Retro began work in December 2010, concentrating on creating classic racing courses and remaking tracks from earlier Mario Kart titles. This approach helped the studio learn the development process for Mario Kart games and understand what makes a good course from a design standpoint. Lead artist Masaaki Ishikawa was unsure whether Retro Studios was based in Japan. The main development team felt uneasy about Retro’s involvement, as they were accustomed to the series being made entirely by a standalone Japanese team.

Reception

Mario Kart 7 was met with generally positive reviews, earning an 85 out of 100 on Metacritic from 60 critics and an 85.17 percent score on GameRankings based on 45 reviews. It sold well quickly, moving over 2.01 million copies in Japan within its first two months. IGN highlighted several key new features, including gyroscopic controls and a gliding mechanic, and praised the multiplayer for its community features and customizable race rules. However, they noted the character roster was small, with only 17 racers compared to the 25 in Mario Kart Wii. IGN concluded that the game was a polished experience that kart-racing fans and Mushroom Kingdom enthusiasts should pick up without hesitation. Nintendo World Report said that while it was not a major step forward for the series, the online play and core gameplay made it essential for 3DS owners. GameSpot observed that the return of Coins altered race strategy, and the glider, which first seemed like a shallow trick, showed real depth once players got used to it. Edge magazine felt that Nintendo had woven together the various mechanics to create one of the most satisfying racing experiences since Super Mario Kart, with the 3D effect integrated naturally. On the critical side, James Stephanie Sterling of Destructoid argued that sticking to tradition hurt the game, calling it lethargic and mundane, and claimed the glider and underwater sections only gave an illusion of variety without changing the core experience. Giant Bomb noted that a player’s enjoyment would likely depend on their continued fondness for the series’ established formula. IGN gave the game its Editors’ Choice award. At the GameTrailers 2011 Game of the Year Awards, Mario Kart 7 was nominated for Best 3DS Game and Best Driving Game, but lost both to Super Mario 3D Land and Forza Motorsport 4, respectively. Digital Spy readers voted it the Best Game of 2011 in their awards. Edge named it the best portable game of 2011. The Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences nominated it for Racing Game of the Year and Handheld Game of the Year at the 15th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. Looking back, GamesRadar ranked Mario Kart 7 as the 12th best Nintendo 3DS game of all time.