Mach Rider

Did You Know?

• In 1972, Nintendo released a plastic race car toy called Mach Rider, which included a ramp for jumping and a stick shift with three meters.
• The Japanese Famicom release could use the Famicom Data Recorder to save custom tracks, a feature missing from American and European releases but retained in all Virtual Console versions except the 3DS version.

Gameplay

Mach Rider is set in the year 2112, where Earth has been invaded by evil forces driving Quadrunners. The player controls Mach Rider, who travels sector to sector on a high-powered superbike, searching for survivors and destroying enemies. The controls require more skill than many contemporary games: left and right on the Control Pad steer, the A button accelerates, and the B button fires a machine gun to destroy enemies and obstacles. Up and down shift gears; the bike has four speeds, and shifting to fourth gear at high speed grants an instant speed boost. Remaining in a higher gear while stopping results in slower acceleration. Points are scored by destroying enemies and certain obstacles, with point values depending on the type destroyed. Ramming an attacking enemy against a hazard yields more points and replenishes bullets. Fighting Course is the primary story sequence across 10 sectors, where the player avoids Oil Drums and Quadrunners. If destroyed, Mach Rider separates into fragments and reforms as long as energy remains. There is no ending sequence; after the 10th sector, the story restarts with a second quest of 10 new sectors, then repeats with the original sectors. On each sector, the player chooses Track A or Track B, which differ and change with each new sector. Endurance Course requires racing a certain number of kilometers within a time limit while enemies and obstacles slow progress; lives and energy are not a factor, but destruction causes time loss. Solo Course is identical to Endurance Course but without enemies.