The kart itself is an evenly weighted, handsomely sculpted thing - the camera extends over Mario's head like the overstated airboxes on 1970s F1 cars, which is as surefire a way as any to my heart. The racing is a way off the polish of mainline Mario Karts - as you'd expect, really - but the hardware itself displays some premium details. The sense of speed, too, is astounding, that low-slung viewpoint making the sedate pace your real-life kart trundles along at feel positively superstellar when you see it on the screen. The staple Mario Kart drift boost is replicated amply thanks to some camera trickery, while red shells - and, yes, blue shells - work just as they would in-game, slowing down your kart when it's been struck. That a remote control car scooting around your floor can get so close to the Mario Kart experience is still quite the thing, though, and there's more than one inspired touch.
MARIO KART LIVE SERIES
Chaos is Mario Kart's calling card, though, so Home Circuit at least nails the essence of the series - just be warned, it can be a little unruly at points. On the more condensed courses Home Circuit's design dictates, the noise of power-ups, booster pads and obstacles becomes an absolute din. You compete against virtual Koopalings that rebound around the track like pinballs, and take the series' rubber-banding to a ridiculous extreme - at times they'll simply stop on-track and wait for you to catch up. It is, by its very nature, a more chaotic take on Mario Kart. Items and booster pads are repositioned, and there's even neat tricks like virtual wind blowing your kart gently sideways across the floor, or magnets on gates drawing your kart within their pull. Even if the track layout might remain fixed - until you can be bothered to get up and rearrange it all, that is - each new environment throws in its own wrinkles. You unlock custom items by spending the coins you pick up along the way, can take part in a series of Grand Prix races across four different speed classes, with each new event overlaying familiar filters - the underwater, summertime vibes of Cheep Cheep Beach, the bustle of Toad's Turnpike or, in a fun addition, a World 1-1 themed environment. Drive the kart to the first gate, complete a lap of your new creation and there you have it: your very own Mario Kart Live track.įrom there, it's a lot like any other Mario Kart game you've played. You've four cardboard gates - easily folded away, in case you're having flashbacks to having your house overrun by oversized Labo contraptions - which can be placed in order to construct a circuit. Apologies for the lack of my own captures - the feature is disabled for this game, and also I'm simply ashamed at the state of my living room.Įven after a dozen hours that magic hasn't really dimmed, and lead developer Velan Studios builds out on it in some fascinating ways.
MARIO KART LIVE SOFTWARE
Setting it up is surprisingly simple just grab the 1.1GB download from the eShop, boot up the software and then scan a QR code on your Switch's screen using the car's camera and you're good to go (maybe give the living room a good sweep too, and whatever you do don't go underneath the sofa because my mop can't reach there and I assure you it's disgusting). In Mario Kart Live Home Circuit, that moment of delight is a Lilliputian tour of your living room, seen from the viewpoint of a small, speeding remote controlled car. As per so many other Nintendo experiences, that magic makes suffering through those shortcomings just about worthwhile. It's also, as is Nintendo's way, technically limited, frequently frustrating and a touch on the expensive side. Mario Kart Live Home Circuit is indeed a brilliantly Nintendo thing, a piece of inspired lateral thinking built around a moment of pure delight.