(Originally published to Glitchwave on 2/18/2025)
[Image from glitchwave.com]
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Developer: Intelligent Systems
Publisher: Nintendo
Genre(s): Kart Racer
Platforms: GBA
Release Date: July 21, 2001
To my surprise, the initial quality-of-life enhancement I was proactively searching for was something that stemmed from Mario Kart 64, not Super Mario Kart. Besides the rubberbanding in Mario Kart 64 implemented to keep all CPUs at an intimate distance regardless of the player’s skill as a racer, the aspect of the series 3D debut that appalled me to no end was the invisible statistical merits assigned to each character. No, it wasn’t the fact that such a complex discernment was put in place for an accessible kart racer–just that the game withheld this information from me, and my inclination to play as Toad came with unforeseen consequences. In Super Circuit, I’d be less inclined to play as the Mushroom Kingdom’s most notable NPC because the character menu would show me that he’s as light as a feather and as delicate as a dandelion. Yes, Super Circuit unveils each character’s stats that Mario Kart 64 obscured, presenting that there is a hint of depth and consideration to one’s selection beyond surface-level enjoyment. Mario and Luigi are naturally the balanced ones in this equation while the heavier characters like Donkey Kong, Wario, and Bowser trade acceleration and speed for brute strength. On the other end of the weight spectrum, smaller characters such as the aforementioned Toad along with Yoshi and Peach aren’t as durable but tend to be lighting fast and can drift around the various curvatures of the tracks with greater ease and proficiency. You’ll notice in describing the three general weight classes each character falls under that Super Circuit’s roster is the exact same lineup of familiar Mushroom Kingdom faces seen in Mario Kart 64. Is keeping the roster intact an attempt to garner forgiveness for fogging up their racing traits in the previous title? If it is, I’ll accept their apology because it’s a simple change the series desperately needed. If the player did not mind or didn't even notice the statistical differences between every character in Mario Kart 64 and wants to keep racing on blind faith, a random option is located in the center of the character select screen to ensure an unsystematic Mario Kart experience.
Another issue regarding the pixelated plain of Super Mario Kart is that the familiar backdrops of Mario’s world that served as track themes were rendered in a quite askew fashion. Sure, they were easily recognizable, but through a warped, disoriented lens as if the player took too many of Mario’s mushrooms, if you catch my drift. Besides the jarring visuals, the tracks themselves hardly offered much in the way of variation in terms of obstacles or hazards. All of the game’s efforts to keep the player’s guard on high alert were seemingly allocated to a select few tracks such as the variations on Bowser’s fiery domain and the courses that comprise that game’s Special Cup. Still, perhaps the influx of hazards in these particular tracks made for race courses that were too unyielding for the player to focus on anything else around them. Super Circuit greatly balances the load of hazards for every track on display and enhances the visuals of the pixelated provinces that comprise the Mushroom Kingdom. With a direct comparison to note, witness how vibrant and spacious “Bowser’s Castle” looks compared to the confined grey corners of how it's depicted on the SNES. “Shy Guy Beach” not only looks bright and inviting, but the tide washing up and covering all but elevated bumps of sand forces the players to hop on their karts with great precision. Not to mention, the Shy Guy pirate ship constantly blasting the tropical dunes with cannon fire is a thrilling obstacle to navigate around. “Ribbon Road’s” red carpet track is as lurid as a premiere event in Hollywood, and the puddles of rainwater in “Luigi Circuit” actually cause hydroplaning instead of simply slowing the kart’s speed ever-so slightly. I don’t how the Wallace and Gromit wonderland of “Cheese Land” is relevant to Mario, but the mountain range of coagulated dairy extract looks good enough to eat (literally). Super Circuit’s “Rainbow Road” looks marvelous, and having the narrow borders of the track bounce the player like rubber can be used to hop over portions of the track for courageous players. Seeing Bowser’s Castle from Paper Mario in the background is also a cool little reference that signals how high in the sky the colorful pathway is located. The sickening angle that came with Mode 7 on the SNES has been rectified and the pixels now pop with a smooth visual flair that is very pleasant to the eyes.
Basically, that’s Mario Kart: Super Circuit in a nutshell. I determined whether or not to divulge how harsh the letter grade ranking system is after finishing each Grand Prix cup or how it was the first Mario Kart game to incorporate racetracks from previous titles, but I decided that these aspects were too trivial to extrapolate on. All the other Mario Kart attributes such as the items, the grand prix format, and the reemergence of coins are continued as they were from either Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart 64. Even though it washes the grain out of Super Mario Kart’s pixel art, adjusts the viewpoint of a 2D game in a 3D perspective to make it look more feasible, and the tracks are far more memorable for their designs and various hazards, Super Circuit doesn’t add anything all that revolutionary to the Mario Kart formula. I commended it for revealing the statistical differences of each character, but the lineup of characters that Super Circuit uncovers the veil from is the exact same as Mario Kart 64. Any quality-of-life features Super Circuit implements are ultimately marginal changes to the overall Mario Kart experience. The game used to coast on the novelty of being a mobile Mario Kart game. However, in this day and age where future mobile Mario Kart games have outclassed Mario Kart 64 with both superior hardware and years of hindsight to pull from, Mario Kart: Super Circuit is the one entry in this popular franchise that any gamer can overlook due to its menial impact.
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