Fusion Kart
| Fusion Kart | |
|---|---|
| |
| Appears in | Mario Kart Arcade GP DX |
The Fusion Kart is a prominent feature of co-op play in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. It is a tank-like kart operated by two players simultaneously that can appear either if two players are playing in adjacent arcade cabinets and they opt to play in Two-Player Co-op, or if there are four players playing together and they opt to split into two pairs in Team Battle, with the latter game mode being exclusive to v1.04. A team of two can temporarily combine and transform into the Fusion Kart if one player obtains and uses the Fusion Kart item from an Item Box.
Operation[edit]
When a player obtains the Fusion Kart item, an option to turn into the Fusion Kart is available. When one player from their team uses their item button in order to activate the Fusion Kart, the rear player instantly teleports to the front player (eventually gaining up to 4 positions in the process), and the players' karts fuse together to form the Fusion Kart. The player who activated the Fusion Kart shoots while the other player drives; this concept is very similar to the double kart concept from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! The shooting player can fire an unlimited number of Green Shells and can shoot in any direction, including sideways and backwards. The Fusion Kart cannot be used by CPU players.
The transformation lasts for 17.5 seconds; the kart flashes blue when 4 seconds remain, and once the time limit expires, the two players split and resume driving as they were before. The shooting player faces the same direction as the driving player when the transformation ends, and there is a 0.6 second delay before the players can control their kart again.
If the race ends with the Fusion Kart crossing the finish line before the transformation ends, then the player that was in front of their teammate before the Fusion Kart was activated will be credited as finishing in front of their teammate.
Team Battle[edit]
When playing with 4 human players in Team Battle (v1.04 only), the Fusion Kart also has a health bar. The Fusion Kart will only take damage when it is hit by shells; contact with items other than shells will destroy the item without damaging the Fusion Kart. After the Fusion Kart is hit by shells 3 times, the tank will flash red and after 4 seconds, the transformation will end and both players will crash as if they were hit by a shell.
Tag Medals[edit]
Note: This feature is exclusive to the Japanese cabinets. In other cabinets, there is no Tag Medal system, and the Fusion Kart will always be Level 1 with each race.
By playing in Two Player Co-op or Team Battle (v1.04 only), the player can acquire Tag Medals to upgrade their Fusion Kart. As long as the player's team finishes 2nd or above in a race after the points are tallied up (see Mario Kart Arcade GP DX § Team Battle Point System for details), the player can earn Tag Medals. The player earns more Tag Medals when their team wins. In a Team Battle, if a draw results from one team finishing 1st and 4th with another team finishing 2nd and 3rd, all players earn Tag Medals for the 1st position. By earning Tag Medals, the player can gain up to six levels of the Fusion Kart. Each level requires a different amount of Tag Medals and each level fires a different item. In addition, it also increases the attack and defense power of shells.
The list is as follows:
| Level | Tag Medals Required^ | Total Tag Medals | Item Used |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 0 | Green Shell |
| 2 | 20 | 20 | Green Shell |
| 3 | 40 | 60 | Black Shell |
| 4 | 80 | 140 | Black Shell |
| 5 | 120 | 260 | Tornado |
| 6 | 120 | 380 | 2 Koopa Shells |
- ^Amount of Tag Medals required to rank up to this level.
Notes[edit]
- The feature could have been inspired by the game Crash Tag Team Racing, whose main gimmick also involves two karts fusing, with one driver taking a first-person shooter reticle.
