Mine Cart

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"Mine Car" redirects here. For information about the minigame also referred to as "Mine Car" in Super Mario RPG, see Moleville Mountain.
This article is about rail-bound freight cars. For the vehicles from the Mario Kart series, see Kart. For the Yoshi transformation from Yoshi's New Island, see Mine-Cart Yoshi.
Mine Cart
Artwork of a Mine Cart from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.
A Mine Cart from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
First appearance The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! ("The Great Gold Coin Rush") (1989)
Latest appearance Mario Kart Tour (Wario vs. Waluigi Tour) (2022)
“While riding a mine cart, you can jump or crouch to avoid obstacles. In some mine cart levels, Donkey Kong jumps separately from the mine cart. In these stages you must time your jumps so you can land back on the mine cart.”
Donkey Kong Country Returns manual

Mine Carts (also formatted as mine carts and Minecarts), also referred to simply as carts, are vehicles that appear in the Donkey Kong franchise and Super Mario franchise. Characters ride on Mine Carts in a roller-coaster fashion while avoiding incoming obstacles.

History[edit]

Donkey Kong Country series[edit]

Donkey Kong Country[edit]

Mine Cart Carnage
The Kongs riding a Mine Cart in Mine Cart Carnage from Donkey Kong Country

In Donkey Kong Country, Mine Carts are the main feature of two levels, Mine Cart Carnage and Mine Cart Madness. Mine Carts in this game are made of metal, unlike later games. After jumping into a Mine Cart, Donkey Kong and Diddy Kong lose control of the Mine Cart's speed and can only jump with it, having to cautiously dodge any obstacle, pit, or enemy along the way, including abandoned tipped Mine Carts. In Mine Cart Carnage, only one Mine Cart is ever used, with them carrying it with them when they jump. Due to the Mine Cart's weight, the jumps are lower and harder to control than normal. In Mine Cart Madness, the Kongs instead use several Mine Carts throughout the level, meaning that they leave the Mine Cart when they jump. As such, they must land back into the same Mine Cart or into the following Mine Cart at the start of the next railing, though the jump physics are normal and there are no track obstacles aside from pits. Both levels feature Krashes, a type of Kremling that rides a Mine Cart. In the former stage, they ride in the opposite direction of the Kongs to try and ram into them. In the latter stage, they sit motionlessly at the starting point of the rail during a few instances of jumping over pits to the next Mine Cart. By jumping on the Krash, the Kongs can hijack its Mine Cart and ride it.

According to designer Gregg Mayles, the Mine Cart levels were inspired by the minecart scene from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.[1]

Mine Carts are replaced by Roller Coasters in Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest and Toboggans in Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong's Double Trouble!

Donkey Kong Country Returns[edit]

Bombs Away
The Kongs riding a Mine Cart in Bombs Away, a level from Donkey Kong Country Returns.

Mine Carts reappear as vehicles in Donkey Kong Country Returns and its Nintendo 3DS port, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D in a total of six levels: Crazy Cart, Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, Bombs Away, Prehistoric Path, and Roasting Rails. They are most common during the Cave world.

Unlike its previous appearances, if the Kongs take damage even once in a Mine Cart, the vehicle is destroyed and the Kongs instantly lose a life. The Kongs usually jump with their Mine Cart just like in the level Mine Cart Carnage from Donkey Kong Country, but in the levels Rickety Rails, Grip 'n' Trip, and Roasting Rails, the Kongs jump out of the Mine Cart. In these levels, the player can move the Kongs while they are airborne. They must carefully move the Kongs back into the Mine Cart, because if the Kongs miss, they fall directly through the track rails and lose a life. The Kongs cannot ride in the Mine Carts with blue crystals, as they bounce off the crystals by attempting to enter the Mine Cart. During the boss fight against Mole Miner Max, the Kongs walk around on some Mine Carts that are filled to the brim with bananas.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze[edit]

Mine Carts make another appearance in Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and its Nintendo Switch port, operating similarly to its predecessor, Donkey Kong Country Returns. However, they can now take up to two hits under normal circumstances, with a third being added with the use of a Crash Guard or in the Nintendo Switch port's Funky Mode. Hard Mode, however, reverts Mine Carts to their Returns incarnation, where taking damage even once will cost the player a life. More camera angles are utilized while riding a Mine Cart, such as a behind-the-back perspective, and unlike before, Mine Carts can be carried into Arrow Barrels. Mine Carts are used in the levels Trunk Twister, Sawmill Thrill, High Tide Ride, and Rocket Rails; unlike in Donkey Kong Country Returns, there are no levels where Donkey Kong jumps separately from the cart.

Club Nintendo[edit]

A cart-like vehicle referred to as a lorry appears in the Club Nintendo comic "Mario's Picross". Mario finds the lorry in a pyramid after trying to escape from a Chomp Rock that has been released through a trap door. The plumber jumps into the lorry which immediately begin to move very quickly. Though he can escape from the rock, the rails reach a dead end, making Mario crash through the pyramid's wall.

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars[edit]

In Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, trolleys, also referred to as mine cars (or mine-cars in the remake), appear in the Mole Mines. Midway through the mines, if Mario takes a lower path with tracks, he will get knocked back by a trolley ridden by a Shy Guy, who runs off leaving a Frog Coin behind after crashing. Another one is featured in the Moleville Mountain minigame. The track consists of two parts: a "3D" maze-like course collecting speed-boosting mushrooms, and a "2D" portion collecting coins. The goal is to clear the mines in the fastest time possible.

Donkey Kong 64[edit]

Diddy Kong in a Mine Mine Cart in a Minecart Race in the game Donkey Kong 64
Diddy and Krash ride in Minecarts in Donkey Kong 64.

Mine Carts reappear in Donkey Kong 64 during the Mine Cart Ride challenges in Jungle Japes, Fungi Forest, and Creepy Castle, done by Diddy Kong, Chunky Kong, and Donkey Kong respectively. The main objective of each challenge is for the Kongs to collect 50 coins (or 25 in the final Creepy Castle challenge) while riding their Mine Cart for a Golden Banana reward at the end. If the Kong takes damage while in the Mine Cart, they lose some health and a few of their obtained coins. From the Mine Cart, they can also lean either left or right to activate a switch. Krashes from Donkey Kong Country return in the Mine Cart Ride challenges, retaining their role of riding Mine Carts. Mine Carts also appear in the minigame Minecart Mayhem, in which the Kong has to ride their Mine Cart around the different rail paths and avoid crashing into a cart containing a TNT Barrel.

Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga / Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions[edit]

Mysterious Mine Carts
Mario and Luigi in carts in Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga.

In Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga + Bowser's Minions, another cart-themed game appears called Mysterious Mine Carts, in which the brothers split up trying to collecting red and green diamonds while avoiding obstacles all at the same time.

Yoshi's Island series[edit]

Yoshi's Island DS[edit]

Mine Cart
A Pink Yoshi riding in a Cart in Yoshi's Island DS
“Tired of hoofing it? Then to hop in that cart and go for a ride! You can even jump in it when it's moving!”
Message Block, Yoshi's Island DS

Carts appear in Yoshi's Island DS in two levels: High-Speed Cart Race and Quit it Already, Tap-Tap!. When a Yoshi gets on a cart, it rides the track on its own. Yoshi can jump, but with the momentum of the cart he will always land back in it unless he lands on another platform. A cart is seen in a village hut in Spear Guys' Village Found!, but is blocked off by walls.

Yoshi's New Island[edit]

Main article: Mine-Cart Yoshi

In Yoshi's New Island, a Yoshi is able to transform into a Mine Cart by entering a Whirly Gate in certain levels. The form is controlled using the Nintendo 3DS's gyroscope, while pressing any button causes the Yoshi to jump.

Donkey Kong Barrel Blast[edit]

Donkey Kong riding a cart in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast.

Minecarts reappear in Donkey Kong Barrel Blast only in the Scorching Canyon course. Toboggans also reappear in various courses. They function the same way as they did in previous Donkey Kong games.

Paper Mario series[edit]

Super Paper Mario[edit]

As a nod to their Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga appearances, minecarts are present in Chapter 5-3 of Super Paper Mario in the Floro Caverns. This time they are more alike to a roller coaster than an actual minigame. One of the minecarts requires the player to flip into 3-D while riding it to move on through the level. According to The InterNed, the music that plays during the minecart ride is "Truck GO".

Paper Mario: Sticker Star[edit]

Minecarts appear in Paper Mario: Sticker Star in Bowser's Snow Fort, where they are treated like an amusement ride famous within Shy Guys. These carts are red and have a Shy Guy face marked on the sides. Mario can again jump with them to avoid gaps and collect coins. Some scraps of the rails must be collected via Paperization. The music played while riding minecarts is entitled "Go Go Trolley!", and is a remix of Super Mario 64 theme "Slider".

Super Smash Bros. series[edit]

SmashWiki article: Minecart (vehicle)
A Mine Cart as it appears in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
A Minecart in Super Smash Bros. Brawl.

Minecarts appear in varying roles throughout the Super Smash Bros. series. In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, Minecarts appear in certain levels of The Subspace Emissary, and to activate it, one must jump into the Minecart, which has an arrow that indicates the direction it is moving. In Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Minecarts from Kirby Super Star appear in The Great Cave Offensive, which also appears in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and the player can both ride in them as well as push them out of the way. In Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Steve uses a Minecart from Minecraft for his side special move, which can be used to move faster or trap players.

Mario Kart series[edit]

A Minecart from Wario's Gold Mine
A Minecart from Wario's Gold Mine in Mario Kart Wii.

Mario Kart Wii[edit]

In Wario's Gold Mine of Mario Kart Wii, minecarts can be seen going along the mine tracks. These minecarts contain gold and have Wario's emblem on the sides. They act as obstacles in some parts of the course, and any player who hits them will be knocked away.

Mario Kart 7[edit]

Some minecarts can be seen near the sunken ship area in Wario Shipyard from Mario Kart 7, where they serve entirely as decoration. They may be a reference to the minecarts in Wario's Gold Mine.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

Minecarts return in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in the remade Wario's Gold Mine, however, they are no longer obstacles, since they are hovering on anti-gravity rails, and thus the players can gain Spin Boosts upon colliding with them.

Mario Kart Arcade GP DX[edit]

In Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, Mole Miners can be seen riding Mine Carts on tracks in the background of Bananan Labyrinth.

Mario Kart Tour[edit]

Clanky Kart from Mario Kart Tour
Clanky Kart from Mario Kart Tour

In Mario Kart Tour, three selectable karts called the Clanky Kart, the Clackety Kart, and the Gold Clanky Kart appear, which are based on the Mine Carts from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. Minecarts also return in 3DS Wario Shipyard.

Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker[edit]

Mine Carts reappear in Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker and its Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS ports acting similarly to how they appear in previous games. The player is able to throw turnips from these by aiming with the Wii U GamePad's gyroscope sensor. In the Nintendo Switch version, the player cannot use the gyroscope sensor to aim in TV or tabletop mode.

During normal gameplay, this section disables the pointer interaction of the game in every version; however, using co-op mode with two Joy-Con allows Player 2 to interact with the environment on screen normally, and can still fire red turnips from the same place Player 1 can. This allows players to collect more coins that were not previously possible to collect in Mine Cart-based levels.

During the credits of Episode 1 and Episode 3, Captain Toad and Toadette ride a Mine Cart together as they return home from their adventures. The Mine Cart travels through many locales based on previous levels the player has played in either episode, before landing in either the Mushroom Kingdom or the Sand Kingdom (Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS only).

Mario Party 10[edit]

A Mine Cart resembling the ones in Donkey Kong Country Returns appears on the eastern side of the Donkey Kong Board in Mario Party 10, where it moves on a circular rail, carrying some bananas. It only has a decorative purpose.

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit]

In Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge, minecarts are useful vehicles that carry Mini Diddy Kong throughout his levels. They are spotted on small platforms, and the character can get a ride from these minecarts if fallen inside. However, they cannot be controlled whatsoever, as they follow the paths they are currently preparing to roll on. It is best the player installs girder platforms above the pits encountered on the paths so that the minecarts can follow their ways undisturbed. They stop only after crashing into a ledge, and respawn on the same small platforms aforesaid. Minecarts borrow the appearance they had in the latter Donkey Kong Country games.

Minecraft[edit]

In the Super Mario Mash-up of Minecraft, regular minecarts are reskinned as Mine Carts from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker.

Yoshi's Crafted World[edit]

A Mine-Cart in Yoshi's Crafted World
A Mine-Cart in Yoshi's Crafted World

Mine-Carts appear in Yoshi's Crafted World, in the level Mine-Cart Cave. Yoshi cannot stand inside them to ride them, but rather on top of them. Some Mine-Carts also contain springs on them. Their main purpose in the level is to be pushed into certain parts of the level in order to fill up gaps, defeat some enemies and allow Yoshi to jump up to higher areas. If a Mine-Cart reaches a dead end, it can no longer be pushed. While the Mine-Carts in the level have green wheels, one with red wheels and a flag appears in the background as a craft. There is also one that is a costume.

Profiles[edit]

Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge[edit]

  • Electronic manual: "Can be ridden by a Mini Toy."
  • Play Nintendo: "Your Mini can travel in safety and style with the Mine Cart. Just tap the red button to start the cart moving. Place Girders in the right spots to help guide the cart along the right path."[2]

Gallery[edit]

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mine Cart.

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese トロッコ
Torokko
Truck, a general term for a trolley or cart in Japanese, from the English loanword「トラック」(torakku, truck)

Chinese 采矿车 (Simplified)
採礦車 (Traditional)
Cǎi kuàng chē
Mine Cart

French Chariot de mine[5]
Mine Cart
Italian Carrello
Carrello minerario/Carrello della miniera
Vagoncino[3]
Cart
Mine cart
Little wagon
Spanish Vagoneta
Cart
Spanish (NOA) Carro de mina[4]
Mine cart

References[edit]

  1. ^ Gregg Mayles in Twitter (November 21, 2019)
  2. ^ Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Items. Play Nintendo. Retrieved April 14, 2020. (Archived August 16, 2020 at 21:52:14.)
  3. ^ Mini Mario & Friends: amiibo Challenge Italian e-manual, section 9
  4. ^ Club Nintendo (Chile) La Jungla de Donkey Kong: Edición Especial, page 45.
  5. ^ [1]