List of Super Mario Kart pre-release and unused content

This is a list of pre-release and unused content for the game Super Mario Kart.

Early Iteration

The game was initially developed as an original IP and starred a "guy in overalls". The game was retooled as a Mario spinoff after the development team replaced the player character's sprite with Mario and decided that they liked the look of the game better that way.

Early builds

Prototype cartridge

A user on the Digitpress forum bought a prototype cartridge and showcased its differences in a thread.

Visuals

• The Cheep-Cheep sprite is upside-down.
• The cup selection screen lacks a border.
• The X on Lakitu's flag when the player drives the wrong way is not present.

Sound

• Vanilla Lake 1 has a different theme, which does not appear in the final build.
• During the Rankings screen after completing a race, Donkey Kong Jr.'s theme is different than the final version.
• The Bowser's Castle theme is played in Rainbow Road.
• Most sound effects are different or have a different pitch.
• Some themes have slightly different instrumentation and rhythms from the final version.

Content

• The prototype has animations when ranking 2nd or 3rd place in a championship, something which does not happen in the final game. Scoring 2nd shows a Super Koopa looping over the podium and then getting hit by the winner's champagne cork, while the 3rd place animation has a group of Koopa Paratroopas flying over the podium, the last of which is also hit by the cork.
• The 150cc mode is not present
• The "Replay" feature for Time Trial mode is absent.
• Battle Course 3 is set in Choco Island and has a different layout.
• Rainbow Road is narrower.
• The player cannot drop the Green Shell item or throw the Banana Peel.

• 

  The 1st place animation.

• 

  The 2nd place animation.

• 

  The 3rd place animation.

April 13, 1992 Prototype build

On July 24th, 2020, a prototype build for Super Mario Kart dated April 13, 1992 was leaked and many differences can be found between the prototype and the final game.

Visuals

• The X on Lakitu's flag when the player drives the wrong way is not present.

Sound

• The title screen and Vanilla Lake have different themes, both of which do not appear in the final build.
• The Donut Plains theme has a different pitch compared to the final build.
• The Koopa Beach theme is shared with the Choco Island courses.
• The theme used for battle courses in the final build is played in Mario Circuit, Ghost Valley, and Bowser's Castle courses.
• Battle courses use the themes of the respective courses they are based off of instead of the normal theme used for battle courses in the final build.
• The title screen theme is played during the ranking screen at the end of a championship.
• During the Rankings screen after completing a race, Donkey Kong Jr.'s theme is different than the final version.
• Some themes have slightly different instrumentation and rhythms from the final version

Content

The Choco Island 3 course

• The 150cc mode is not present.
• Many courses, including battle courses, have different layouts compared to the final build.
• The drifting mechanics work differently in this build, as there is no jumping before drifting.
• The course orders of various cups are different.
• A Choco Island 3 course can be found in the Special Cup instead of Rainbow Road.
• Battle Course 1 in this build is the Battle Course 4 of the final game, setting in Donut Plains.
• Battle Course 2 in this build is the Battle Course 3 of the final game and has more ice blocks.
• Battle Course 4 in this build is the Battle Course 2 of the final game.
• Battle Course 3 is set in Choco Island and has a different layout.
• Vanilla Lake 1 does not load in and crashes the game.
• An unused driver was found in the game's files. The driver looks like a generic racecar driver. Unused sprites show the character in both a normal kart and what appears to be a bumper car.

External links

• Full comparison of the prototype and the final build.