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Mario Kart 7

Mario Kart 7
Box art for the game, Mario Kart 7.
United States box cover
For alternate box art, see the game's gallery.
Developer Nintendo EAD
Nintendo SPD Group No. 3
Retro Studios
Publisher Nintendo
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release date Retail:
Japan December 1, 2011
Europe December 2, 2011
Australia December 3, 2011
USA December 4, 2011
Mexico December 4, 2011[1]
South Korea May 31, 2012
HK September 28, 2012
ROC September 28, 2012
China December 7, 2012
Nintendo eShop:
Europe October 4, 2012
Australia October 4, 2012
USA October 18, 2012
Mexico October 18, 2012
Japan November 1, 2012
Language(s) Deutsch
English (United Kingdom)
English (United States)
Español (España)
Español (Latinoamérica)
Français (Canada)
Français (France)
Italiano
Nederlands
Português (Portugal)
Русский
한국어
日本語
简体中文
繁體中文
Genre Racing
Rating(s)
ESRB:E - Everyone
PEGI:3 - Three years and older
CERO:A - All ages
ACB:G - General
USK:0 - All ages
DEJUS:L - General audience
GSRR:P - Six years and older
Mode(s) Single-player, local multiplayer (up to 8 players), online multiplayer
Media
Nintendo 3DS:
Game Card
Digital download
Input
Nintendo 3DS:

Mario Kart 7 is a racing game developed by Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the seventh console installment in the Mario Kart series (hence the game's title), and the second (the first being Super Mario 3D Land) installment in the Super Mario franchise overall (excluding crossover installments) to be localized to Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian. Additionally, it is the first Mario Kart game to be developed by more than one video game developer, namely Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios, and the second Mario Kart to have a different video game developer (not including the Mario Kart Arcade GP series), the first being Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

The main new feature of this installment is the hang gliding and underwater driving, which allows racers to glide through the air and race in underwater sections of the new and old tracks. Kart customization is also introduced instead of racing in pre-made karts like the previous titles. In the game, players can exchange Ghost data and play online in multiplayer mode. Players can also receive Ghost data via SpotPass and race against other player's Ghosts from around the world. Nintendo stated that the game brings "a bunch of new elements" to the Mario Kart series.

Mario Kart 7 is the first Super Mario game to use the Nintendo Network service as it offers the ability to create custom communities, which would then become one of the features of the service; however, the service will be terminated on April 8, 2024, making the game no longer playable online.[2][3] Once Nintendo introduced retail games that could be downloaded via the Nintendo eShop until its discontinuation on March 27, 2023, Mario Kart 7 was released in 2012 for the eShop, where it required 635.38 MB (5,083 blocks) to download.

GameplayEdit

FeaturesEdit

 
One of the gameplay mechanics in Mario Kart 7 is racing in First-Person View. By pressing  , the player can activate the view and then   the system to steer.

Mario Kart 7 features the standard gameplay present in preceding games in the series, with the gameplay style being very close to that of Mario Kart Wii. Players compete for gold trophies in the eight Grand Prix cups, four consisting of the new courses and four consisting of the retro courses, a returning feature from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Along with Grand Prix, Time Trials, and Battle Modes also return. Time Trials have players race on tracks to set records, as well as race against their own or other racers' ghosts. Battle Mode features two different modes; Balloon Battle and Coin Runners, the latter returning from Mario Kart Wii. Players can set their own rules for Battle Mode, choosing CPU difficulty, which items will appear or team games. Online races and battles return, allowing up to 8 players to race or battle using the Nintendo Network online service. Players can also create custom communities, which can be accessed by other players via codes.

Mario Kart 7 also has some new features. Players can now use hang-gliders to navigate through the air and propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players now assemble their own karts, rather than select preset karts as in the previous games. It is possible to select the kart's body, wheels, and glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used, mainly through collecting coins during races. Mario Kart 7 returns to the traditional eight-driver race like in the previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in Mario Kart Wii. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

Coins make a prominent return since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Coins are to be found along a race track and can be underwater, on the road, or in the air. Collecting coins up to a maximum of ten slightly increases the player's top speed and, if enough are collected, will allow the player to unlock vehicle parts used for customization.

Similar to preceding games, an overall "game ranking" of ★, ★★, or ★★★ is shown next to the player's nationality flag if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups and all classes. The overall ranking can also be seen while participating in a Grand Prix. The game shows the overall ranking at the results of the last course before the overall results of the last cup are shown.

Among other gameplay mechanics is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle has a function that grants an advantage on certain courses. In other words, speed and handling alter if the player is driving through land, underwater, or in the air. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using the  . Players can tilt the   either up or down to fall quickly or gently, respectively. Additionally, when driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed, and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land.

This Mario Kart installment also introduces the option to race and battle in a first-person view. This function allows the player to watch the race and battle from the character's perspective and can race by   the system. In first-person view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character with an emblem on it. The gyroscope, which gives the player the ability to steer the kart in first-person mode by tilting the  , can be enabled or disabled by going to the Mario Kart Channel, going to the player's Mii icon on the bottom right, going to "Settings", and lastly selecting "Use" or "Don't Use" when going to "Gyro Sensor".

In a minor note, an extra track with beats is added to the course's music if the player gets ahead in first place at top speed (frontrunning). This track fades when the player slows down via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only in 100cc, 150cc, and Mirror class.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in the game. On the other hand, Tricks return, now known as "jump actions", and are now the sole way of obtaining a boost, known as "Jump Boost", when the kart jumps because of a ramp or an element of the course. The jump action can also be performed on glider ramps to receive a speed boost when gliding starts. The map is viewed in the bottom screen, but unlike in Mario Kart DS, the map does not display course hazards and obstacles such as some items and obstacles in DS Airship Fortress. The map also shows a larger area surrounding the player. The Single Player version of VS mode from the other Mario Kart games and the mission mode from Mario Kart DS are also removed.

ControlsEdit

  •  / : Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown shows 2 before the race starts)
  •  : Brake / Reverse / Drop from glider
  •  : Steer / Auto Drift
  •  : Hop / Manual Drift / Perform jump actions in midair.
  •  / : Use item
  •  : Switch map view
  •  : Pause / Resume
  •  : Display HOME Menu
  •  : First-Person View
  •  : Steer / Auto Drift (First-person view only)
  •   (except up): Third-Person View

ModesEdit

Grand PrixEdit

 
The game's main option mode.

As usual in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart 7 has the Grand Prix, where a single player has to compete against computer-controlled opponents to obtain the trophies of the eight cups in the game. The Grand Prix has three engine classes: 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. The higher the engine class, the harder the races will be against the opponents. In this mode, by beating the first cups available, the user unlocks the other cups as well as new elements such as the kart's parts (by collecting coins in each race) or a new playable character. By completing all the engine classes available at the start, the player unlocks the Mirror class.

A notable change featured in the game is the point system given to the racers after a race in Grand Prix mode. It is similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS, but racers who finish a race in fourth place or lower get an extra point. Also, 4th place is not a losing place, similar to Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and Mario Kart Wii (which has 12 racers). Below is a chart of the point spread comparison between these seven games:

Point spread comparisons (Grand Prix)
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th 11th 12th
Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 64
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
9 6 3 1 0 0 0 0
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart DS
10 8 6 4 3 2 1 0
Mario Kart Wii 15 12 10 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0
Mario Kart 7 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1
A grove-green cell signifies victory results (great clapping, characters cheering) and the best after-race music.
A yellow-lime-green cell signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction) and the same music in Wi-Fi as the winner (different in Mario Kart DS GP).
A normal-colored cell signifies losing results and losing music.
In Super Mario Kart, and Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this poorly four times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Mario Kart 64, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race, but without the restrictions on how many times the player can retry a race. Starting with Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the Grand Prix normally continues.

Time TrialsEdit

Time Trials allow the player to complete all the laps of a race course in the fastest time possible. Mario Kart 7 saves the player's records, and a Ghost for the combo that they used. Through a Nintendo Network connection, the player can exchange his or her Ghosts with other players, compare their records, and even compete with their Ghosts. Up to seven Ghosts can be raced against at the same time, making it an 8-player race.

VSEdit

In Versus Mode, players can customize the races by selecting personally the order of the racecourses and changing other settings, such as setting the computer difficulty, the requirements to win the races, and the engine class of the player's and computer players' karts. Unlike in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, this mode is no longer available in single-player mode. In Download Play, the players that do not have the Mario Kart 7 game card in their handhelds play as Shy Guy, like in Mario Kart DS, and are unable to customize their kart.

Point Spread
Number of Players 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th
2 players 3 1 - - - - - -
3 players 4 2 1 - - - - -
4 players 5 3 2 1 - - - -
5 players 6 4 3 2 1 - - -
6 players 7 5 4 3 2 1 - -
7 players 9 7 5 4 3 2 1 -
8 players 10 8 6 5 4 3 2 1

BattleEdit

In Battle Mode, the player can select one of the two types of battles available in Mario Kart 7 and one of the six battle courses that appear in this mode. There are three new courses, and the remaining three are from the previous installments in the series. This version of Battle can be played with any vehicle like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, as opposed to Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, in which players could only use the Standard Kart or the Standard Bike.

Balloon BattleEdit
 
Free-for-all Balloon Battle

Racers compete by popping their opponents' balloons to gain points in a time limit of two minutes. All racers start with three balloons and must use the items from the Item Boxes to take away a balloon from their opponents. Hitting a rival is worth a point. Players who lose all of their balloons will have half of their points deducted. Up to three points can be taken away, and the player re-spawns with three balloons.

Coin RunnersEdit
 
Team Coin Runners

In Coin Runners (Coin Battle in the British English version), racers collect the Coins scattered in the battle course within the time limit of two minutes. The racer that has the most Coins at the end wins. Racers can use the items to hit their opponents and make them drop a maximum of three coins that they have collected. Unlike in Mario Kart Wii, only up to ten coins can be held at once. Coins collected in this mode do not count toward the coin total to unlock kart parts.

Online multiplayerEdit

With the Nintendo 3DS's online capabilities, players can look for other users for online play, local, or global range. Players can choose a worldwide competition to race against other users who are connected, race with friends that were met via StreetPass, or play in communities formed by users with customized rules for the races. Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has the Mario Kart Channel that shows updates of online activity automatically through the SpotPass and StreetPass modes. With StreetPass, the users can exchange their Miis, Ghost Data from Time Trials, players' names, and information about communities, while the user will only receive Ghost Data from other users and community recommendations via SpotPass.

VREdit

When players take part in online races or battles, points are added to or removed from their VR (short for VS Rating) based on their finishing position. The main purpose of VR is to determine the skill of players, to match them with players of a similar skill level. Players start with 1000 VR (rather than 5000 VR, as in Mario Kart Wii). Online play in Communities does not use the VR system. Also, a player's VR counts for both races and battles, as opposed to Mario Kart Wii with races affecting VR, and battles affecting BR (Battle Rating).

Names in other languagesEdit
Language Name Meaning
Dutch RP / Racepunten
Race Points
French PC / Points course
Race Points
German RP / Rennpunkte
Race Points
Italian PC / Punti Corsa
Race Points
Portuguese PO / Pontos Obtidos
Earned Points
Russian ИР / Игровой Рейтинг
IR / Igrovoy Reyting
Play Rating

Spanish PC / Puntos de carreras
Race Points

CharactersEdit

 
The character select screen, with all characters unlocked.

Mario Kart 7 includes seventeen total drivers (eight starting drivers and nine unlockable drivers). New playable characters to the Mario Kart series in this game include Metal Mario, Wiggler, Honey Queen, and Lakitu (with a red shell as opposed to the Lakitu referee which wears a green shell), with Lakitu and Honey Queen also making their overall playable debuts. Additionally, this marks the first Mario Kart game where Shy Guy is a normal selectable driver, after only being available in Mario Kart DS to players who were playing in Download Play without a game card. Also, this is the first installment in the series for a handheld console where Koopa Troopa, Rosalina, and Mii are playable, after previously being playable in at least one home console installment. Each driver is categorized into any of five weight classes: Feather being the lightest, followed by Light, Medium, Cruiser, and finally Heavy. The player's Mii never appears as a CPU driver, but Miis the player has obtained via StreetPass for this game's Mario Kart Channel can occasionally appear as a CPU driver during the standard Grand Prix mode.

All of the starting characters are the same as in Super Mario Kart, but with Donkey Kong in place of Donkey Kong Jr.

DriversEdit

Artwork Name Weight Unlocking criteria
  Mario
 
Medium Starting driver
  Luigi
 
Medium Starting driver
  Peach
 
Light Starting driver
  Yoshi
 
Light Starting driver
  Bowser
 
Heavy Starting driver
  Donkey Kong
 
Cruiser Starting driver
  Toad
 
Feather Starting driver
  Koopa Troopa
 
Feather Starting driver
  Daisy
 
Light Win the 150cc Mushroom Cup
  Wario
 
Heavy Win the 150cc Flower Cup
  Rosalina
 
Cruiser Win the 150cc Star Cup
  Metal Mario
 
New driver
Heavy Win the 150cc Special Cup
  Shy Guy*
 
First time as a fully playable driver
Feather Win the 150cc Shell Cup
  Honey Queen
 
New driver
Heavy Win the 150cc Banana Cup
  Wiggler
 
New driver
Cruiser Win the 150cc Leaf Cup
  Lakitu
 
New driver
Feather Win the 150cc Lightning Cup
  Mii
 
Medium Successfully complete all cups in any class

*When playing in Download Play, players without a game card are restricted to an alternate-colored Shy Guy.

Rival orderEdit

Much like in Super Mario Kart, all playable characters have a rival order, the order CPU drivers start at the beginning of the race. However, unlike in Super Mario Kart, it is more simplified, as two characters are set instead of single characters followed by another single character, etc.

Each character's rivals will never change; for example, Bowser will always appear in a Grand Prix if the player is playing as Mario. However, if a set character is supposed to be unlockable, the set character is replaced by a default character until the unlockable character can be used. That will make the default character a third rival that occasionally appears in the race. Wario is the only character to break the rule due to both of his main rivals being default characters.

Character Rivals Third Rival
      
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      N/A
       
       
       
       
       
       
Male       
Female       

Body frameEdit

Depending on the character, the kart body that's chosen may appear bigger or smaller. This affects how big of a target that character's kart will be; for example, smaller body frames are harder to hit. The character's height and weight determines the body Frame size, Metal Mario being the only exception, as he's medium size despite being a heavy character, due to him being the same height as his regular counterpart Mario.

Body Frame
Size Characters
Small        
Medium              
Large            

Background charactersEdit

These characters appear in the background of certain stages and do not affect the racers in any way.

Hazards and obstaclesEdit

These characters and features serve as hazards on tracks and can directly affect racers if hit.

Characters and elements
Character/element Location Description
 
Banzai Bill
DS Airship Fortress Banzai Bills are fired from a cannon near the starting straightaway of the track. They fly along the straight path in different positions based on where they were fired. They disappear once they hit the road where the starting line is located.
 
Barrel
Wario Shipyard
DK Jungle
Barrels are scattered around the track and can be broken by players. Once broken, a Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Super Star may fly out. In Time Trials, the barrels cannot be broken.
 
Big Wiggler
Wii Maple Treeway Two Big Wigglers walk around the top of the tree section of the track. Racers simple bounce off of them rather than wiping out.
 
Board
Piranha Plant Slide Boards can be broken by players by racing into them. There are two board shapes; Goomba shaped boards and bush shaped boards. Two bush shaped boards are located in off-road sections near the end of the track.
 
Boulder
Rock Rock Mountain
Maka Wuhu
Boulders fall from mountain tops and roll down the track, flipping over any racer that hits them. They are destroyed upon hitting walls.
 
Bouncing Note
Music Park Bouncing Notes jump at regular intervals near the end of the track. Players can do jump actions off the ground when the Bouncing Notes land. However, players can also be flattened if a Bouncing Note lands on them. During the final lap, their bouncing is faster.
 
Bumper
DS Waluigi Pinball Bumpers are located on the pinball table section of the track and will bump racers back when they collide with them. Pinballs will also ricochet off of bumpers.
 
Car
Wuhu Loop
Wii Coconut Mall
Cars travel across the road of the entire track, causing players to flip over if hit. In Coconut Mall, cars are located in the parking lot and drive back and forth along the area.
 
Cheep Cheep
Cheep Cheep Lagoon
Wii Koopa Cape
Cheep Cheeps swim in various water sections of the track, lightly bouncing back racers who hit them.
 
Chomp
Rainbow Road Chomps appear on the moon segment of the track, rolling around in circles. Two Chomps also roll off of the craters on the surface, causing them to jump off of them and float in the air for a short time. Colliding with one will flip a racer over.
 
Clampy
Cheep Cheep Lagoon
GCN Daisy Cruiser
Clampys appear in the first underwater segment of the track, opening and closing their mouths at regular intervals. Coins and Item Boxes can appear in an open Clampy, but if a racer is caught when a Clampy is closing its mouth, they will spin out.
 
Crate
DS Airship Fortress Crates are scattered inside the airship of the track and act identically to Barrels. A Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Star may fly out when broken, but will stop a racer in the process. Crates cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
 
Cutting torch
DS Airship Fortress Cutting torches appear within the airship of the track, moving back and forth along the track. Racers will spin out if they drive through the fire.
 
Drain Pipe
Piranha Plant Slide The water from these Warp Pipes can cancel out the glide of any player that drives under it. The Warp Pipes themselves serve as an obstruction.
 
Fish Bone
Wario Shipyard Fish Bones appear near the track's beginning and swim through the first tunnel. Hitting one will simply bounce a racer back.
 
Flipper
DS Waluigi Pinball Flippers appear at the pinball table section of the track, specifically at the bottom of the table. They hit any pinball back across the table and will hit racers if they get too close.
 
Flying Shy Guy
Shy Guy Bazaar Shy Guys fly about on carpets at the gliding section of the track. They will block any racer who collides with them.
 
Frogoon
DK Jungle Frogoons hop across the track in the jungle section before the giant temple. Colliding with one will cause the racer to spin out.
 
Goomba
Mario Circuit
Piranha Plant Slide
Wii Mushroom Gorge
Wii Koopa Cape
Goombas appear on various tracks. They act in the same way they did in past installments, slowly waddling back and forth on certain parts of the track. If the player uses a Shell to destroy the Goomba, a Mushroom will spawn in its place.
 
Hot-air balloon
Daisy Hills Hot-air balloons float in the air. Touching them will cause the racer to bounce off them.
 
Icicle
Rosalina's Ice World Icicles behave in an identical way to crates and barrels, slowing the player's vehicle speed upon impact. Items do not fly out of icicles when they break and icicles cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
 
Jar
Shy Guy Bazaar Jars function identically to Barrels and Crates, stopping racers and letting a Banana, a Mushroom, a Green Shell, or a Star as they break. Some jars also move around the area and do not release items if hit, instead releasing a pit of snakes for aesthetic effect. Jars cannot be broken in Time Trial mode.
 
Lava Bubble
GBA Bowser Castle 1 Lava Bubbles jump out of the lava between the ramps near the end of the track, causing players who hit them to spin out.
 
Mountain Goat
Daisy Hills Mountain Goats roam around the mountainous areas of the track, wiping out racers who collide with them.
 
Nossie
GCN Dino Dino Jungle The dinosaur appears near the track's center, occupying the bridge section after the cave and the ground below the bridge. The dinosaur's feet stomp the lower section, flattening racers in a similar manner to a Thwomp. The dinosaur's head does not spin a racer out, rather blocks their path.
 
Oil slick
SNES Mario Circuit 2 Oil slicks appear on various parts of the track, causing racers to spin out if they race over them.
 
Penguin
Rosalina's Ice World
Sherbet Rink
Penguins appear around the icy pond section of Rosalina's Ice World, on both the land and in the water. In both instances, players will simply bounce off of them if they collide with them. On Sherbet Rink, Penguins roam around the track as a whole.
 
Pinball
DS Waluigi Pinball Pinballs roll across various sections of the track, causing racers to flip over when hit. On the pinball table, pinballs can be hit by flippers and bounce of the bumpers scattered across the table.
 
Pipe
Toad Circuit
SNES Mario Circuit 2
Pipes appear as stationary obstacles and are usually scattered on off road sections. Players will come to a complete stop if they collide with them.
 
Piranha Plant
Music Park
Piranha Plant Slide
Piranha Plants will attempt to bite any racer that drives near them. In Music Park, they appear on either sides of the track and occasionally swap positions. In Piranha Plant Slide, they are completely stationary and will turn back and forth regularly to attack racers.
 
Puddle
Neo Bowser City Puddles appear at the end of the track and function identically to oil slicks. They can be avoided by jumping over them.
 
Rocky Wrench
DS Airship Fortress
GBA Battle Course 1
Rocky Wrenches pop out of the ground and will flip over racers who hit them. Players can also do jump actions off of their manhole covers when they peek out from the ground.
 
Screaming Pillar
DK Jungle Screaming Pillars are completely stationary obstacles and will stop a racer if they collide with them. They occasionally let out screams that will push racers back if they are in range.
 
Sidestepper
Cheep Cheep Lagoon
N64 Koopa Beach
DS Palm Shore
Sidesteppers move back and forth along parts of the track, causing any racer who hits them to spin out.
 
Snowball
DS DK Pass Snowballs appear on DK Pass and function identically to Boulders or Pinballs. They roll down the mountain and fall off the track, flipping over racers who collide with them.
 
Snowman
DS DK Pass Snowmen appear at the end of the track and function in the same way as they did in past installments, causing racers who hit them to flip over.
 
Stingby
Honeybee Hive Several Stingbies fly around the battle stage, spinning out racers who hit them.
 
Super Thwomp
SNES Rainbow Road Super Thwomps appear throughout the track, wiping out racers who hit them. When they hit the ground, they cause ripples in the track, which make the kart jump, allowing the driver to perform a jump action.
 
Swoop
Rock Rock Mountain Swoops appear in the cave section of the track, slowing racers down if they hit them.
 
Thwomp
Bowser's Castle
GBA Bowser Castle 1
Thwomps act identically as they did in past installments, stopping racers who hit them and flattening them if they fall on them.
 
Tiki Goon
DK Jungle Tiki Goons move back and forth along the track, pausing at the track's edges before moving the other way. Colliding with one will cause the player to spin out.
 
Train
N64 Kalimari Desert Two trains follow an oval track around the center of the race track. Players will flip over if they hit the train or their carriages.
 
Walking Tree
DS Luigi's Mansion Walking Trees walk around set paths at the end of the track. They function just like normal trees and will stop a racer completely when hit.
 
Water Geyser
GCN Dino Dino Jungle Water Geysers appear in both the cave section and near the end of the track, erupting at regular intervals. Racers are flipped over if they hit an erupting geyser. Players can do jump actions off of geyser spouts if they are inactive.

Vehicle partsEdit

Mario Kart 7 introduces the option to personalize the player's vehicle before getting to the race. The player can select the body, the tires, and the glider to build the desired kart. By collecting many coins from the races in Grand Prix mode, the player can unlock a new body, a new set of tires, or a new glider to use. It is possible to acquire a maximum of ten coins in a race. As the user chooses the parts, the stats may vary according to the parts' combination, and the vehicle will work better in particular situations.

Available partsEdit

There are 17 kart bodies, 10 tires, and 7 gliders for a grand total of 1,190 kart combinations. The following is a list of all the available parts, using the American English names. If the kart has a different name in the British English version, the British name is put in parentheses under the American name. All kart parts are sorted based on how they're ordered in-game, starting with the standard parts. The following notation is used:

  • * = Changes color, depending on the character.
  • ** = Changes color for Daisy, Rosalina, and Honey Queen.
  • *** = Not used by male or gender-indeterminate CPU drivers.
  • **** = Not used by CPU drivers, except for Miis obtained via StreetPass from this game's Mario Kart Channel, if they are equipped.

KartsEdit

TiresEdit

GlidersEdit

Unlocking criteriaEdit

The only parts that are already unlocked are the Standard kart, the Standard tires, the Super Glider, Bolt Buggy, Birthday Girl, Monster tires, and Roller tires. Unlocking a different kart part requires a certain total of coins collected from every race in Grand Prix. Once the player has reached that amount, a random kart part is unlocked. The only exceptions to this rule are the gold parts and the Beast Glider.

Random partsEdit

Players can unlock random parts by collecting the following coin values:

  • 50
  • 100
  • 150
  • 200
  • 250
  • 300
  • 400
  • 500
  • 600
  • 700
  • 800
  • 900
  • 1,000
  • 1,200
  • 1,400
  • 1,600
  • 1,800
  • 2,000
  • 2,500
  • 3,000
  • 3,500
  • 4,000
  • 4,500

Special partsEdit

Part Standard criteria Coin criteria
Gold Standard Reach 10,000 VR. Collect 20,000 coins.
Gold Tires Obtain a minimum of one star ranking in all cups of every engine class. Collect 15,000 coins.
Gold Glider Reach 100 StreetPass hits. Collect 10,000 coins.
Gold Steering Wheel Race in 100 races using gyro-controls in at least 80% of them. N/A
Beast Glider N/A Collect 5,000 coins. Its amount will decrease if players unlock kart parts via the StreetPass feature.

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statisticsEdit

For the in-game tables from which these values were derived and for the tables to translate those values into the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart 7 in-game statistics.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screenEdit

In contrast with Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, which directly added the characters' and vehicles' physical parameters to obtain their final values, the game introduces the Points which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called Level (Lv) which is then used by a table to convert the level into various related physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:

  • Speed: The top speed of the kart on land.
  • Acceleration: The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.
  • Weight: The weight of the kart. Karts with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
  • Handling: The turning ability of the kart on land. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
  • Off-Road: The grasp of the kart. Karts with higher Off-Road slip less on certain terrain and are faster, to the point of being able to charge Mini-Turbos. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding two points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.5. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:

 
A combination consisting of Bowser, Bolt Buggy, Monster Tires, and Paraglider.
Element Points conferred
Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road
 
Bowser
4 0 8 0 0
 
Bolt Buggy
7 1 3 2 3
 
Monster Tires
7 0 8 0 15
 
Paraglider
0 1 0 0 0
Final Values Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road
Level 4 + 7 + 7 + 0 =
18
0 + 1 + 0 + 1 =
2
8 + 3 + 8 + 0 =
19
0 + 2 + 0 + 0 =
2
0 + 3 + 15 + 0 =
18
Value shown in the vehicle customization screen (18 + 2) / 4 = 20 / 4 =
5
(2 + 2) / 4 = 4 / 4 =
1
(19 + 2) / 4 = 21 / 4 =
5.25
(2 + 2) / 4 = 4 / 4 =
1
(18 + 2) / 4 = 20 / 4 =
5

Drivers' statisticsEdit

The following table shows the statistics of the various drivers. In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:

  • Water Speed: The top speed of the kart while driving underwater.
  • Air Speed: The top speed of the kart while gliding.
  • Water Handling: The turning ability of the kart while driving underwater.
  • Air Handling: The turning ability of the kart while gliding.
  • Mini-Turbo: The length of the kart's mini-turbo speed boosts.
  • Stability: How much the tires stick to the ground and how much the kart tends to tilt sideways when turning and drifting.
  • Drift: How much the kart slips when a drift begins.

The following table reports the statistics in points.

Character Stats
Weight Class Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Water Air Land Water Air
Feather      0 2 0 8 0 2 2 2 2 3 1 8
Light     1 2 0 6 2 2 2 2 1 2 1 4
Medium     2 1 0 4 4 1 1 1 1 2 1 4
Cruiser     3 0 0 2 6 0 0 0 1 1 1 0
Heavy      4 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 1 1 0

Vehicle parts' statisticsEdit

The following table shows the statistics of the various parts in points.

Bodies
Body Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Water Air Land Water Air
  6 4 2 3 2 3 1 1 2 2 0 2
  7 4 1 2 3 3 1 1 1 2 0 1
  4 6 4 5 1 5 2 2 1 4 0 3
  6 4 4 5 1 1 1 2 3 8 0 3
  8 2 1 2 3 1 1 1 2 2 0 1
  7 2 4 4 1 3 1 2 1 4 0 3
  8 2 2 1 2 4 1 1 1 2 0 2
  5 10 4 5 1 3 1 1 2 4 0 3
  7 1 1 3 3 1 1 1 2 8 0 1
  4 10 1 3 3 3 3 1 3 0 0 1
  5 6 1 2 2 4 1 1 3 0 0 2
  6 4 2 2 2 5 2 2 1 8 0 2
  4 8 4 4 1 5 3 2 2 4 0 3
  8 2 1 2 2 2 1 1 2 0 0 2
  8 4 1 1 3 2 1 1 2 0 0 1
  7 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 3 0 0 1
  5 8 4 4 1 3 1 1 3 4 0 3
Tires
Tire Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Water Air Land Water Air
  4 4 0 3 4 5 5 4 10 4 4 4
  8 0 0 1 6 0 5 0 0 4 4 0
  1 8 4 6 0 13 10 8 5 8 8 0
  3 4 0 4 3 10 10 4 5 0 8 8
  8 0 0 2 5 0 0 4 0 4 4 8
  3 0 4 5 1 5 0 8 10 4 4 8
  5 4 0 2 2 10 5 4 5 4 4 0
  2 8 4 5 2 10 15 8 10 0 8 8
  7 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 15 5 0 0
  7 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 15 4 0 4
Gliders
Glider Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Water Air Land Water Air
    0 0 12 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
   0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0
   0 0 6 1 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 0

ItemsEdit

For the probability of obtaining each item when an Item Box is opened in the various modes, see Mario Kart 7 item probability distributions.

Many classic items make a return in Mario Kart 7. The game introduces three new items – the Fire Flower, the Super Leaf, and the Lucky Seven (the last two of which do not return in Mario Kart 8). The Thunder Cloud, POW Block, and Mega Mushroom from Mario Kart Wii are absent from the game. The Fake Item Box from Mario Kart 64, Double Dash!!, DS, and Wii is also absent, along with Boo from Super Mario Kart, 64, Super Circuit, and DS. Similar to its predecessors, players receive items by driving through an Item Box found on courses. When players drive through an Item Box, the Item Roulette will select an item. In addition to Item Boxes, Coins can be found on the track. Players can collect the coins by driving through them. Picking up a coin increases a player's top speed. If players collect ten coins, their kart is at maximum speed and cannot gain additional coins. Players lose coins if they get hit by an item or fall in a pit. Collecting a certain amount of coins unlocks vehicle parts to select them in the vehicle's customization menu. Also, unlike in its predecessor, the item warning sound will only play if a Spiny Shell or a Bullet Bill is approaching.

One prominent change to the classic items is that the Spiny Shell now has been redesigned into a wingless form, similar to the one found in Mario Kart 64 and having a new sound effect. Its overall behavior is also changed as well; the shell now flies lower to the ground and is able to hit other racers on its path. In addition, the explosion is noticeably less powerful compared to previous installments.

Items found on tracksEdit

Image Name Description
  Item Box Item Boxes give players items.
  Coin Players receive a small boost and an increase to their top speed. A maximum of 10 can be carried at one time.

Items received from Item BoxesEdit

Image Name Description
  Banana Players that run over Bananas spin out.
  Triple Bananas Gives the player three Bananas that trail behind the kart. They can then be dropped or thrown one by one.
  Green Shell Travels in a straight line and bounces off walls. Knocks over the player it hits.
  Triple Green Shells Three Green Shells that protect the player from incoming attacks by rotating around its kart. They can then be thrown one by one.
  Red Shell Chases after the closest player in front of the player and knocks it over. Throwing it backwards will make it travel in a straight line, like a Green Shell.
  Triple Red Shells Three Red Shells that protect the player from incoming attacks by rotating around its kart. They can then be thrown one by one. CPU players can't get this item in Grand Prix and Battle modes, unless the item settings are set to Shells Only.
  Spiny Shell Chases after the player in the lead, then explodes on it. It will also knock over anything that is on its path.
  Bob-omb After being thrown or dropped, it explodes after a moment or when a player comes too close, knocking over anything in its blast radius. It will also chase after players that comes by.
  Mushroom Gives the player a speed boost.
  Triple Mushrooms Same effect as the Mushroom. It can be used three times.
  Golden Mushroom Same effect as the Mushroom. It can be used at will, but only for a moment after the first use.
  Bullet Bill Transforms the player into a Bullet Bill, which rockets down the entire track at high speeds on auto-pilot for a time that is determined by the player's current position. The Bullet Bill is invincible and can knock over items, course hazards and other players, which makes them lose any item in their possession.
  Blooper Sprays ink on all the players ahead of the user and reduces their visibility. The ink will go away after a moment or when the player receives a boost from a Mushroom or a Boost Pad.
  Lightning Causes all players, except the user, to drop their item, shrink, and have their kart's top speed reduced for a moment, the effect being longer for the players that are leading the race. They can also get squashed by normal-sized players.
  Super Star The player obtains total invincibility for a moment and is able to knock over everything in its path including items, course obstacles, and other players, making them lose their current item. In addition, the player receives a speed boost and the ability to drive off-road without losing any speed.
  Fire Flower
New Item
Allows the player to throw fireballs that bounces off walls and cause other players to spin out of control on impact. Up to three fireballs are allowed at a time per player, throwing a fourth one will make the oldest one disappear. If ten fireballs are used, this item wears off immediately.
  Super Leaf
New Item
Gives the player's kart a tail that can be used to deflect items, knock over opponents and collect coins. The tail will disappear after a moment or if the player is hurt.
  Lucky Seven
New Item
Surrounds the player with seven items that rotates around its kart. The player receives a Mushroom, Banana, Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Bob-omb, and a Star. CPU players can't get this item, unless only one type of item is chosen in Battle Mode.

CoursesEdit

Like Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 features 32 courses that includes 16 new courses and 16 retro courses, which consists of one course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit, two courses from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, three from Mario Kart 64, and four from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Wii. Only the Mushroom Cup and Shell Cup, as well as the battle courses, are available from the start, but upon unlocking them they are available for all game modes, and not just for that specific Engine Class, unlike past installments. A new feature of Mario Kart 7 is that three of the new courses – Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and Rainbow Road – have three sections each, with each section counting as one lap. The following charts show the American English names of the tracks, with the British English names in italics. Like in Mario Kart DS, the retro tracks' width have been shortened, except the DS retro courses, which have been widened.

New coursesEdit

 
Mushroom Cup
 
Flower Cup
 
Star Cup
 
Special Cup
 
Toad Circuit

 
Wuhu Loop
Wuhu Island Loop
 
Piranha Plant Slide
Piranha Plant Pipeway
 
DK Jungle

 
Daisy Hills

 
Mario Circuit

 
Wario Shipyard
Wario's Galleon
 
Rosalina's Ice World

 
Cheep Cheep Lagoon
Cheep Cheep Cape
 
Music Park
Melody Motorway
 
Neo Bowser City
Koopa City
 
Bowser's Castle

 
Shy Guy Bazaar

 
Rock Rock Mountain
Alpine Pass
 
Maka Wuhu
Wuhu Mountain Loop
 
Rainbow Road

Retro coursesEdit

 
Shell Cup
 
Banana Cup
 
Leaf Cup
 
Lightning Cup
 
N64 Luigi Raceway

 
N64 Koopa Beach
N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
 
N64 Kalimari Desert

 
Wii Koopa Cape

 
GBA Bowser Castle 1
 
SNES Mario Circuit 2
 
DS DK Pass
 
GCN Dino Dino Jungle
 
Wii Mushroom Gorge
 
Wii Coconut Mall
 
GCN Daisy Cruiser
 
DS Airship Fortress
 
DS Luigi's Mansion
 
DS Waluigi Pinball
 
Wii Maple Treeway
 
SNES Rainbow Road

Battle stagesEdit

There are a total of six battle stages: three new stages and three retro ones. Similar to games prior to Mario Kart Wii, the three new battle stages all have the same music, albeit with different arrangements between stages, while the three retro stages use the Mario Kart Wii arrangement of their respective music, which was previously used in that game's version of GBA Battle Course 3, N64 Skyscraper, and DS Twilight House respectively.

 
New Stages Retro Stages
 
Honeybee Hive
Honeybee House
 
GBA Battle Course 1

 
Sherbet Rink
 
N64 Big Donut
 
Wuhu Town
 
DS Palm Shore

GhostsEdit

Just like in Mario Kart Wii, Mario Kart 7 has Normal Staff Ghosts and Expert Staff Ghosts, which appear in the Time Trials game mode. The Normal Staff Ghosts are available at the start, but when the player gets a time higher than the Normal Staff Ghost of a track, the Expert Staff Ghost of the same track will be unlocked.

Normal Staff GhostsEdit

Course Staff Name Time Character Vehicle Combination
Body Tires Glider
Toad Circuit Nin★KATIE 01:35.135 Toad Standard Standard Super Glider
Daisy Hills Nin★Terui♪ 02:06.351 Daisy Birthday Girl Roller Peach Parasol
Cheep Cheep Lagoon Nin★Gonta♪ 01:53.758 Peach Birthday Girl Roller Peach Parasol
Shy Guy Bazaar Ret★TEAGUE 02:31.167 Shy Guy Standard Roller Super Glider
Wuhu Loop Ret★Bryan 01:44.287 Peach Standard Sponge Peach Parasol
Mario Circuit Nin★MIKI★ 02:25.001 Mario Standard Standard Super Glider
Music Park Nin★wtnbt 02:19.336 Rosalina Birthday Girl Roller Super Glider
Rock Rock Mountain Nin★Morimo 02:35.105 Wiggler Standard Red Monster Super Glider
Piranha Plant Slide Nin★tBando 02:20.186 Lakitu Standard Monster Super Glider
Wario Shipyard Nin★Miyamo 02:26.268 Wario Bolt Buggy Monster Super Glider
Neo Bowser City Ret★Chuck 02:11.032 Metal Mario Standard Standard Super Glider
Maka Wuhu Ret★Reed 01:50.607 Yoshi Bumble V Sponge Paraglider
DK Jungle Ret★Derek 02:24.040 Donkey Kong Bolt Buggy Red Monster Super Glider
Rosalina's Ice World Ret★RLingo 02:25.784 Rosalina Standard Sponge Paraglider
Bowser's Castle Ret★Matt M 02:34.815 Bowser Standard Monster Super Glider
Rainbow Road Nin★Takamu 02:10.090 Honey Queen Birthday Girl Slim Peach Parasol
N64 Luigi Raceway Nin★McCoy 02:04.317 Luigi Standard Slick Super Glider
GBA Bowser Castle 1 Nin★Hayata 01:31.030 Bowser Pipe Frame Standard Beast Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge Nin★Kataok 02:02.292 Toad Cloud 9 Mushroom Paraglider
DS Luigi's Mansion Nin★Konno 02:09.982 Luigi Zucchini Slim Super Glider
N64 Koopa Beach Ret★Amanda 01:54.274 Koopa Troopa Pipe Frame Standard Super Glider
SNES Mario Circuit 2 Nin★ITRO-S 01:28.106 Mario Pipe Frame Standard Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall Ret★Thomas 02:30.117 Honey Queen Standard Slim Super Glider
DS Waluigi Pinball Ret★Bill 02:44.372 Wario Standard Slick Swooper
N64 Kalimari Desert Nin★Nishim 02:01.932 Shy Guy Cact-X Wood Swooper
DS DK Pass Ret★Sean 02:35.045 Donkey Kong Barrel Train Wood Super Glider
GCN Daisy Cruiser Nin★Dai8 01:49.564 Daisy Pipe Frame Sponge Peach Parasol
Wii Maple Treeway Nin★Asakaw 02:53.560 Wiggler Standard Wood Super Glider
Wii Koopa Cape Ret★Quinn 02:49.046 Koopa Troopa Standard Monster Super Glider
GCN Dino Dino Jungle Nin★iwaco 02:29.837 Yoshi Egg 1 Roller Paraglider
DS Airship Fortress Nin★OBSHNN 02:23.323 Metal Mario Zucchini Slick Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road Nin★YABUKI 01:34.459 Lakitu Pipe Frame Slim Super Glider

Expert Staff GhostsEdit

Course Staff Name Time Character Vehicle Combination
Body Tires Glider
Toad Circuit Nin★ishi 01:26.632 Toad Standard Monster Super Glider
Daisy Hills Nin★SASAKI 01:51.111 Daisy Birthday Girl Sponge Super Glider
Cheep Cheep Lagoon Nin★Tkdr 01:42.011 Peach Tiny Tug Roller Peach Parasol
Shy Guy Bazaar Ret★RWO 02:14.714 Shy Guy Pipe Frame Monster Paraglider
Wuhu Loop Nin★nkm 01:32.854 Peach Pipe Frame Slick Peach Parasol
Mario Circuit Nin★raba 02:10.018 Mario B Dasher Slick Super Glider
Music Park Nin★Masa 02:07.511 Rosalina Soda Jet Roller Paraglider
Rock Rock Mountain Nin★Hiroma 02:19.149 Wiggler Standard Mushroom Flower Glider
Piranha Plant Slide Nin★JIKU 02:06.540 Lakitu Cloud 9 Sponge Paraglider
Wario Shipyard Nin★syun1 02:12.313 Wario Bruiser Slim Beast Glider
Neo Bowser City Ret★Matt M 01:58.996 Metal Mario Blue Seven Monster Paraglider
Maka Wuhu Nin★Chucky 01:39.361 Yoshi Standard Monster Super Glider
DK Jungle Ret★Dupree 02:10.777 Donkey Kong Standard Wood Swooper
Rosalina's Ice World Ret★Dax 02:13.091 Rosalina Zucchini Red Monster Super Glider
Bowser's Castle Ret★Tom 02:15.244 Bowser Bruiser Red Monster Beast Glider
Rainbow Road Nin★Asakur 01:52.077 Honey Queen Bumble V Standard Flower Glider
N64 Luigi Raceway Nin★miyakw 01:52.206 Luigi Pipe Frame Slick Paraglider
GBA Bowser Castle 1 Nin★hokwai 01:22.221 Bowser Koopa Clown Roller Super Glider
Wii Mushroom Gorge Ret★Jay 01:50.526 Toad Pipe Frame Monster Super Glider
DS Luigi's Mansion Ret★Vince 01:58.539 Luigi Egg 1 Monster Paraglider
N64 Koopa Beach Nin★ueda 01:42.909 Koopa Troopa Soda Jet Sponge Paraglider
SNES Mario Circuit 2 Nin★==Kony 01:17.777 Mario B Dasher Slick Super Glider
Wii Coconut Mall Ret★RyanP 02:14.167 Honey Queen Koopa Clown Sponge Paraglider
DS Waluigi Pinball Nin★Nshhr 02:27.574 Wario Bruiser Slim Beast Glider
N64 Kalimari Desert Nin★KOZ★ 01:48.707 Shy Guy Bolt Buggy Red Monster Beast Glider
DS DK Pass Nin★MaTU 02:16.534 Donkey Kong Bolt Buggy Red Monster Paraglider
GCN Daisy Cruiser Ret★Carlos 01:43.341 Daisy Tiny Tug Sponge Peach Parasol
Wii Maple Treeway Ret★Bill 02:34.877 Wiggler Egg 1 Sponge Flower Glider
Wii Koopa Cape Ret★Shane 02:28.585 Koopa Troopa Cact-X Standard Flower Glider
GCN Dino Dino Jungle Ret★Will 02:14.430 Yoshi Egg 1 Monster Paraglider
DS Airship Fortress Ret★Shane 02:07.704 Metal Mario Standard Monster Super Glider
SNES Rainbow Road Nin★SRIWtm 01:21.994 Lakitu Cloud 9 Roller Paraglider

Differences in multiplayer modesEdit

When playing in multiplayer mode, both locally and online, there are several changes made to the tracks, most likely to retain a stable connection.

Regional differencesEdit

  • The Mainland China release was published by iQue. It is one of the last two games published by the company, the other being Super Mario 3D Land.
  • The flag of Taiwan (ROC) was removed in the China release. Any Taiwanese locations were also hidden.[4]
  • The China release is the only Super Mario game, as well as the last Nintendo game officially released in China (PRC), to support global online multiplayer, as the next PRC release that supports online multiplayer is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, published by Tencent, which operates completely separately from the global release and offers no interactions between the two versions.
  • Mario Kart 7 has more track name differences between the American English and British English versions than any other Mario Kart game, with a total of eight racetracks and one battle course.

Update historyEdit

 
After the first update, "Ver. 1.1" can be seen on the "Online Multiplayer" button.

Mario Kart 7 is the first Nintendo 3DS game to use the system's ability to patch games, spurred by significant shortcut exploits found on certain courses. Updating is free, with the data being categorized as 3DS Add-On Content; the patches can be deleted at any time and have no effect in offline play, but are mandatory to play online. An SD Card is required to download the patches, however.

Version 1.1 of May 15, 2012 (43 SD Card blocks)

Resolved shortcut exploits for Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and GBA Bowser Castle 1 when playing online. Does not affect offline play; the exploits remain in Single Player and Local Multiplayer, and Ghosts that used these exploits are unaffected. Starting on May 15, 2012, all players must download and install this update to access Online Multiplayer.

Version 1.2 of December 13, 2022 (46 SD Card blocks)

This update patches a vulnerability in the game's network code which enables hackers to take full, remote control of a user's (unmodified) Nintendo 3DS system during online multiplayer sessions,[5] with one possible use case being using it to reset the user's VR.[6] Starting on December 13, 2022, all players (excluding the iQue version) must download and install this update to access Online Multiplayer.

This update is not available for the Mainland China (iQue) version as the iQue 3DSXL lacks the Nintendo eShop to distribute the update. After December 13, 2022, the iQue version still has access to Online Multiplayer, but can no longer play together with other versions.[7]

Nintendo eShop descriptionEdit

NA Version

A New Dimension of Kart Racing! The newest installment of the fan-favorite Mario Kart™ franchise brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D. For the first time, drivers explore new competitive kart possibilities, such as soaring through the skies or plunging into the depths of the sea. New courses, strategic new abilities and customizable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights.

EU Version

Mario Kart 7 brings Mushroom Kingdom racing fun into glorious 3D - and that's just the beginning, as new courses, strategic new abilities and cutomisable karts bring the racing excitement to new heights. Up to 8 players can enjoy local wireless races or race together online.

ReceptionEdit

Critical receptionEdit

The game has received generally positive reviews. As of December 12, 2013, Metacritic has an average score of 85, including 64 positive reviews, and 9 mixed.[8] GameRankings has an average score of 85.17% based on 50 reviews.[9] Critics generally praise the new glider and underwater mechanic that the game adds, but often cite how similarly it feels to past entries of the Mario Kart series.

GameXplain has given the game's Multiplayer 4.5 stars out of 5, and Single-Player a 3.5 out of 5.[10] Audrey Drake of IGN gave the game a 9.0/10. She criticized the character roster for being small and the potential of the Spiny Shell "screwing up" the race, but she praised the innovation and the polish the game provides.[11][12] Griffin McElroy of Joystiq gave it 4.5 stars out of 5. He praised the game for being well-polished with only a few flaws, noting the Spiny Shell as "unavoidable race-ruining bullshit".[13] Adam Biessener of Gameinformer gave it an 8.5/10. He praised the first person view, the new tracks, and the new glider and underwater features while criticizing the Battle Mode, and online modes "being a distraction rather than a destination".[14] 1up gave it a B- grade. Tom McShea of Gamespot gave it an 8/10. He remarked that the game has "been the same as previous entries of the series, but the innovations have kept it fresh", while criticizing the online structure and lack of mission mode.[15] Justin Towell on Gamesradar gave it a perfect 10/10. He praised the fanservice and how "anyone can pick up and enjoy" the game.[16] However, Jim Sterling of Destructoid rated the game a 5.0/10, criticizing how this game is "practically the same as any other game in the Mario Kart series", criticizing the slow speed of the vehicles, the unpredictable item system, and the underwater and gliding's minimal impacts. They ended their review with, "Mario Kart is in need of a severe shake up. This stagnant, crawling, and indolent effort is not it".[17]

Reviews
Release Reviewer, Publication Score Comment
Nintendo 3DS Audrey Drake, IGN 9/10 "Overall [Mario Kart 7 is] a well-polished experience that fans of the kart-racing genre - or of the Mushroom Kingdom - should not hesitate to pick up."
Nintendo 3DS Marc Camron, EGM 9/10 "Mario and pals return to get their race on. Featuring great graphics, amazing tracks and some hilarious new power-ups, the game shows that the series is a long way away from running its course."
Nintendo 3DS Neal Ronaghan, Nintendo World Report 8.5/10 "Mario Kart 7 isn’t a huge leap forward for the series. Instead, it’s another damn fine iteration in a proven series. You’ll still be upset when you’re “Mario Karted” by a blue shell followed up by a red shell and a bomb, but the winning online play and gameplay polish make Mario Kart 7 a must-have for all 3DS owners."
Nintendo 3DS Griffin McElroy, Joystiq 4.5/5 "Mario Kart 7 is an exquisitely polished game with few flaws."
Nintendo 3DS Adam Biessener,
Game Informer
8/10 "Mario Kart 7 isn’t 100 percent golden, nor is it going to make believers out of anyone who wrote off the series years ago. Taken on the whole, though, this is one of the best entries in the series. As a fan, I’m thoroughly pleased."
Nintendo 3DS Justin Towell, GamesRadar 5/5 "Mario Kart 7 is THE game the 3DS has been in dire need of. Sadly, it raises the bar so high for almost everything else, most 3DS games don't even look like they belong on the same system. Get it now."
Nintendo 3DS Jim Sterling, Destructoid 5/10 "Mario Kart 7 is as derivative as a game can get, and while we pour scorn on so many other games for rehashing themselves, something tells me this will get a free pass from many critics and gamers. That strikes me as ironic since Mario Kart 7 is the one game I'd hold up as the least deserving of any kind of leniency. It being an unadventurous and predictable retread, however, is only half of Mario Kart 7's problem. The other half is the fact that it's a lethargic and mundane game, easily outpaced by games that could be considered knock-offs of the formula Nintendo itself perfected."
Aggregators
Compiler Platform / Score
Metacritic 85
GameRankings 85.17%

SalesEdit

The game sold over 420,000 units in its first 4 days in Japan.[18] As of March 31, 2021, Mario Kart 7 is the best selling game for the Nintendo 3DS, having sold 18.94 million copies worldwide.[19] As of June 30, 2022, it had sold 18.97 million copies worldwide.[20]

StaffEdit

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 staff

Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development developed Mario Kart 7, with Retro Studios as Co-Developers and Artists. Retro Studios was also responsible for contributing to the Donkey Kong series attributes in the game, mainly the DK Jungle track. The music composition is credited to Kenta Nagata and Satomi Terui. Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata were the game's general and executive producers respectively.

GlitchesEdit

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 glitches

Some of the most well known glitches are found in Wuhu Loop, Maka Wuhu, and GBA Bowser Castle 1. If executed correctly, they allow the driver to skip sections of the track. On May 15, 2012, an update was released that made these glitches unusable in Online Multiplayer.

Pre-release and unused contentEdit

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 pre-release and unused content

The 7 in the original logo featured a different design than the final logo. Original demos featured many elements from Mario Kart Wii, such as menu music, Dash Panel textures and a winged Spiny Shell. Several tracks shown in early trailers lacked details shown in the final version, such as the lack of Wigglers in Wii Maple Treeway and the lack of ramps in Wuhu Loop, Mario Circuit, and Rock Rock Mountain.

GalleryEdit

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart 7.

MediaEdit

Main article: List of Mario Kart 7 media
  Mario Kart 7 - The game's main theme
File infoMedia:MK7 Theme2.oga
0:30
  Neo Bowser City
File infoMedia:MK7 Neo Bowser City Theme.oga
0:30
  Wi-Fi menu - The first variation of the Wi-Fi menu music
File infoMedia:MK7 Wi-Fi MainMenu.oga
0:30
  Credits
File infoMedia:MK7 Credits.oga
0:30
Help:MediaHaving trouble playing?

References to other gamesEdit

References in later gamesEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
Japanese マリオカート7
Mario Kāto 7
Mario Kart 7

Chinese (simplified) 马力欧卡丁车7
Mǎlìōu Kǎdīngchē 7
Mario Kart 7

Chinese (traditional) 瑪利歐賽車7
Mǎlìōu Sàichē 7
Mario Racing 7

Korean 마리오 카트 7
Mario Kateu 7
Mario Kart 7

TriviaEdit

  • The new courses use the current Mario Kart logo on their starting banners, while retro courses still use the classic logo.
  • When unlocking a new kart part, if the player goes to the Mario Kart Channel to change parts, no jingle sound will play and the gift icon will not be there. However, it will still appear when going into the Grand Prix or Time Trials.
  • This is the only Mario Kart game that does not have its corresponding year of release on the title screen.
  • The Circle Pad can be used to manually rotate the trophy in the Grand Prix results screen, as well as move the camera in both ending screens.

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Mario Kart 7. Official Website (in Spanish).
  2. ^ @NintendoAmerica (October 4, 2023). As of early April 2024, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.. Twitter. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  3. ^ @NintendoAmerica (January 23, 2024). Update: as of 4/8, online play and other functionality that uses online communication will end service for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U software. Thank you very much for your continued support of our products.. Twitter. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ https://twitter.com/chinesenintendo/status/1152588845570908160
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External linksEdit