Before Christmas, we took a rather exciting delivery from Nintendo, that included a copy of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.
With Christmas being a time to chill out and plans being thrown out the window, we postponed opening it until after the Christmas rush. Then came along the next full lockdown and it became the perfect treat after some long days.
We love gaming in this household, in fact, everyone plays computers, whether that be console or PC. Mario Kart is up there with one of the classics, as the kids grew up with a Nintendo Wii and then over time we switched over to a Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart never went away. It is just a family fun game to play.
Ethan was promised if he completed all his work, he could be the first one to try it out and he took great pleasure in being the first one up!
In the box you get the following:
- 1 Kart – This will be either Mario or Luigi deepening on the set you b
- 4 Gates
- 2 Arrow Markers
- USB Charging Cable for the kart
Getting started
Getting set up with this game is pretty straight forward. Not only is there a step by step guide in the box but because there is no complicated set up involved. The kart itself charges directly from the Switch or any USB plug using the cable provided.
Following the instructions to get the software downloaded, you can get started with getting your first course set up.
The gates and arrow markets are simple to assemble and fold down easily to help store them. I found it was easier for me to get these set up as they are made of heavy-duty card, just in case little hands were a little rough with getting them ready. Ethan was fine to move them around once I had set them up.
As with all Mario games, the onscreen help walked you through the whole process to get your first game going, including setting up your own race track.
Actual gameplay
If you are a Mario Kart fan, you will know the race format and this game is no different.
You start by building your course, this starts with the actual simple layout of the track. Then you are able to change the benefits of the gates and the scene of the course. As Ethan got further into the game Mario was driving around in a digger! You start your races in the 50cc mode and can unlock more as you work your way through the game.
Once your course is built, get ready to race. Facing the usual characters such as Bowser Jr and other Koopalings. The famous mystery boxes are still in the game along with the classics such as the bananas and bob-ombs! There are some new features in the game too to bring a new side to the game. The kart reacts to what is going on in the game too, so you get slowed or hit a banana, the kart slows, hit the mushroom and you speed off!
Our thoughts on the game
Now for me, you can’t say anything bad about Mario Kart, it is one of those games on the market that everyone loves. We found that our living room was not quite big enough to come up with too many course options. Because of this, Ethan got creative with the options he put into the game.
Previously we had heard that on carpet it does not work as well, however, we never experienced this. It seemed to work perfectly fine on our carpet, though it was funny as it seemed to go faster on the screen that the car moving around the course on the floor! One thing we didn’t do, to begin with, was weight down the gates as it recommended. Not long after we realised this was a mistake as Ethan kept bashing into the gates moving them…
With the 24 Grand Prix races to choose from and the countless character and kart customisations, it is fun. You will find lots of options to keep everyone in the family entertained and it is easy to see why this was such a hit at Christmas, I suspect it will stay that way for a while!
