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This article was previously featured on January 14, 2013.MK wiki icon

Mario Kart 7 (Japanese:マリオカート7 Mariokāto 7) (マリオカート7 Mario Kāto Sebun) (often abbreviated as MK7) is a game in the Mario Kart series. The game was the predecessor to Mario Kart 8. It was released for the Nintendo 3DS, and is the seventh mainline installment of the Mario Kart series and the third to be released for a handheld (following Mario Kart: Super Circuit & Mario Kart DS). Ghost data is able to be exchanged and online gameplay is available in multiplayer mode in this game.[4] This game's release date in the U.S was on December 4th, 2011.

This installment allows players to customize their own vehicle instead of driving default vehicles in the previous games, including custom parts such as hang gliders and propellers. It is the first game to include gliders. Thanks to this, players can drive underwater and glide in midair. The bikes from Mario Kart Wii would not be included in this game. They would eventually come back in Mario Kart 8.

Gameplay[]

MK7MapleTreewayRaceStart

The option to race in first-person mode.

This game had many several radical changes to make it different from the previous Mario Kart games.

Players now have the option of collecting Coins while racing, making a return after Mario Kart: Super Circuit. At specific points in the game, the karts will sprout either hang gliders and propellers, allowing for racing in the air and underwater. This is the first time a character can go underwater.

The game also has kart customization options, allowing players to make custom Karts out of a set of pieces, but some of the pieces need to be unlocked first. The game also introduces Retro Karts (Karts returning from the other Mario Kart games).

Several courses from the past Mario Kart games return in the Retro Cups, including NES Rainbow Road, Wii Mushroom Gorge, GCN Daisy Cruiser, N64 Kalimari Desert, and GBA Bowser Castle 1. There are only three retro battle arenas, unlike in Mario Kart Wii, where there are six battle arenas.

The game has the option to race in first-person view, meaning that the players can see the track up close for the first time through the character's own eyes, tilting the 3DS side to side to steer.

Unlike Mario Kart Wii, which allowed twelve players each race, the game returns to eight characters per race, due to storage size limitations. To add on to this, bikes, which were introduced in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in this game, but the player is still able to perform tricks. However, Mario Kart 8 allows bikes and twelve players again.

It is also compatible with StreetPass and SpotPass.

Characters[]

Playable[]

Unlockables[]

Newcomers[]

Non-playable[]

Items[]

As with previous entries in the franchise, racers can gather items by driving through Item Boxes found on the courses. When players drive through an Item Box, the Item Roulette will select an item for a racer to use against their opponents or themselves for assistance. Along the returning ones, Mario Kart 7 features three new items. Coins can be found on the track. Players can collect the coins by driving through them. Picking up a coin increases a racer'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.

  • Banana: Racers that run over Bananas will spin out.
  • Green Shell: Travels in a straight line, bouncing off walls. If it hits a racer, they will be knocked over.
  • Blooper: Sprays ink on all racers ahead of the user, limiting their visibility. The ink will go away after a moment or when a racer receives a boost from a Mushroom or a Boost Pad.
  • Red Shell: Targets the nearest racer in front of the user, knocking them over. If fired backwards, it travels in a straight line, like a Green Shell.
  • Spiny Shell: Chases after the first-place racer and blows them up on impact. It will also hit anything in its path.
  • Mushroom: Provides a speed boost.
  • Star: Grants the user temporarily invincibility and increased speed, allowing them to knock over obstacles, items and other racers.
  • Golden Mushroom: Provides the user unlimited speed boosts for a short time.
  • Thunderbolt: Causes all racers except the user to shrink, drop their items and have their speed reduced for a moment. Racers that are shrunk can be squashed.
  • Bullet Bill: Turns the user into a Bullet Bill, which rockets down the entire track at high speeds on auto-pilot for a time that is determined by the user's current position. The Bullet Bill is invincible and can knock over items, course hazards and other racers, which makes them lose any item in their possession.
  • Bob-omb: After being thrown or dropped, it explodes after a moment or when a racer comes too close, knocking over anything in its blast radius. It will also chase after racers that comes by.
  • Coins: Increases a racer's top speed. Up to ten can be collected.
  • Fire Flower: Lets the user throw fireballs that bounce off walls and hit other racers to make them spin out. Up to three fireballs are allowed at a time per user, throwing a fourth one will make the oldest one disappear. If ten fireballs are used, this item wears off immediately.
  • Super Leaf: A tail appears behind the user's kart, allowing them to deflect items, hit opponents and gather coins. The tail disappears after a moment or if the user is attacked.
  • Lucky 7: Surrounds the user with seven items that rotate around their kart. They will receive a Mushroom, Banana, Green Shell, Red Shell, Blooper, Bob-omb and a Star. CPU players cannot obtain this item, unless only one type of item is chosen in Battle Mode.
  • Triple Bananas: Gives the user three bananas. They can be either dropped or thrown one by one.
  • Triple Green Shells: Three Green Shells that surround the user, protecting them from attacks. They can also be thrown one by one.
  • Triple Red Shells: Three Red Shells that surround the user, protecting them from attacks. They can also be thrown one by one.
  • Triple Mushrooms: Provides three speed boosts.

Absent Items[]

Cups[]

New Courses[]

Super Mushroom Artwork - Super Mario 3D World Fireflower3dworld Starman Special Cup
Mushroom Flower Star Special
Toad Circuit Wuhu Loop Piranha Plant Slide DK Jungle
Daisy Hills Mario Circuit Wario Shipyard Rosalina's Ice World
Cheep-Cheep Lagoon Music Park Neo Bowser City Bowser's Castle
Shy Guy Bazaar Rock Rock Mountain Maka Wuhu Rainbow Road

Retro Courses[]

Green Shell Artwork - Mario Kart Wii Banana (Mario Kart Wii) SuperLeafMK7 LightningBoltMK8
Shell Banana Leaf Lightning
N64 Luigi Raceway 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 Arenas[]

Retro New
GBA Battle Course 1 Honeybee Hive
N64 Big Donut Sherbet Rink
DS Palm Shore Wuhu Town

Vehicle customization[]

Mario Kart 7 introduces the feature that allows players to customize their kart. Before racing, players are able to choose their body, tire, and glider to have their kart built. The other parts require Coins to be unlocked. The build of the kart determines how the vehicle handles in situations.

Vehicle Parts and Stats[]

Each part can affect the statistics of the vehicle. The units of the stats are out of 6. The stats of Speed, Acceleration, Weight, Handling, and Off-Road are only visible in-game. The list displays the names in North America, the European names will be displayed in parentheses under the North American names.


Vehicle Part Bonuses
Karts
Kart Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Sea Air Land Sea Air
MK7 Toad-Standard Kart
Standard*
0
MK7 Gold Kart
Gold Standard
(Gold Kart)
+0.25 0 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 0 0 0 -0.25 -0.25 0 -0.25
MK7 Birthday Girl
Birthday Girl**
(Royal Ribbon)
-0.5 +0.5 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 +0.5 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 0 +0.25
MK7 Bumble V
Bumble V
0 0 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 -0.5 0 +0.25 +0.25 +1.5 0 +0.25
MK7 Bruiser
Bruiser
(Growlster)
+0.5 -0.5 -0.25 -0.25 +0.25 -0.5 0 0 0 +0.5 0 -0.25
MK7 Soda Jet
Soda Jet
+0.25 -0.5 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 0 +0.25
MK7 Tiny Tug
Tiny Tug
-0.5 +1.5 -0.25 0 +0.25 0 +0.5 0 +0.25 -0.5 0 -0.25
MK7 Cact-X
Cact-X
-0.25 +0.5 -0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 0 0 +0.25 -0.5 0 0
MK7 Koopa Clown
Koopa Clown
0 0 0 -0.25 0 +0.5 +0.25 +0.25 -0.25 +1.5 0 0
MK7 Cloud 9
Cloud 9
-0.5 +1 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 +0.5 +0.5 +0.25 0 +0.5 0 +0.25
MK7 Zucchini
Zucchini
(Gherkin)
+0.5 -0.5 -0.25 -0.25 0 -0.25 0 0 0 -0.5 0 0
MK7 Blue Seven
Blue Seven
+0.5 0 -0.25 -0.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 0 -0.5 0 -0.25
MK7 Bolt Buggy
Bolt Buggy
+0.25 -0.5 -0.25 -0.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +0.25 0 0 -0.25

Retro Karts[]

Kart Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Sea Air Land Sea Air
MK7 B Dasher
B Dasher
+0.5 -0.5 0 -0.5 0 +0.25 0 0 -0.25 0 0 0
MK7 Egg 1
Egg 1
-0.25 +1.5 +0.5 +0.5 -0.25 0 0 0 0 +0.5 0 +0.25
MK7 Barrel Train
Barrel Train
+0.25 -0.75 -0.25 0 +0.25 -0.5 0 0 0 +1.5 0 -0.25
MK7 Pipe Frame
Pipe Frame*
-0.25 +1 +0.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 +0.25 +0.25 +0.25 +0.5 0 +0.25

Tires[]

Tire Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Sea Air Land Sea Air
MK7 Standard Wheel
Standard
(Normal)
0
MK7 Gold Tires
Gold Tires
(Gold Wheels)
+1 -1 0 -0.5 +0.5 -1.25 0 -1 -2.5 0 0 -1
MK7 Roller
Roller
-0.75 +1 +1 +0.75 -1 +2 +1.25 +1 -1.25 +1 +1 -1
MK7 Slim
Slim
-0.25 0 0 +0.25 -0.25 +1.25 +1.25 0 -1.25 -1 +1 +1
MK7 Slick
Slick
+1 -1 0 -0.25 +0.25 -1.25 -1.25 0 -2.5 0 0 +1
MK7 Sponge Tires
Sponge
-0.25 -1 +1 +0.5 -0.75 0 -1.25 +1 0 0 0 +1
MK7 Mushroom Wheels
Mushroom
+0.25 0 0 -0.25 -0.5 +1.25 0 0 -1.25 0 0 -1
MK7 Wood
Wood
(Wooden)
-0.5 +1 +1 +0.5 -0.5 +1.25 +2.5 +1 0 -1 +1 +1
MK7 Red Monster
Red Monster
+0.75 -1 0 -0.5 +0.75 -1.25 -1.25 -1 +1.25 +0.25 -1 -1
MK7 Monster
Monster
+0.75 -1 0 -0.75 +1 -1.25 -1.25 -1 +1.25 0 -1 0

Gliders[]

Glider Speed Acceleration Weight Handling Off-Road Mini-Turbo Stability Drift
Land Sea Air Land Sea Air
Mario Super Glider
Super Glider*
0
MK7 Gold Glider
Gold Glider
0
MK7 Peach Parasol
Peach Parasol**
0 0 -3 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +2 0 +0.25 0 -0.25
MK7 Flower Glider
Flower Glider
0 0 -3 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +2 0 +0.25 0 -0.25
MK7 Beast Glider
Beast Glider
(Ghastly Glider)
0
MK7 Swooper
Swooper
(Swoop)
0 0 -1.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +1 0 +0.25 0 -0.25
MK7 Paraglider
Paraglider
(Parafoil)
0 0 -1.5 +0.25 -0.25 0 0 +1 0 +0.25 0 -0.25
*Changes color, depending on the character.
**Changes color, only when used by female characters.

Unlocking Criteria[]

The parts that are not required to be unlocked are the Standard body, Bolt Buggy, Birthday Girl, Standard tires, Monster, Roller, and Super Glider. To unlock the other parts players must collect a certain number of Coins to be collected from Grand Prix mode. Once the Coin amount is reached, a random part will be unlocked. Only the gold parts and Beast Glider have certain criteria.

Coin Requirements[]

Players are able to unlock other vehicle parts through the following Coin amounts.

  • 50 Coins
  • 100 Coins
  • 150 Coins
  • 200 Coins
  • 250 Coins
  • 300 Coins
  • 400 Coins
  • 500 Coins
  • 600 Coins
  • 700 Coins
  • 800 Coins
  • 900 Coins
  • 1000 Coins
  • 1200 Coins
  • 1400 Coins
  • 1600 Coins
  • 1800 Coins
  • 2000 Coins
  • 2500 Coins
  • 3000 Coins
  • 3500 Coins
  • 4000 Coins
  • 4500 Coins

Special Parts[]

Part Standard Criteria Coin Criteria
Gold Standard Obtain at least 10000 VR. Collect 20000 coins.
Gold Tires Obtain a minimum of one star ranking in all cups of every engine class. Collect 15000 coins.
Gold Glider Have a minimum of 100 StreetPass hits. Collect 10000 coins.
Gold Steering Wheel Race in 100 races using gyro-controls for 80% of the time -
Beast Glider Collect 5000 coins. It's amount will decrease if players unlock kart parts via the StreetPass feature.

Staff Ghosts[]

Each course in Mario Kart 7 has two staff ghosts. One is normal time and the other is an expert time, which is unlocked depending on the player's personal record in each course. Staff ghosts may be from Nintendo or Retro Studios.

Expert Staff Ghosts[]

Course Staff Name Time Character Kart 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 0207.511 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 Queen Bee 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 Troopa 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 Queen Bee Koopa Clown Sponge Paraglider
DS Waluigi Pinball Nin★Nahhr 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
DS Airship Fortress Ret★Shane 02:07.704 Metal Mario Standard Monster Super Glider
GCN Dino Dino Jungle Ret★Will 02:14.430 Yoshi Egg 1 Monster Paraglider
SNES Rainbow Road Nin★SRIWtm 01:21.994 Lakitu Cloud 9 Roller Paraglider

Technical features[]

The 3D in this game has been praised by most players and critics. Things such as flower petals and bats will fly at the player in this game. Another thing noticed that had never been done before was the competition the player's character's face had. For example, when Mario and Luigi get close to each other, they would stare at each other competitively and keep an eye on each other. The game's frame rate is at about sixty frames per second, even in online matches, which is good (considering the fact that online gameplay in Mario Kart Wii was slower by around 30 to 40 frames per second.[citation needed]

Reception[]

The game was an outstanding success according to its reviews. Mario Kart 7 has received worldwide critical acclaim. The first review, from Famitsu, gave the game a 37/40. They praised the Community feature, making the game more accessible and finding the opponents using StreetPass was also a positive feature. The reviewer states that it's accessible enough that even new players can enjoy it, and when you get into it, you really get into it. Computer and Video Games gave the game a 9.4/10 and Eurogamer gave it an 8/10. Nintendo World Report gave the game a 8.5, stating that it is more of the same and the gliding mechanics feel underutilized.

It currently holds an 85/100 rating on Metacritic based on 60 critic reviews. The game is currently the top on Global Charts according to VGChartz as it has currently sold 2,115,873 copies worldwide under 15 days. It went on to sell 18.92 million copies worldwide as of 11 Aug 2021.

Trivia[]

  • This is the only main Mario Kart game where Wario is an unlockable character, excluding the Japanese version of Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, since arcade games are considered separate games from console games.
  • This is the first Mario Kart game where Metal Mario, Honey Queen and Wiggler appear, as well as being the first game where Lakitu is a playable character.
  • Waluigi is absent as a playable character in this game making this the first and only Mario Kart game since his first appearance in a Mario Kart game in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! where Waluigi is not playable (though he was supposed to be in the game as a playable character, but was scrapped, due to time constraints). However, his course Waluigi Pinball does, and signs depicting Waluigi can be found all around the course.
  • This game was originally going to be called Mario Kart 3DS, but was changed to Mario Kart 7.
  • This game is the first handheld game that Rosalina appears in.
  • 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, if you go into the Grand Prix or Time Trials, the gift icon will be there.
  • This is the second Mario Kart game that has a number for a title, the first one being Mario Kart 64 and the third being Mario Kart 8.
  • Some of the voice clips in this game are reused from Mario Kart Wii.
  • Some of the voice clips in this game are reused from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
  • Some of Wiggler's voice clips are reused from Mario Super Sluggers.
  • Mario Kart 8 can be considered a sequel to Mario Kart 7 as 8 comes after 7. However, it does not make much sense as Mario Kart 7 is a handheld game compared to Mario Kart 8 being a home console game.

Gallery[]

Hat mario To view Mario Kart 7's
image gallery, click here.


References to other Mario games[]

Trailers[]

References[]

External links[]

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