Imagine having a whole Mushroom Kingdom filled with secrets and mini-games to explore. It’s admittedly understandable that Nintendo hasn’t adopted the pure skill-based approach that DKR has – it probably wouldn’t sell as many copies as it does if it were so unforgiving – but what’s baffling is why Mario Kart has never had its single player spruced up with a similar adventure mode. Even now, the game is tight and responsive – more so in karts than the fun-yet-fiddly planes and hovercraft – and the smaller track lengths mean that you can eventually be blasting through entire races in under a minute. This also means that learning and mastering the games feels all the more rewarding. If you’re a newcomer sitting down with a veteran of the game, they will lap you. The only obstacle separating you from mastery of the game is your own level of ability – something Mario Kart really hasn’t been able to claim since the SNES days.Īs previously indicated, the emphasis on track knowledge and skill means that DKR really doesn’t work in multiplayer unless both players are of a similar skill level. They always seem to be placed perfectly for when you’re just about to need them in order to maintain an insane lap time, and this opens up the potential for crazy skill-based speedrunning without the need to worry about blue shells or lightning bolts. As time goes on and skill levels increase, the only item you’ll ever want is the blue speed boost balloons. Instead of semi-random items coming from mystery boxes, DKR has colored balloons that signify exactly what power you’re going to get. Diddy Kong Racing doesn’t care about any of that – for this game, skill is law. It’s a system that is both inclusive and frustrating newcomers can have fun and cause mayhem, but skilled players will often bemoan cheating AI or plain bad luck. Find yourself at the back of the pack and your next item will probably be some kind of god-tier leveler that will ensure you either get yourself right back in the mix or ruin the chances of the player in first winning. Rubber banding is the reason everyone can play and enjoy Mario Kart. Some of the coins are really fiendishly placed, so even finding them on the track is a challenge in and of itself, let alone getting over to the coin without ballsing up your chance of winning – and balls it up you will, thanks to the game’s total lack of rubber banding. The necessity of also winning the race means you’ll need to be keeping mental notes of where they all are in order to plan when it’s safe to deviate from your usual race line to pick one up without sacrificing race position. The silver coin challenges add a whole new level of tactics and strategy to a race, as typically you won’t be able to grab all the coins on the first lap. The latter of these game modes is arguably Adventure Mode’s strongest point – even if your character is the only racer who actually has to collect the coins. Of course, there are your standard races and plenty of them, but you’ll also be taking on bosses, slugging it out in battle modes, finding hidden collectibles, and taking part in silver coin challenges. Your adventure sees you driving, flying and… hovercrafting(?) around the island’s various themed areas to take part in a variety of game modes and earn balloons from a blue elephant genie on a magic carpet.
Luckily, the pride he has staked in his racing ability means that he’ll recall his gunships and stop trying to stomp small animals to death if you can drive faster than him – handy, that. Mario Kart may be the king of Nintendo’s multiplayer offerings, but playing alone through the obligatory grand prix is a pretty stagnant experience at this point.Īdventure Mode sees you picking your chosen critter – including the debut of Banjo and an insufferably sober Conker – and taking on the mantle of restoring peace to Timber’s Island by banishing the evil Wizpig. In fact, if you want to truly enjoy DKR you might as well kick your mates out – you’ve got a giant pig wizard to take down.Ĭonsidering Diddy Kong Racing was effectively a one-and-done franchise (save for a remaster on DS that isn’t worth mentioning again), it’s absolutely astounding that no other kart racer since – I’m looking at you, Mario – has taken any of the single player elements of Rare’s title and repurposed them in a different universe. That’s a typical scenario, but Diddy Kong Racing isn’t a typical kart racer. Typically, you sit yourself on the sofa with a bunch of mates and let the chaos commence. Traditionally featuring on-screen mayhem punctuated with bright colors and charming sprites, the genre is not for serious gear-heads or fans of simulation. Kart racers are inherently designed to be played with friends.
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