Mario Kart Live test: Home Circuit, a "childhood dream" that comes true on Nintendo Switch?

Made official a few weeks ago, as part of an event dedicated to the 35th anniversary of Super Mario, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit has been available in stores for a few days. And we have to admit that there is something quite magical about Nintendo's latest craze...

Mario Kart Live test: Home Circuit, a View PriceRead ConclusionMario Kart Live: Home Circuit

A model of finish and simplicity.
"Real" Grand Prix to ride
A childhood dream come true!
Scare your cat in Explore mode

... but not much once the side "WOW!" past
A toy more than a video game
The very limited range, and the space needed to play
The multiplayer which requires the purchase of several bundles

Mario Kart…. in truth !

With its Nintendo Switch, true to its habits, Nintendo has already indulged in some rather wacky concepts at first glance, but very often (very) convincing once in hand. This was the case for RingFit Adventure, but also for Nintendo Labo. With Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, Nintendo wants to once again mix the real game and the video game, and the result here is particularly impressive.

For those who don't know, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is offered through a rather large bundle, which houses enough to make a circuit, but also a kart (driven by Mario or Luigi) equipped with a camera.

It will therefore be a question of making space in the living room, pairing the kart with the console, arranging the four gantries provided and defining its circuit, all via the small racing car to be driven directly from… the Nintendo Switch .

The latter is responsible for displaying the video captured by the camera in real time, and augmented reality allows you to play a “real” Mario Kart on your console. Nintendo's promise? Make our living room, our bedroom, our kitchen an official Mario Kart circuit!

Note that the gantries are delivered pre-assembled, and it only takes a few minutes to unfold them, and configure everything via an application (free) to download from the eShop. Regarding the kart itself, the latter is of excellent quality and perfectly functional when unpacking (except for a possible recharge via the USB Type-C cable provided), with the bonus of "real" "Mario Kart" wheels "in rubber.

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As often with the Japanese giant, this Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a real model of finish and simplicity.

Acheter Mario Kart Live

A childhood dream come true?

To put it simply, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is exactly the remote-controlled car (of the future) that we all dreamed of when we were younger. The development of a circuit is also an example of simplicity, and a few minutes are enough to create its first layout. On this subject, the game offers many possibilities, and it is quite possible to create fairly complex circuits, the only condition being to cross the four gates in order.

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To create your circuit, all you have to do is define a route, taking care to go through the different gates. Everything (or almost) is possible!

To create your circuit, you must first place the four gantries provided where you want them. From then on, good old Lakitu arrives to fill our wheels with paint, and it will then be a question of drawing (by driving the kart) the desired route through the four gantries previously arranged on the ground.

It's simple, fun, precise and gives free rein to everyone's imagination. Note however that the range is relatively limited, and during our test, seven short meters of distance (between the Switch and the kart), were enough to bring out the first signs of desynchronization. In an "open space" type environment (therefore without the slightest obstacle), the range reaches around a dozen meters, but we rarely live in an "open space"….

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Yes, in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit it can snow in your kitchen

Obviously, to work perfectly, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit not only requires a little space, but also a relatively flat surface (avoid large thick carpets for example), without forgetting a minimum of brightness.

Indeed, the "in game" visibility depends entirely on the video (720p) captured by the small camera placed on the kart, and a minimum of light is imperative to create a circuit and play (but still avoid backlighting) .

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No cups were mistreated during this test

Game modes and speed printing

On the game side, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit offers the possibility of walking around via an Explore mode, but also of participating in real races, via the Grand Prix modes (8 championships of 3 races each), Time Trial and Custom Race. We then participate in authentic Mario Kart races, with on the screen the skids, the objects to recover on the track etc etc…

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At the same time, the kart (the real one) moves in the area previously indicated, and with augmented reality elements that seem to come to life in our living room, the whole thing quickly has a little something magical.

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Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit adopts a new point of view for the saga, with an "over the shoulder" camera, and (even in 50cc) the impression of speed is quite excellent overall. Even if the (real) kart moves quite slowly in the living room, the gaming experience offered on the Nintendo Switch (or TV) screen is very convincing, and it is a real pleasure to evolve on a circuit created from scratch, and personalized with elements of everyday life.

In 200 cc mode (the 150 cc and 200 cc modes being to be unlocked), the game is much faster, too fast even for the small kart, which quickly becomes uncontrollable... Note that there is also an "Exploration" mode, to freely visit the different rooms of your home with a whole new point of view (provided you stay within signal range)…. and/or to frighten the house cat/dog.

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A retro circuit, goombas, banana peels, and a race that offers to pass under the kitchen table before returning to the living room. That's the magic of Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit.

Obviously, Nintendo has taken care to embellish its Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit with various elements directly from other opuses in the saga. We can thus run on tracks resembling Bowser's Castle or Rainbow Road, without forgetting a deliciously retro race, the circuits then constituting a mixture between the route created by the user in his living room, and visual specificities, displayed in augmented reality on the screen, old "real" environment of the saga. Excellent !

Of course, if the effects on the screen are different at each race, the layout will remain the same, as long as we do not take care to redraw another circuit. Logic.

If the game is discovered solo, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit also offers a multiplayer dimension (up to 4 players). However, to take advantage of it, it is essential to pay 99€ to get your hands on another bundle. One could have imagined that a second player could control a virtual character via a second paired Nintendo Switch, but that is not the case here. Shame.

A gigantic "YES" at the time, but afterwards...?

During the first moments of play, difficult not to hide a palpable excitement (and almost childish despite my 38 years old today) in front of this Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. As explained above, Nintendo fulfills a bit of the fantasy of many players, by allowing Mario Kart to be played “in real life”. There is something truly magical about seeing your living room (kitchen, bedroom, etc.) come to life, for young and old alike, and the whole thing really works wonderfully.

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However, not only does the game require a sufficiently large and unobstructed play space to be played (optimally of course), but it also seems destined to experience a fate similar to that of a Nintendo Labo. Indeed, once the (quite extraordinary) period of discovery has passed, there is a good chance that Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit will (more or less) quickly be put away in a closet, and only brought out for certain very specific occasions, such as introduce the game to a friend.

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

It's undeniable, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is more eyeing the side of the interactive toy than the real video game, and this may disappoint some, but on the other hand impossible to ignore the ultra-ingenious concept developed by Nintendo which , as was the case for Nintendo Labo or RingFit Adventure, is aimed at all players, thanks to absolutely flawless accessibility and ease of use, and an initial promise that is certainly surprising, but damn well kept.

Who (apart from Nintendo of course) could have imagined, a few months ago, that the universe of Super Mario Kart, displayed for the first time in 1992 on our CRT TVs, would literally come to life in our homes in 2020?