Mario Kart Wonderland is an upcoming Kart Racing Game for the Nintendo Switch, it is the ninth mainline Mario Kart game released in the series (tenth if counting Mario Kart Tour). The game features various features from previous games mainly those seen in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Gameplay
Mario Kart Wonderland has similar gameplay to the previous Mario Kart game on consoles, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe using a multi-terrain racing system where players race in a variety of vehicles across numerous race tracks (some new and some returning from prior games) with the goal of passing the Finish Line in first. Alongside this are several additional game modes which shift up gameplay in various ways.
Game Modes
In Mario Kart Wonderland there are four selectable modes to play in; Grand Prix, Battle Mode, Mission Mode and Online Mode. Although functionally Online Mode simply provides a wireless multiplayer option of the Grand Prix and Battle Modes.
Grand Prix
Grand Prix is the primary game mode for Mario Kart Wonderland and like previous games is the central racing system. In this mode players are able to participate in the various Cups in the game which comprise of four race tracks each with the goal of getting a podium position overall. Initially only the first two Cups of the Nitro Tracks are available with the other Cups unlocking as the player completes each of the other Cups. In total there are eight main Cups which are grouped in two groups of four being the Nitro Tracks (Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, Special Cup) and Retro Tracks (Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup, Lightning Cup) in addition there are two Bonus Cups which are considered separate being the Globe Cup and Falcon Cup.
The player is able to unlock new Cups as long as their overall score in the pre-requisite cups is 3rd or higher, the player's score is dictated by their position in each of the four race tracks in that cup meaning the player can have a mixture of high and low placements and still be able to unlock new cups. Each cup is marked with a unique trophy denoting the player's best performance on that cup with Bronze (3rd), Silver (2nd), Gold (1st) and Platinum (1st in all Tracks)
In addition to the main cups there are also Cumulative Cups which are cups which have more than four tracks in them and use tracks from other courses. There are three Cumulative Cups known as the Cumulative Tracks and are;
- Nitro Cup - Uses Tracks from Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup and Special Cup
- Retro Cup - Uses Tracks from Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup and Lightning Cup
- Grand Cup - Uses Tracks from Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, Special Cup, Shell Cup, Banana Cup, Leaf Cup, Lightning Cup, Globe Cup and Falcon Cup
Unlike the regular cups, these cups select their tracks at random although aside from the last track (last two in the Grand Cup) which are always Rainbow Road.
The player can also select Reverse Mode once they've beaten a Cup with Gold or Platinum which allows them to play the tracks in reverse, unlike the regular mode of each track though completing the reverse mode version does not reward the player with any unique emblems on the menu. New to Mario Kart Wonderland is Mirror Mode, although the name has been used to describe Reverse Mode in the past, the Mirror Mode in Mario Kart Wonderland is a wholly new mechanic that reverses the track and changes the theme of the track to a thematic opposite as well as making each track generally more difficult. To unlock the Mirror Mode of a Cup the player simply needs to have completed that Cup with Bronze or better and have completed the eight main Cups from the Nitro and Retro Tracks. It is also possible to have both Reverse Mode and Mirror Mode active which allows the player to race the Mirror Mode version of the course in the its reverse direction.
Battle Mode
Battle Mode returns once more with the player able to select from a variety of minigames. Unlike Grand Prix, Battle Mode focuses on achieving a goal that is more focused around strategy and team play as opposed to speed. The following are the Battle Mode Minigames available in Mario Kart Wonderland (New Game Modes are bolded);
- Balloon Battle (Points) - Players have Balloons attached to the back of their Karts, the goal being to pop the balloons of the opponents, the item pool in this mode is limited with a heavier emphasis on Mushrooms and Shells (ramming someone with boosted speed can steal their balloon). This can be played in Solo or Team mode, in addition on the course itself are balloons which can be popped for additional points, sometimes a gold balloon will appear which is worth three points if popped.
- Balloon Battle (Survival) - Similar to the other Balloon Battle mode, however this one has players limited to a set number of balloons (three or five) and once a player is knocked out they're eliminated appearing as a ghost that can't interact with the living players. Like the Points variant, this mode can be played in Solo or Team Mode although unlike the Points mode there are no neutral balloons on the course itself.
- Renegade Roundup - Returning from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this game mode is similar to Cops and Robbers with half of the racers being the Chasers and the other half being the Runners. The Chasers goal is to use the Piranha Plant attached to their vehicle to catch all the Runners, in addition to the Piranha Plant, Chasers can also get a number of items from item boxes that help with trapping the Runners. The Chasers win if the Runners are all captured. The Runners by contrast must focus on evading the Chasers, the item pool differs for Runners focusing on helping them evade the Chasers, in addition when a Runner is captured they're sent to a jail area located around the arena, Runners who are free can help their other Runners by running over Key Panels on the map which will unlock the Jail freeing the caught Runners. The Runners win if at least one of them is not in jail when the timer runs out.
- Mud Trooper Tag - A new game mode which is functionally similar to Zombie Tag, the game mode is Solo Mode only in contrast to Renegade Roundup which is Team Mode only. One character at the start of the game is selected as the Mud Trooper while the others are the Runners. The goal of the Mud Trooper is to catch each of the other players turning them into Mud Troopers as well, and wins if they succeed in catching all the players. By contrast the Runners like in Renegade Roundup must avoid the Mud Troopers and win if they're not a Mud Trooper by the end of the time limit. Uniquely the Mud Troopers are not able to use items and as such disable an Item Box for a short period of time when they pass through it, by contrast the Runners start out with a fairly standard set of items however as fewer players remain relative to the number of Mud Troopers the item pool improves significantly.
- Bob-Omb Blast Off - A new variant of the Minigame Bob-Omb Blast that had appeared in prior games, unlike the original the goal of this game is to load the player team's rocket with Bob-Ombs to launch it into space, like the original game mode the player can collect up to 10 Bob-Ombs and use them offensively to attack and stun opponents knocking their Bob-Ombs off their vehicle as a result. Bob-Ombs can be collected from Item Boxes or by by passing over wandering Bob-Ombs in the arena. The first team to fill their Rocket with the necessary Bob-Ombs wins.
- Bob-Omb Blast Away - A new variant of the Minigame Bob-Omb Blast that had appeared in prior games, this is functionally more similar to the original than Bob-Omb Blast Off although features some new mechanics in the form of stage destruction. The goal of this mode is to knock out all other players by using Bob-Ombs, the only item obtainable in this mode. The player can once again carry up to ten Bob-Ombs although can sometimes acquire Red Bob-Ombs which have a larger blast radius and King Bob-Omb which only one can appear on the arena at any given time and has an enormous blast radius. In contrast to the original parts of each arena can also be damaged and destroyed if struck by a Bob-Omb this includes structures falling as well as the floor disappearing. The minigame has both a Solo and Team Mode option.
- Coin Runners - Returning from previous games, Coin Runners is a game mode that focuses primarily on picking up as many coins as possible and holding onto them, the minigame can be played in Solo Mode or Team Mode. While collecting coins the pool of items the player can get is relative to their position overall with the characters with the most coins getting the weakest item pool while those with the fewest coins getting stronger item pools.
- Shine Thief - Returning from previous games, Shine Thief sees players attempting to hold onto a Shine Sprite for a period of time, the game can be played in Solo or Team Mode and has two options for the timer being either a sustained timer or resetting timer which refers to whether the timer records how long the player had held the Shine Sprite for or not, sustained timer has a longer overall time required relative to resetting timer. The player with the Shine Sprite is slightly slower although their item pool is improved.
- Delivery Rush - A New Game Mode which sees players take on a delivery role where they must bring a particular item that is scattered across the arena to Lakitu who moves around the arena. The game is able to be played in both Solo Mode and Team Mode and can have both a Score and Time based system (i.e. a player wins when they reach a certain score or there is a timer). The various items that need to be delivered can vary wildly and some have helpful or hindering attributes, in addition characters can steal each others items assuming the thief isn't already carry the item, like in Balloon Battle this is done by ramming the target player with boosted speed.
Mission Mode
Returning for the first time since its original appearance in Mario Kart DS, Mission Mode allows the player to tackle unique scenarios both on the Grand Prix Tracks and Battle Mode Tracks. Mission Mode is split into 45 Missions which are grouped into Nine Worlds (five Missions per World). Missions can vary significantly with some using mechanics not seen anywhere else in the game, every fifth level is a Boss level where the player must go up against a Boss Character, these are often similar to the ones seen in the original Mission Mode with some taking place on Grand Prix Tracks while others take place in Battle Mode Tracks and some using unique arenas of their own, the goal of each Boss Level is to knock out the Boss by depleting their health bar, this can be done by ramming them with boosted speed, knocking them into obstacles and hazards or attacking them with items.
The Game mode is able to be played as Single Player or Co-Op with a star denoting completion of that mission in each mode.
Game Mechanics
As with prior Mario Kart games, the core driving mechanics are fairly straight-forward and intended for a more casual audience.
Character & Vehicle Selection
Before actually racing at all the player is able to select their Character and Vehicle. Characters are split into five Weight Categories which denote the types of vehicles they can drive with the second and fourth weight classes able to drive a mixture of the first & third and third & fifth weight classes respectively. The five weight classes are; Feather, Light, Medium, Cruiser and Heavy. Each Character has secret stats which cause them to vary slightly from one another within the same weight class, these stats are not directly shown to the player although can be inferred by picking two characters in the same weight class and having them choose the same vehicle composition which may show slight stat variation.
The Vehicle selection system has been completely overhauled in Mario Kart Wonderland resulting in somewhat of a mixture between the system in Mario Kart Wii and the one in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8. Players now select the Shell, Core and Paint Job of their vehicle. For all intents and purposes the Core is the only part of the vehicle now which affects stats with the Shell and Paint Job being purely visual. Shells and Paint Jobs are available to all characters while Cores are specific to each Weight Class. The Shell of the vehicle is the visual aspect being what that vehicle looks like while the Paint Job determines the colouration, all vehicles have a default colouration with additional paint jobs being unlockable.
Driving
Like with prior games the driving controls for Mario Kart Wonderland are functionally straight-forward and intended to be easy to make use of. The player is able to Accelerate (A-Button) and Brake (B-Button) as well as steer with the left control stick or D-Pad (Left and Right only). Players can also change their view to Third-Person View (default), Rear View and First-Person View with the X-Button. Drifting is able to be performed with the Right Shoulder Buttons (R or ZR) or the Y-Button as long as the player is also steering left or right respectively, when driving straight the player will instead hop which can be used to jump small gaps and dodge some obstacles. Pressing the Left Shoulder Buttons (L or ZR) will have the player beep their Horn or use an Item if they have one. Items can also be held behind the player by holding the Left Shoulder Button allowing them to be used defensively, the player can also press on the Left Joystick or D-Pad (Up and Down only) to swap between their Primary and Secondary Item Slots allowing the player to effectively hold up to three distinct items at once (two in slots and one while holding the Left Shoulder Button).
Alongside Drifting another technique players can use is Drafting which is performed by riding behind another character which causes a wind break to appear in front of the player which if sustained for a few seconds will give them a significant speed boost temporarily. A slight variation that appears in Mario Kart Wonderland is the introduction of the distinct Powerslide, a mechanic that is performed by initiating a Drift while at Boosted Speed. Powerslides are similar to Drifts however allow for much sharper turns and when the player ejects themselves from a powerslide will get a significant speed boost temporarily.
Returning from prior Mario Kart games are the terrain systems which allow the player to drive underwater, in the air and even in gravity defying manners. Driving underwater is functionally identical to how it served in prior games although gliding through the air has slightly changed with the player now able to perform dives and lifts by accelerating of braking allowing the player to more quickly approach the ground or glide for a longer distance. Perhaps the most changed mechanic is Anti-Gravity, in contrast to Mario Kart 8 where the mechanic was limited to certain sections of the track, in Mario Kart Wonderland, anti-gravity is constantly active allowing players to much more significantly adjust their position around the track, this is most notable in cylindrical sections of track where the player can now functionally drive all along the track. The anti-grav bumpers also return giving the player the same speed boost if struck however unlike in Mario Kart 8 hitting other players will not result in a speed boost anymore.
Item Mechanics
Items are a core part of Mario Kart being obtained primarily from Item Boxes which are floating rainbow-coloured cubes located across each course track and battle arena. Items can vary wildly in functionality with some being minor advantages to significantly helping the player. In general the items a player can get are determined by their position within the race with higher positioned players (such as 1st) getting generally weaker items compared to lower positioned players (such as 16th). As mentioned prior, the player can effectively hold three items as once by holding the Left Shoulder Button, having an item in the reserve slot and running over an item box to generate a new item in the primary slot. An items use can also vary somewhat from item to item with some being single-use while others can be used multiple times before being consumed and others are used once but have a prolonged effect.
Characters
Like previous Mario Kart games, there are a large number of characters that players are able to select from. Unlike previous games however there is a significant emphasis put on reducing the overall fluff of the roster by making characters Alternates of one another, this is similar to what was seen in Mario Kart 8 where the various Yoshi and Shy Guy colour alts were not designated as their own character slots.
Though listed under the same character slot, some alt characters have slightly different stats to their base counterparts.
| Character | Stats | Unlock | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario | 
|
Speed: Acceleration:  Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 6 Boss of Mission Mode | |
| Luigi | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
| Princess Peach | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in any Cup as Metal Mario | |
| Wario | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
| Bowser | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Motley Bossblob | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 8 Boss in Mission Mode | |
| Donkey Kong | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Donkey Kong | |
| Baby Mario | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Mario |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Luigi | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Princess Peach | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Princess Daisy | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Rosalina | |
| Yoshi |          
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
| Princess Daisy | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
| Waluigi | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
| Koopa Troopa | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Koopa Troopa | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Dry Bowser | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 5 Rounds in Battle Mode | |
| Diddy Kong | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Banana Cup |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Diddy Kong | |
| Shy Guy |        
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Flower Cup |
| Toad |    
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Starting Character |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Mushroom Cup | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Toad | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Use every Item available in Grand Prix at least once | |
| Rosalina | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Star Cup |
| Birdo | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Yoshi |
| Hammer Bro. | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Shell Cup |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Hammer Bro. | |
|
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Fire Bro. | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup's Reverse Mode | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 15 Rounds in Battle Mode | |
| Pauline | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Globe Cup |
| Motley Bossblob | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Special Cup |
| Nabbit | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 10 Rounds in Battle Mode |
| Tostarenan |  
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 2 Boss in Mission Mode |
| Shiverian | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 3 Boss in Mission Mode |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 1st in Any Cup as Shiverian | |
| Bowser Jr. | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Buy the Clown Car Shell in the Shop |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 1st in Any Cup as Bowser Jr. | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 1st in Any Cup as Roy Koopa | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 4 Boss in Mission Mode | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Leaf Cup | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Knock another Racer off the track | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Use a Secret Path in any Race Track and come 1st | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Lightning Cup | |
| Broodals | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win as a Runner in Renegade Roundup or Mud Trooper Tag |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win in Bob-Omb Blast Off or Bob-Omb Blast Away | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 5 Boss in Mission Mode | |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win in Coin Runners or Shine Thief | |
| Boo | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 7 Boss in Mission Mode |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Boo | |
| Kamek | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win 25 Rounds in Battle Mode |
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup as Kamek | |
| Wiggler | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Beat World 1 Boss in Mission Mode |
| King Kaliente | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get Platinum in Any Cup |
| Chargin' Chuck | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get Gold in Any Cup |
| Petey Piranha | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Get 1st in Any Cup's Mirror Mode |
| Mii | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in all Nitro Track and Retro Track Cups |
| Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
| |||
| Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
| |||
| Captain Falcon | 
|
Speed: Acceleration: Weight: Handling: Traction:
|
Win Gold in the Falcon Cup |
Course Tracks
As with most prior Mario Kart games, Race Tracks are divided into Cups, of which each Cup has four Race Tracks. Race Tracks can vary in their design with most following a 3-Lap Course although there is some variation.
Grand Prix Tracks
Nitrous Cup Tracks
| Race Track | Laps | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Mushroom Cup | ||
 Tiny-Huge Circuit |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Goombas (Obstacle) |
 Toadsworth's Archives |
2 Laps | Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Circling Boo Buddies (Obstacle) Bookends (Obstacle) |
 Peach-Tea Falls |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Brolders (Obstacle) Venus Fire Traps (Obstacle) Cheep-Cheeps (Obstacle) |
 Thwomplestone Wall |
1 Lap | Small Jumps Large Jumps Launch Cannons Thwomps (Obstacle) Brolders (Obstacle) Draglet (Obstacle) |
| Mushroom Cup | ||
 Blockstepper Parade |
3 Laps | Large Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Blocksteppers (Obstacle) Goombas (Obstacle) |
 Cheep-Cheep Rapids |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) Cheep-Cheeps (Obstacle) Clams (Obstacle) |
 Cooligan Mountain |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Cooligans (Obstacle) Clams (Obstacle) Ice Bubbles (Obstacle) |
 Bramball Botanical |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Bramballs (Obstacle) Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Venus Fire Traps (Obstacle) Wigglers (Obstacle) |
| Star Cup | ||
 Bullet Blitz Airships |
3 Laps | Large Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Accelerator Sections Bullet Bills (Obstacle) Rocky Wrenches (Obstacle) Firebars (Obstacle) Goombas (Obstacle) |
 Boo's World |
1 Lap | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Circling Boo Buddies (Obstacle) Mattermouths (Obstacle) Lava Bubble (Obstacle) |
 Hammer Bro. Dojo |
2 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Accelerator Sections Goombas (Obstacle) Ninjis (Obstacle) |
 Bowser's Crater Castle |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Goombas (Obstacle) Lava Bubbles (Obstacle) Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Brolders (Obstacle) |
| Special Cup | ||
 Girder High-Rise |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) Barrels (Obstacle) Fire Snakes (Obstacle) |
 Koopa Pyramid |
3 Laps | Underwater Sections Launch Cannons Accelerator Sections Bats (Obstacle) Pokeys (Obstacle) Fire Snakes (Obstacle) Venus Fire Traps (Obstacle) |
 Dragaddon's Lair |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Bats (Obstacle) Brolders (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) Fire Snakes (Obstacle) Lava Bubbles (Obstacle) |
 Rainbow Road |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Launch Cannons Accelerator Sections Octogoombas (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) |
Retro Cup Tracks
| Race Track | Laps | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Shell Cup | ||
 Mario Circuit [SNES] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Accelerator Sections Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) |
 Sweet Sweet Canyon [WII U] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Launch Cannon Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Blocksteppers (Obstacle) |
 Shy Guy Bazaar [3DS] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Pidgits (Obstacle) Venus Fire Traps (Obstacle) |
 Toad Factory [WII] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Rocky Wrenches (Obstacle) |
| Banana Cup | ||
 Waluigi Pinball [DS] |
1 Lap | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannons Wrecking Balls (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) |
 Daisy Cruiser [GC] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Cheep-Cheeps (Obstacle) Cooligans (Obstacle) |
 Choco Mountain [N64] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannon Brolders (Obstacle) Goombas (Obstacle) Bats (Obstacle) |
 Boo Lake [GBA] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Launch Cannon Circling Boo Buddies (Obstacle) Cheep-Cheeps (Obstacle) Bats (Obstacle) |
| Leaf Cup | ||
 Ribbon Road [GBA] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Draglets (Obstacle) Magikoopas (Obstacle) Mechakoopas (Obstacle) |
 Piranha Plant Slide [3DS] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Launch Cannon Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Venus Fire Trap (Obstacle) Goombas (Obstacle) Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) |
 Maple Treeway [WII] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Launch Cannon Goombas (Obstacle) Bramballs (Obstacle) Wigglers (Obstacle) |
 Bowser's Castle [N64] |
2 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Fire Bars (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) Bullet Bills (Obstacle) Lava Bubbles (Obstacle) |
| Lightning Cup | ||
 Cloudtop Cruise [WII U] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannons Bramballs (Obstacle) Piranha Plants (Obstacles) Bullet Bills (Obstacles) King Bills (Obstacle) |
 Vanilla Lake [SNES] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Cooligans (Obstacle) Ice Piranha Plants (Obstacle) |
 Wario Colosseum [GC] |
2 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Fire Snakes (Obstacle) Fire Bars (Obstacle) |
 Rainbow Road [DS] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannons Octogoombas (Obstacle) Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) Magikoopas (Obstacle) Topmen (Obstacle) |
Bonus Cup Tracks
| Race Track | Laps | Features |
|---|---|---|
| Globe Cup | ||
 Yoshi Park [ARCADE] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannon Fuzzies (Obstacle) Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Circling Boo Buddies (Obstacle) Bookends (Obstacle) |
 Bananan Ruins [ARCADE] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Accelerator Sections Goombas (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) |
 Ninja Hideaway [MOBILE] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannon Goombas (Obstacle) Ninjis (Obstacle) Bats (Obstacle) |
 Dragon Driftway [WII U] |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Draglets (Obstacle) Lava Bubbles (Obstacle) Buzzy Beetles (Obstacle) |
| Falcon Cup | ||
 Mute City |
5 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Accelerator Sections |
 Devil's Forest |
3 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Wigglers (Obstacle) Piranha Plants (Obstacle) Venus Fire Trap (Obstacle) |
 Cosmo Terminal |
5 Laps | Small Jumps Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Octogoombas (Obstacle) Rocky Wrenches (Obstacle) Magikoopas (Obstacle) |
 Outer Space |
7 Laps | Small Jumps Large Jumps Underwater Sections Gliding Sections Accelerator Sections Launch Cannon Goombas (Obstacle) Octogoombas (Obstacle) Chain-Chomps (Obstacle) Brolders (Obstacle) Draglets (Obstacle) Blocksteppers (Obstacle) Firebars (Obstacle) Mattermouths (Obstacle) Thwomps (Obstacle) Mechakoopas (Obstacle) |
Battle Mode Tracks
Vehicles
TBA
Missions
TBA
Bosses
Items
Below are a list of items in Mario Kart Wonderland, items fall into one of two categories; Regular Items and Special Items. Regular Items are obtainable by all characters whereas Special Items are only obtainable by one of a handful of characters and are typically more powerful than most Regular Items.
| Regular Items | ||||
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| Mushroom | Triple Mushrooms | Golden Mushroom | Poison Mushroom | Bubble |
| Gives the user a Speed Boost | Gives the user a Speed Boost (can be used three times) | Gives the user a Speed Boost (can be used multiple times within a limited time frame) | Slows down anyone who makes contact | Protects the user from one potential spin-out |
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| Super Star | Coin | Double Cherry | Fake Item Box | Super Bell |
| Gives the user invulnerability for a short period of time | Gives the user between one and three Coins | Creates a duplicate of the user which can negate the effect of a hazard, the clone disappears if they get too far away | Creates a stationary obstacle intended to look like an Item Box | Rings three times deflecting nearby hazards |
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| Green Shell | Red Shell | Triple Green Shell | Triple Red Shell | Spiny Shell |
| When thrown travels in a straight line, bouncing off up to three walls | When thrown homes in on the racer ahead of the user | When thrown travels in a straight line, bouncing off up to three walls (can be used three times) | When thrown homes in on the racer ahead of the user (can be used three times) | When thrown will fly towards 1st place and unleash an explosion |
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| Banana | Triple Bananas | Lightning | Thunder Cloud | Blooper |
| Can be thrown or placed, causes racers to spin-out if they make contact | Can be thrown or placed, causes racers to spin-out if they make contact (can be used three times) | Electrocutes all racers ahead of the user causing them to shrink for a short period of time | Temporarily speeds up the user, can be passed to other racers by making contact, once the cloud strikes the holder of the item will shrink for a short period of time | Sprays all racers ahead of the user with Ink making it difficult to see, the ink clears after a short period of time |
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| Boo | Bob-Omb | Banzai Bill | POW Block | Super Horn |
| Steals an item from another racer for the user | Can be Thrown or Placed, explodes after a few seconds, can be held to cook making it explode sooner although holding for too long will cause it to explode on the user | Rockets the user across the track at an extreme speed for a short period of time | Causes a spin-out to any racer ahead of the user who is touching the ground, a forewarning is shown before impact | Can be used to deflect any oncoming projectile including the Spiny Shell |
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| Boomerang Flower | Piranha Plant | Poison Piranha Plant | Trapeetle | Gushen |
| When thrown travels in a straight line for a set distance before returning (can be used three times) | For a short period of time a Piranha Plant appears on the front of the user's vehicle and attacks other drivers and removes hazards in front of the user | For a short period of time a Poison Piranha Plant appears on the front of the user's vehicle and spits poisonous goo that causes anyone who impacts it to spin-out and have reduced speed, the goo disappears after a short period of time | When placed will wait on the track for a target before grabbing them and holding them, slowing their speed, after the target gets out of range the Trapeetle lets go, the hazard disappears either after a short period of time or after it ensnares a target | When placed will create a geyser in the location the Gushen is placed which causes racers to spin-out, the hazard disappears if the Gushen is run over while not atop the geyser |
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| Sherm | Blurker Wall | Brolder | Hop-Chop | Ty-Foo |
| For a short period of time, a cannon on the front of the User's vehicle fires cannonballs which travel in a straight line until they impact a target or wall | When thrown, creates a wall that causes anyone who attempts to pass through it to spin-out, the wall extends and recedes in a horizontal direction and can be jumped over, the hazard disappears after a short period of time | When thrown travels in a straight line bouncing off walls, will only break when it impacts a racer or falls into a chasm, when the Brolder impacts a driver it explodes | The user is sprung up into the air, deploying their glider giving them increased speed until they land | For a short period of time, a Ty-Foo appears on the back of the user's vehicle and blows a powerful wind which pushes other drivers away as well as some hazards |
| Special Items | ||||
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| All-Form Mushroom Toad, Toadette, Toadsworth |
Super Pickax Captain Toad |
Protective Heart Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy |
Spiked Wrecker Metal Mario, Pink Gold Peach |
Retro Barrel Volley Pauline |
| For a short period of time all hazards that make contact with the user become Mushrooms which give the user a Speed Boost | A Super Pickax appears on the front of the user's vehicle, each time it swings it releases an explosion which destroys nearby hazards and causes a spin-out on nearby racers | For a short period of time a series of hearts rotate around the user protecting them from most hazards, this has the longest duration of any protective item | The user becomes a giant rolling spiked ball that has increased speed and bounces off walls without losing speed | The user throws barrels from their vehicle which upon impact with a racer or wall cause an explosion of small bananas that scatter across the race track |
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| Giant Form Motley Bossblob |
Raging Rush Wiggler, Chargin' Chuck |
Launch Star Rosalina, Baby Rosalina |
Golden Road Hog Wario |
Jaxi Tostarenan |
| The user becomes giant with a slight speed boost, they flatten any other racer they hit and release shockwaves which cause nearby drivers to spin-out | The user becomes extremely fast although making turns is made more difficult | Rockets the user forwards, performing stunts while in flight unleashes shockwaves which knock other racers away | The user becomes golden in colour and turns any hazards that make impact with them into Coins | The user gains a significant speed boost and is able to perform near hairpoint turns although has an exponential acceleration as a result |
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| Barrier Shell Koopa Troopa, Paratroopa, Dry Bones, Mechakoopa |
Bowser's Shell Bowser, Dry Bowser, Bowser Jr. |
Fury Bowser Meowser |
Homing Egg Yoshi, Birdo |
Phanto Shy Guy |
| Protects the user from all incoming attacks, has a set amount of health before breaking rather than being on a timer | When thrown travels in a straight line, it slightly homes in on nearby racers and can bounce off walls up to sixteen times | The user becomes giant with a slight speed boost, pillars that behave as walls rain down around the user potentially blocking or crushing nearby racers | When thrown homes in on the racer ahead of the user, when struck the egg releases up to nine regular items | When thrown homes in on every racer ahead of the user hitting them causing them to spin-out, each racer it hits also generates a small explosion that becomes larger the more racers Phanto hits destroying nearby hazards |
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| Giant Banana Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong |
Ponytail Twister Dixie Kong |
Funky Surfboard Funky Kong |
Thunder Waves Sumo Bro. |
Octogoomba Ring King Kaliente |
| Can be thrown or placed, causes racers to spin-out if they make contact | Creates a vortex around the user which pulls and pushes nearby racers, those that get too close get a spin-out | The user creates a wake of water that destroys hazards and pushes other racers away for a period of time | The user generates shockwaves that extend out from their vehicle, racers hit by these shockwaves will shrink similar to being struck by lightning | A protective ring of Octogoombas surround the user shooting rocks in all directions, when a hazard impacts an Octogoomba it disappears, the ring also disappears after a period of time |
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| Boolette Ring Boo King Boo |
Bob-Omb Rally Waluigi Hariet |
Bullet Bill Cannon Roy Koopa |
Chain Chomp Baby Mario Baby Luigi Iggy Koopa |
Thieving Bag Nabbit |
| When used this item randomly swaps every item between all racers, aside from guaranteeing the user gets two items all other items are completely randomly shuffled | Can be Thrown or Placed, explodes after a few seconds, the last Bob-Omb has an increased explosive range (can be used up to twelve times) | Can shoot Bullet Bills that travel extremely fast in a straight line, the Bullet Bills have a slight homing effect and explode when they hit a racer or wall | Carries the user at high speed along the race track knocking any other racers away, the Chain Chomp will home in on nearby drivers to hit them if it can and has a slightly longer duration than a Banzai Bill | The user carries a large knapsack behind their vehicle, any hazards and items that make contact with the user become pocketed in the knapsack, after the timer expires the best items are given to the user in their item slots (assuming the item slots do not already have items occupying them) |
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| Fire Flower Mario, Fire Bro. |
Ice Flower Ice Bro. |
Thunder Flower Luigi |
Hammer Hammer Bro. |
Homing Boomerang Boomerang Bro. |
| The user can hurl Fireballs which bounce along the ground at high speed, racers hit are spun-out, they can be hurled extremely quickly | The user can hurl Iceballs which bounce along the ground, racers hit become frozen causing them to slide until they break free, after three bounces if the Iceball hasn't hit anything it leaves behind a slippery ice puddle | The user can hurl Thunderballs which bounce along the ground, racers hit shrink similar to being hit by Lightning | The user can hurl Hammers which have a long arc, when they impact a racer or the ground they explode releasing a shockwave that can destroy nearby hazards and cause nearby racers to spin-out | When thrown homes in on nearby drivers for a set distance before returning (can be used six times) |
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| Airship Bombard Morton Koopa Jr. |
Top-Hat Spinout Topper, Rango |
Bouncing Wave Shiverian, Shiverian Elder, Lemmy Koopa |
Wand Magic Larry Koopa, Ludwig Von Koopa |
Wild Card Kamek, Kamella |
| A miniature Airship rotates around the user's vehicle firing Bob-Ombs and Bullet Bills at racers that pass nearby, it can also tank a hit from a Spiny Shell although this destroys the Airship in the process | The user throws a number of spinning top hats which bounce around the race track, other racers who get impacted by the Top Hats will Spin-Out, Topper's version of this attack has smaller hats but more while Rango's has larger but fewer hats | A bouncy ball appears below the user's vehicle, each bounce releases a shockwave which pushes nearby drivers away and destroys hazards, the user can also perform tricks while bouncing to get a speed boost | The user can fire magical blasts which travel in a straight line, if they impact a driver they will cause a random negative effect | Generates a circle of nine items around the user; a Coin, Mushroom, Green Shell, Red Shell, Bob-Omb, Bubble, Banana, Fake Item Box and Super Star |
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| Cookatiel Spewart |
Ring-Swing Wendy O. Koopa |
Piranha Goo Storm Petey Piranha |
Full Blast Mii |
Boost Energy Captain Falcon |
| Summons the Cookatiel which flies around the user's vehicle spewing lava onto the track either ahead of the user or targeting nearby racers, making contact with the lava will cause a wipe out | The user hurls an electrified ring that latches onto nearby racers slowing them down while speeding the user up, the effect has a limited range but can latch onto multiple racers which stacks the speed boosts for the user | A rainstorm around the user that lays down globs that become Polluted Piranha Plants that behave like a stationary version of the Potted Piranha Plant although will not attack the user, they disappear after a period of time | The user fires a giant laser beam from the front of their vehicle, the laser dissipates after a certain range, racers hit by the laser will spin-out | The user receives a significant boost of speed and while in a speed boost will gain mini-turbos from impacting other racers, unlike other speed boosts a meter is shown indicating how much booster fuel the user has left rather than a timer |
Trivia
- This is the first Mario Kart game developed exclusively for the Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was a port of Mario Kart 8 for the Nintendo Wii U
- The game takes some inspiration from F-Zero GX with its implementation of Anti-Gravity as well as the even higher number of playable characters during a single race