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Mario Kart This article was previously featured on {{{date}}}.

Mario Kart DS (Japanese: マリオカートDS Mariokāto DS) (マリオカーDS Mario Kāto Dī Esu) often abbreviated to MKDS, is a racing game for the Nintendo DS. It is the fifth installment in the Mario Kart series, and the second installment to have been released for a handheld game console, following Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Mario Kart DS was the first Mario Kart game, let alone Mario in general, to use an online play feature. It was released in November 2005 in the United States, Europe, and Australia, in Japan on December 8, 2005, and in South Korea on April 5, 2007.

Mario Kart DS expands and introduces mechanics that would later become the standard in future titles, most notably the Retro Grand Prix, and the advent of retro courses in general, that revamps tracks from all previous titles from the Mario Kart series. Mario Kart DS supports both single pak and multi-pak gameplay via DS Download Play, and is the first Mario title to support Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection, allowing players to race against opponents by using online services across the world. As of May 2014, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection has been discontinued, making online play no longer possible.

Mario Kart DS has its own mechanics that are not available in other Mario Kart games, such as customizing emblems for the vehicles, and the Missions mode, in which racers are tasked to complete objectives in a short series of events. The game also makes use of the Nintendo DS's features, using the bottom screen to display other HUD elements such as two types of maps, character order, and what items their opponents have.

On April 23, 2015, Mario Kart DS became available for purchase for the Wii U's Virtual Console service via the Nintendo eShop. However, this version is only playable in single-player mode.

Gameplay[]

MKDS leaderboard

The leaderboard

As in the previous games, the player can participate in a Grand Prix, each containing four tracks in which points are gained for the player's position at the end of the race. The player must come within the top three players at the end of the Grand Prix to win a trophy.

There are thirty-two tracks in Mario Kart DS. There are four sets of 'new' tracks, along with four sets of tracks which have appeared in previous titles in the Mario Kart series. Each set contains four tracks, and can be played entirely in Grand Prix mode. Every retro cup has their courses ordered in the same way as the release order of the four previous Mario Kart games. Furthermore, every retro course's name starts with an abbreviation of the game console that their originating game was released for:

  • SNES, which represents Super Mario Kart
  • N64, which represents Mario Kart 64
  • GBA, which represents Mario Kart: Super Circuit
  • GCN, which represents Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Since the next Mario Kart game, Mario Kart Wii, stages originating from Mario Kart DS were included as retro courses and were represented by the abbreviation "DS".

The game supports up to four players in multiplayer modes including Versus and Battle modes, as in Mario Kart Wii. Players can play against each other or in a team in both modes. It isn't possible to unlock trophies or any other awards in multiplayer mode.

The game also features DS Download Play. This mode lets the person with the cartridge in his/her system compete with someone else not having the cartridge in their system. The person not having the cartridge also gets to play as Shy Guy with the color choice picked for that player.

A user can decide to create an emblem, which is displayed on the front of their kart in both single-player and multiplayer modes alike.

Controls[]

Menu controls[]

  • +Control Pad - Highlight a tab in the specified direction.
  • Stylus/A Button - Select an option.
  • B Button - Back

Racing controls[]

The controls are not much different in this game than in other Mario Kart games.

  • +Control Pad - Move in the specified direction
  • A Button - Accelerate
  • B Button: Brake/Reverse
  • X Button/L Button: Use an item, if any
  • R Button: Hop/Drift
  • Y Button/Stylus: Change the map view (bottom screen)
  • Start Button: Pause the game
  • Select Button: Blow balloon (only in balloon battle)

Racing techniques[]

Power sliding[]

When coming to curves, power sliding is a way of making it through a curve quicker. The player must push the R button to drift so the kart may spark. The player must push the R button and the opposing direction the kart is going in. This allows the player to gain blue sparks coming from the kart. Holding a little longer results the blue sparks to turn orange so that the player can gain a speed boost, or when you start drifting, press both left and right directions on the D-Pad. This can also generate blue and orange sparks.

Rocket start[]

In the previous Mario Kart games in the series, the player has to press the A button immediately before the race in order to receive a boost. Though, this game has it different. When the number three or two appears on-screen, the player must hold the A button to go. Though, the first having to need the A button released at the number one to gain the boost. Then, a speed boost is given to the player. If not released or done too early, a cloud of smoke comes out of the back of the player's kart, thus a delay in starting the race, or holding the A button when the 2 fades out and before the 1 fades in and don't release it until the race starts.

Slipstreaming[]

When the player finds themselves behind someone else, they can use a slipstream. As a kart goes forward, it breaks through the air that's usually stationary, and it relocates to the side of the kart, allowing the kart through. In the end, this action causes a slipstream, a V-shaped section where the air has already moved away. At the point of the V is the kart, and the section behind the kart is just where the air has moved.

Screen Display[]

There are things in the top and bottom screens that are displayed to show what goes on in the game and some additional extras.

  • Item Box Icon: This feature shows which item the player has obtained and is located at the top-left part of the top screen. Only one item at a time can be obtained, meaning the current item has to be used in order for another item to be put in the item box icon. When an item is obtained, the item box item spins like a roulette and picks out an item.
  • Team Box: This element is in multiplayer mode games and the Single Player Versus and Battle modes. It is not used elsewhere.
  • Lap Indicator: This indicator is shown at the top-right part of the top screen. It shows how many laps there are and also indicates the lap number the player is on. It blinks once a new lap is started. The top number shows the lap number the player is on while the bottom shows how many laps the player is on. The bottom nearly always says three. There is also the text "LAP" on the left side of the fraction-esque lap indicator.
  • Events Screen: The event screen is where the events of a battle, mission or a race is going on. It is seen in all the Single Player and Multiplayer mode options.
  • Position: The position indicates the placing order of the player ranging from first to eighth. It changes once the player gets ahead of kart(s).
  • Wi-Fi Box: This box appears in the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection mode in the game. It ranges from no bars to three bars. The more bars, the closer the internet connection is. This box is located on the bottom-right corner of the screen.
  • Character Positions: This feature displays the progress of the opponents (team members if applicable) and shows the items they're using, what place they're in and such. It is displayed at the entire left side of the bottom screen. If tabs switch, it means the opponent moved up a place. The names can be revealed once the minimap is viewed when the bottom screen layout is changed. In battles, it indicates the amounts of balloons or Shine Sprites one has.
  • Race Time: The race time indicates the amount of time used by the player in a race by minutes, seconds, and milliseconds. It is located at the top-right part of the bottom screen.
  • Map: The map shows an overview of the course and icons which indicate players and items. It moves when it is in motion. A minimap can be viewed when the bottom screen view is changed. The map is entirely located on the bottom screen, covering most of it.

Characters[]

Mario Kart DS has thirteen playable characters appearing in the game itself, one being an exclusive character to DS Download Play, making only twelve playable in general.

Default[]

MKDS Standard MR

Mario
Medium
Luigi in Standard LG MKDS artwork

Luigi
Medium
MKDS Standard PC

Princess Peach
Light
Yoshi Kart DS artwork

Yoshi
Light
MKDS Standard TD

Toad
Light
Wario Artwork - Mario Kart DS

Wario
Heavy
Donkey Kong Artwork - Mario Kart DS

Donkey Kong
Heavy
MKDS Standard BW

Bowser
Heavy

Unlockable[]

PrincessDaisyMKDS

Princess Daisy
Medium
Dry Bones Artwork - Mario Kart DS

Dry Bones
Light, New Driver
Waluigi Artwork - Mario Kart DS

Waluigi
Medium
R.O.B

R.O.B.
Heavy, New Driver

Unlock criteria[]

  • Dry Bones: Complete all 50cc cups in the Nitro category.
  • Princess Daisy: Complete all 50cc cups in the Retro category.
  • Waluigi: Complete all 100cc cups in the Retro category.
  • R.O.B.: Complete all Nitro or Retro 150cc Mirror cups.

DS Download Play-exclusive[]

Shy Guy Artwork - Mario Kart DS

Shy Guy (random color)
Light, New Driver

Courses[]

As aforementioned, there are 32 tracks appearing in the game itself. Sixteen being Retro races from previous games in the Mario Kart series and sixteen others being new to the game itself. In Retro races, it goes from oldest retro course to newest retro course. Meaning to go from Super Mario Kart to Mario Kart 64 to Mario Kart: Super Circuit to Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

Nitro[]

Mushroom art NSMB Fire Flower Artwork - New Super Mario Bros Starman Special Cup MKWii
Figure-8 Circuit Desert Hills DK Pass Wario Stadium
Yoshi Falls Delfino Square Tick-Tock Clock Peach Gardens
Cheep Cheep Beach Waluigi Pinball Mario Circuit Bowser Castle
Luigi's Mansion Shroom Ridge Airship Fortress Rainbow Road

Retro[]

Consoles Green Shell Artwork - Mario Kart Wii Banana (Mario Kart Wii) Leaf Artwork - Mario Kart Wii Lightning Artwork - Mario Kart Wii
Shell Cup Banana Cup Leaf Cup Lightning Cup
SNES Mario Circuit 1 Donut Plains 1 Koopa Beach 2 Choco Island 2
N64 Moo Moo Farm Frappe Snowland Choco Mountain Banshee Boardwalk
Super Circuit Peach Circuit Bowser Castle 2 GBA Luigi Circuit Sky Garden
Double Dash!! GCN Luigi Circuit Baby Park Mushroom Bridge Yoshi Circuit

Battle Courses[]

Items[]

Like with many other games in the series, Item Boxes appear on the racetracks. When players drive through an Item Box, the item roulette with determine which item the player will receive and can be used to either gain an advantage over their opponents or aid themselves, depending on the position. Although not all items are usable in Battle Mode.

  • Banana (Triple Bananas): A banana that makes karts spin out if run over. Players can sometimes receive three bananas.
  • Bob-omb: Explodes after a brief pause or if a driver goes near it. Anyone caught in the blast radius will be either knocked over or spun around.
  • Blooper: Summons a Blooper to spray ink on all drivers ahead of the player, obstructing their view.
  • Boo: Summons a Boo that not only makes the player invisible for a short time, but also steals an opponent's item.
  • Bullet Bill: When used, the player is transformed into a Bullet Bill and soars around the track on autopilot, knocking other drivers in their path.
  • Mushroom (Triple Mushrooms): Provides the player's kart a speed boost. Sometimes, players may get three Mushrooms, thus allowing them to use three speed boosts.
  • Golden Mushroom: Provides the player many speed boosts for a short period of time.
  • Fake Item Box: A fake Item Box that knocks racers over if touched.
  • Green Shell (Triple Green Shells): Green Koopa Shells that travel in a straight line, knocking karts over if hit. Players may sometimes get three Green Shells.
  • Lightning: Causes all opponents to shrink down for a while, making them spin out, drop their items and reduce their speed.
  • Red Shell (Triple Red Shells): Red Koopa Shells that pursue the nearest kart in front of the user, knocking it over. Players can sometime receive three Red Shells.
  • Spiny Shell: Like in Double Dash!!, The blue-winged Spiny Shell tracks down the leading kart and blows it up. Anyone caught in the blast radius will be either knocked over or spun out.
  • Star: Makes the player invincible from all damage for a short time. While invincible, the player can touch other karts to knock them over.

Items marked in bold made their Mario Kart series debut in the game.

Attention MarioWiki users!: This section is short or lacks sufficient information. Whether you are commenting or editing, we would appreciate it if you help MarioWiki by expanding it.

Obstacles[]

As is common for Mario Kart games, the purpose of an obstacle is to serve as a hindrance to the racers. Therefore, if a racer drives into an obstacle, they are slowed down, potentially giving other racers the advantage of driving ahead of them. A majority of the obstacles are species:

  • Angry Sun: It appears in Desert Hills, and although it is never interacted with directly, Angry Sun releases Fire Snakes onto the track that, if driven into, cause the racer to spin out.
  • Box: If a racer crashes into one, their kart briefly stops, although it also causes the box to break. Sometimes, crashing into one releases a Mushroom.
  • Cheep Cheep: An obstacle of Cheep Cheep Beach, these fish bounce around outside of water. If a kart drives into one, the racer spins out.
  • Crab: Found in Cheep Cheep Beach alongside Cheep Cheeps, driving into a Crab also causes a kart to spin out, albeit a bit longer than if a racer drives into a Cheep Cheep.
  • Monty Mole: These moles appear in Peach Gardens and the Retro Course Moo Moo Farms. A Monty Moles jumps out of a hole in the ground, and if a racer drives into it, their kart briefly spins out.
  • Piranha Plant: They appear in several courses, such as Yoshi Circuit, usually appearing on the side of the road. A Piranha Plant is stationary, aside from repeatedly opening and closing its jaws.
  • Pokey: A prickly cactus-like enemy whose body is made up of segments and a head on top. They are another obstacle featured in Desert Hills, and if a kart drives into a Pokey, their kart briefly flies upward.
  • Rocky Wrench: A relative of Monty Mole, Rocky Wrenches are featured in Airship Fortress. Here, a Rocky Wrench pokes its head out of a lid into the ground every few seconds.
  • Venus Fire Trap: Featured in Mario Circuit, they spit out fire on the tracks.
  • Walking Tree: An obstacle in the Luigi's Mansion race course, these are leafless trees that walk back and forth on the race course. A racer does not spin out if they bump into it but rather slow down, like with Boxes.

Missions[]

This game is the first and so far, the only game to have a Mission Mode. Missions mainly have the player having to complete a task within the time limit. This includes collecting Coins, driving through gates, destroying Item Boxes, etc. There is also a boss stage at the end of each mission set. In each level, there is eight missions total along with a boss stage. Most bosses return from Super Mario 64 DS. By getting at least a star ranking on all the missions level 1-6 allows Mission 7 levels to be unlocked.

Staff Ghosts[]

Main article: Staff Ghost
Course Time Character Kart
Figure-8 Circuit 01:36.481 Mario Standard MR
Yoshi Falls 00:57.677 Yoshi Egg 1
Cheep Cheep Beach 01:43.654 Donkey Kong Standard DK
Luigi's Mansion 01:59.357 Luigi Streamliner
Desert Hills 01:31.262 R.O.B. ROB-LGS
Delfino Square 01:53.921 Peach Royale
Waluigi Pinball 02:23.228 Waluigi Gold Mantis
Shroom Ridge 02:05.123 Toad Mushmellow
DK Pass 02:14.607 Donkey Kong Wildlife
Tick-Tock Clock 01:54.903 Daisy Light Dancer
Mario Circuit 01:56.533 Mario Shooting Star
Airship Fortress 02:07.748 Bowser Hurricane
Wario Stadium 02:14.868 Wario Brute
Peach Gardens 01:52.989 Peach Royale
Bowser's Castle 02:19.661 Bowser Hurricane
Rainbow Road 02:16.246 R.O.B. ROB-BLS
SNES Mario Circuit 1 00:50.688 Mario Standard MR
N64 Moo Moo Farm 01:17.751 Donkey Kong Wildlife
GBA Peach Circuit 01:12.011 Peach Royale
GCN Luigi Circuit 01:29.759 Luigi Poltergust 4000
SNES Donut Plains 1 01:08.027 Dry Bones Dry Bomber
N64 Frappe Snowland 02:08.781 Wario Brute
GBA Bowser Castle 2 01:52.258 Bowser Standard BW
GCN Baby Park 00:50.920 Toad Mushmellow
SNES Koopa Beach 2 00:54.847 Yoshi Egg 1
N64 Choco Mountain 02:15.571 Wario Dragonfly
GBA Luigi Circuit 01:46.581 Luigi Poltergust 4000
GCN Mushroom Bridge 01:30.600 Toad Mushmellow
SNES Choco Island 2 01:01.620 Waluigi Zipper
N64 Banshee Boardwalk 02:14.403 Dry Bones Dry Bomber
GBA Sky Garden 01:44.400 Daisy Power Flower
GCN Yoshi Circuit 01:48.793 Yoshi Standard YS

Merchandise[]

Mario Kart DS had its share of merchandise tie-ins, one of which is Mario Kart Slot Cars.

Reception[]

Mario Kart DS is known to have well received reception and reviews from others. This includes GameRankings giving the game a rating of 91.19/100, GameStats as 9.2/10, 9.5/10 for IGN's rating. Though, most people have criticized the limited online multiplayer mode.

Sales[]

The game sold a total of 23.60 million copies worldwide, making it the 3rd best-selling game for Nintendo DS (just behind Nintendogs (#2) & New Super Mario Bros. (#1)). It's also the 3rd best-selling title in the Mario Kart series, right behind Mario Kart Wii (#2) & Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (#1).

Trivia[]

Gallery[]

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


External links[]

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