Mario Kart 7 launched in December 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS. An ambitious title in the series, it also laid down the groundwork for the masterpiece that is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

We never owned a 3DS and (as the game isn’t launching on the Switch’s eShop anytime soon) we can’t see us playing this game anytime soon.

But we wanted to review it! As we want the ENTIRE series of Mario Kart games covered on our blog, dammit! Mwahahahaa!

Mario Kart 7 and the Arrival of Hand-Gliding

This has all the hallmarks of classic Mario Kart action, with the need to race against Nintendo characters and win races. All whilst pelting each other with power-ups.

There are 32 courses in this outing, with new gameplay mechanics to go with that. The go-karts can drive underwater (the first time this featured in the series) and there’s a hang-gliding element after the karts go off a ramp.

Getting to play a game like this on the go (the 3DS is a handheld console) is no doubt quite the treat. Nintendo even threw in online multiplayer options, which is the core highlight of recent entries to the series. Getting to race against people all across the world, in fast-paced and chaotic fashion, is quite the thrill.

There’s plenty going on here besides just that. As you’d expect, some of the tracks are fantastic.

There’s Neo Bowser City being a big highlight, which was revamped for Mario Kart 8 and is one of the best tracks on the game there, too.

Mario Kart 7 also features a fantastic version of the legendary Rainbow Road tracks. These are special in the series’ lore, beginning with the first entry Super Mario Kart (1992).

In this one, the track is split across three sections.

There aren’t traditional laps, simply a mad sprint towards the finish! This concept was carried over to some tracks in Mario Kart 8, too.

It annoys us a bit we can’t play the game as a whole, but we have raced on many of its tracks. Simply as a bunch were carried over to Mario Kart 8 in revamped form.

And as that’s the definitive title from this 30+ year old series, we can’t complain too much. But that’s not to downplay this entry at all, as it contributed new gameplay mechanics that are likely to stick with future outings for some time.

Mario Kart 7 was a solid hit, shifting some 18.98 million units worldwide. Consider Mario kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 50 million copies worldwide you can see why 7’s effort looks a little tame in comparison.

There were some negative reviews, too, notably from Destructoid. It handed over a 5/10 and Giant Bomb handed over 3/5. However, most of the reviews were very positive and verged on the 8/10 and 9/10 mark.

We remember Mario Kart 64 (1997) having a similar reaction at the time.

Regardless, Mario Kart 7 is one of the least accessible games from the series. You can only get this on the 3DS and, well… hopefully Nintendo will eventually launch it on the Switch eShop (pretty please).