My boys have loved Super Mario for ages now, and when they got a Nintendo Switch for their birthdays in the summer they couldn’t wait to start playing Mario games themselves. One of their favourites is Mario Kart, so when we were offered the chance to review Mario Kart Live Home Circuit I knew they would love it!
What is Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit?
So, what exactly is Mario Kart Live Home Circuit? It’s basically a way of playing Mario Kart in your own home. In the box you’ll find a car which has a built in camera, along with four cardboard gates and two direction signs. You use the cardboard gates to set up a race track around your home and then control the car using your Switch.
The clever bit is that the view from the onboard camera is shown on the Switch screen along with all the interactive elements of the normal Mario Kart game. So as you race around your house you are also competing against other characters and collecting coins and bonus items along the way!
Is it hard to set up?
It isn’t hard to set Mario Kart Live up but when you get it out of the box for the first time you do need to download the game software from the Nintendo e-shop, and charge the kart via USB. If you are getting this for your children this Christmas then I would recommend doing this before you wrap it up so it’s ready to go on Christmas morning!
Once you’ve downloaded the software and charged the car setting up the rest of your home circuit is really easy. The cardboard gates unfold and push together easily. And just as importantly they are very simple to fold back up and put back in the box so you can store them neatly when they aren’t being used.
When you have put up the gates it’s simply a case of following the on screen instructions. Basically all you have to do is lay out the gates wherever you want your course to go (remembering it has to be a circuit so you need to come back to the beginning) then you drive the kart around once to lock in the course and you’re ready to race!
If you get bored of your track it’s really easy to change it. Just select the option to create a new track, move your gates and drive round once to save the track and off you go again. You can find some helpful tips for building your tracks on the Nintendo website here.
What age is Mario Kart Live suitable for?
Mario Kart Live has a PEGI 3 rating which means it is suitable for all ages. I would say if your child enjoys Mario Kart then they will enjoy this game too. At 5 and 7 Gabe and Toby were able to play easily although they could do with a bit of practice at controlling the car. It was quite tricky to reverse to they helped each other by just picking the car up and putting it back on the track when they got stuck!
Can I play with friends?
Mario Kart Live has two game modes, you can either race against the Koopalings in eight Grand Prix Cups or with up to three friends in multiplayer. There is a catch though – each player needs their own Nintendo Switch, and their own kart to race.
Where can I buy Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit?
You can buy Mario Kart Live from the official Nintendo store here, or from all major retailers. When you buy you can choose whether you want a Mario kart or Luigi but otherwise the two sets are the same. It is currently on sale for £99.99.
Watch Mario Kart Live in action…
I made a little video so you can see what the game looks like in action. It really is super fun to play and would make a great gift for any Mario fan this Christmas!
**Disclosure: We were sent the featured product in exchange for this review but as always all opinions are my own.
