Mario Kart: Speed Saga

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Mario Kart: Speed Saga
Franchise	Mario Kart
Platform	New Nintendo 3DS
Genre	Racing/RPG
Developer	PlayRight Games
A racing game set in the Mario Universe. Features a unique item system, a large roster, a track creator, and a large online community.

Mario Kart Speed Saga is the 9^th game in the Mario Kart series, developed and published by Nintendo for the New Nintendo 3DS.

Like in previous installments, players control various characters from the Mario franchise. The game features the return of many gameplay mechanics from recent installments, such as gliders, underwater driving, antigravity, and kart customization, and expands upon them. New features include a new item system, a casual story mode, and a track builder in the vein of Mario Maker.

Overview

Mario Kart Speed Saga reintroduces features introduced in past games and expands on them. The game revolves around a new item system using Mix Chips, collectable coins that can be used to upgrade weapons before using them. Many items from past games have been reintroduced using this system. Because items are now more powerful than before, the tracks tend to be wider than in past games.

There are 27 characters in the game- however, each character also has 3 alternate costumes, some of which are completely different characters (E.G. Toadette is one of Toad's alts). This allows many new characters to be added to the roster. 

The game has greatly expanded single player modes, including a story mode, a track builder, and a logo maker. There are new battle modes, and an entirely new online community.

The game also has 2 DLC packs- the White Pack and the Black Pack. Each pack contains 9 new characters (each with 3 alt. costumes), 3 new cups (with 2 new courses, 1 retro course, and 1 battle stage), 9 vehicles and 9 vehicle parts.

Game Modes

Single Player

Mario Kart: Speed Saga reintroduces VS mode in Single player, as well as a new Campaign mode. In addition there are several customization modes such as Mario Kart Maker and  Logo Designer.

Campaign Mode

The story begins when a powerful being, known as Alchemii, emerges from  a hidden dimension. He proclaims himself the greatest racer in all existence, and challenges the main cast to a series of races; however, none of them are able to beat him. Alchemii then sends out six heralds, known as the Spirits of Speed, to possess six of the boss characters from MK DS, and scatters the Mix Chips across the land. He declare that anyone who can defeat The Spirits will be able to challenge him, and that if anyone can beat him, they will be rewarded with his vehicle parts, the Golden Kart, Wheels, and Glider.

Players take control of their Mii of choice as they earn money and buy new vehicles. The game's races are spread out over 6 different worlds, or Tourneys. In order to enter each one (except for the first one), the player must pay a one-time entry fee. Money can be earned by collecting coins in a race, winning a cup for the first time, winning battles, or completing Backstage events.

Money can also be spent at any time at one of Palmer's shops. There is one shop in each Tourney's region. Palmer sells new outfits, which do not change Mii's stats, and vehicle parts and bases. Mii can either buy the new vehicles to make playing the corresponding Tourney easier, or wait until after he/she's won a few cups- if Mii chooses to wait, Palmer will offer discounts proportional to Mii's performance in the cups in return for an endorsement.

Once a player has entered a Tourney, they play through 3 cups, each with 4 courses. Every cup is hosted by a different character, who will be the hardest opponent in that cup. The cups can be played through in any order, although some are harder than others. Unlike in past installments, the courses in each cup can be retried as many times as necessary. Once all four cups are beaten, the cup's host will challenge Mii to a 1 on 1 race. These races are similar to time trials- there are no items on the course, and both racers are only given three boosts. Once Mii beats the rival, the cup is considered complete.

Once all 3 cups in a Tourney have been completed, a Spirit of Speed can be challenged in a boss fight. These boss fights are similar to the ones in MK:DS- the boss's attacks will occasionally drop item boxes which will give Mii a predetermined item. Once a boss has been beaten, Mii can move on to the next Tourney. 

After beating all 6 Tourneys and Bosses, the player will have a chance to face of against Alchemii in a 6 section marathon course. Once Alchemii is beaten in the race, he is revealed to merely be an astral project of the legendary racer. He is impressed by Mii's skills and swears to return in person to challenge him properly; he rewards the player with the Gold Vehicle parts before leaving. Mii returns to the Mushroom Kingdom in glory, but remains prepared to faced Alchemii when he returns...

Conquest Mode​ (Unlocked by beating Campaign Mode)

Conquest mode is a harder version of Campaign mode. The racers are more aggressive and faster in each race, each course is mirrored, and bosses are fought under a time limit.  However, the rival races are replaced with optional missions. Each racer offers two missions, and completing them earns Mii extra money. Because Mii has already paid all the entry fees, Mii can complete the Cups and Tourneys in any order.

Once the player reaches Alchemii a second time, he reveals his true identity as Captain N the Game Master, and challenges Mii to a second race. If Mii wins, Captain N rewards the player with the Legendary Vehicle parts, and Captain N is unlocked as a playable character.

Time Trial

Time Trial is the same as in past installments- players must beat a ghost racer while only using a triple boost. Each course has an easy and difficult staff ghost, and new ghost times can be downloaded from the internet.

Mario Kart Maker

In MK Maker, Players can create their own MK courses. Much like Mario Maker, the process of making a course is streamlined into a simple process. This process is aided by DSi, or Design Supervision Interface, a floating device styled after the Nintendo DSi. Courses are viewed from a top-down perspective, and can have up to three different layers- tracks cross between the three different layers in order to create hills and valleys in the course. Each course can be designed in six different themes- World 1-1, Barrel Mines, Cheepskip Bay, Cloudtop Cruise, Bowser’s Castle, and Rainbow Ride. Enemies and stage elements are different for each theme (EG, Mine Carts and Swoopers are only available in Barrel Mines, underwater segments are only in Barrel Mines and Cheepskip Bay, etc.). Slight aesthetic changes, such as the weather, time of day, and background music can also be made. Once a course is completed, DSi will run a simulation with CPU players and propose changes. Once the course is up to code, it can be saved and uploaded.

Logo Designer

Similarly to MK DS, players can create their own logos. There are three different modes- Basic, with preset colors, pencil sizes, and basic shape tools; Pixel, which allows pixel art using square, triangle, or hexagon shaped pixels; and Vector, which features a full color wheel, layers, gradients, textures, and blurring. Logos can be uploaded to the MK 9 community.

Multiplayer

Speed Saga  has a wide variety of modes intended for group play, however each of these modes can also be played alone.

VS Race

In VS Race, players can race without restrictions. This mode allows players to choose any character, vehicle, or course that has been unlocked. Cheats can be activated for use in this mode. The item types, speed class, CPU difficulty, team settings, and track order can all be changed. Unlike past games, racers can be grouped into two, three, or four teams. Any unlocked, downloaded, or custom track can be raced on.

VS Battle

In VS Battle, there are four different modes- Balloon Battle, Coin Battle, Fort Battle, and Gem Battle.

• In Balloon Battle, players compete to pop their opponents balloons. Each character starts out with three to five balloons, and are eliminated once all of them are popped. A new item, the balloon, restores one lost balloon. In team mode, the team gains a point for every balloon popped, with a balloon being worth two points if it was the last on the racer had. Players respawn after losing all their balloons. The last racer standing wins in single player, while the team with the most points wins in multiplayer.
• In Coin Battle, players try to grab as many coins as possible. If a character is hit with an attack, they drop a percentage of their coins in proportion to the attack’s power. The racer or team with the most coins wins.
• Fort Battle is a team-only event. Two teams fight to simultaneously protect their fort and destroy their opponents. Each team only uses items of a particular element (EG, the red team will only use fire mix chips). A racer cannot lose balloons unless they are on the opposing half of the arena- if they are KO’d, they are teleported back to their fort. Teams gain points just like in Team Balloon Battle. The team that succeeds in destroying the other fort wins; if time expires and a fort has not been destroyed, the team with the most points wins. This mode can only be played on certain stages.
• Gem Battle is also a team-only event. Two to Four teams try to collect gems scattered across the arena. There are three kinds of gems- white, worth one point; pink, worth two points; and gold, worth three points. Only white gems are found on the map- however, if a gem is held for long enough, it will transform into a higher-valued gem (white becomes pink, and pink becomes gold). Up to twelve gems can be held at once. If a racer is hit, half of their gems are dropped, and revert to normal white gems. However, gems can also be stored in the team bank- doing so will cause them to lose one point of value (gold becomes pink, and pink becomes white.). Doing so prevents them from being dropped. Players can also rob the opposing teams bank- up to six pink gems can be stolen at a time, but stealing more gems will make the racer slower as well. If the player is attacked before he can reach his teams bank, half of the gems will be dropped, but will maintain their value. If not recovered in 10 seconds, the gems will be returned to the bank they were stolen from. The team with the most points at the end of the round wins.

World Trial

In World Trial, racers compete in a series of six, eight or ten events. These events range from simple races, battles, and boss fights. Before each event, players have the opportunity to activate a stat boost- the player can choose from either weaker boosts that improve several stats, or stronger boosts that are more situational- especially risky since the next event is not announced until after all boosts have been chosen. Players earn points based on their performance in each event, and the player/team with the most points at the end wins.

Alternatively, in Elimination mode, the player(s) with the lowest score are eliminated after every round. Even if a racer is eliminated they can keep playing, although they only earn half the points. Once there are only four racers left, they compete in a normal race on Alchemii’s personal training course. At the end, the racer with the most points wins.

Online Mode

In online mode, players can race and battle with other racers online. Every Multiplayer mode is available, and some single player modes (Time Trial, MK Maker) have online features. The game reuses the same ranking mechanic from Mario Kart 8 to ensure that races are fairly balanced.

A major component of online mode is the Guild system. There are six guilds that players can join; once a player chooses one, they will be unable to switch to a new guild until the month ends. Any points earned in the various online modes are contributed to the player's guild, and the guild that has the most points at the end of the month wins. The members of the winning guild get to choose a small piece of Mario Kart merchandise, such as a T-Shirt or a free download from the E-Shop, while the two runners up get E-Shop coupons and discounts. 

In order to ensure that all guilds have a shot at winning, the top 60 racers world wide are evenly distributed among the guilds. Also, modes that require more skill to win (such as VS races with no items) earn their guild more points, and more points are earned when a lower ranked player beats a higher ranked player.

VS Modes

All the modes available in Multiplayer are also available Online, with no differences. Points earned in VS are added to your Guild’s total.

Rainbow Trial

This mode is an endless version of World Trial- players earn coins based on their performance instead of points, and thus no points are contributed to the guild.

Rainbow Tourney

This mode is a daily tournament consisting of a battery of six races and six battles. Players compete against 11 other players to win each event. The winner gets a large coin prize and earns several points for their team.

Event Mode

Tournament Mode returns from MK Wii. In this mode, players are challenged to complete a race or battle under special conditions. The challenge changes every month. Successfully completing the event for the first time earns points for your guild- the 18 players with the best score at the month’s end earns a special bonus for their guild.

Extras

Faves

Faves mode allows the creation of preset vehicles, fave cups using existing courses, and creation of custom cups from courses made in MK maker. Preset Vehicles and Custom Cups can be uploaded and downloaded from the internet. Up to 6 fave cups, 6 custom cups, and 18 preset vehicles can be saved at one time.

Achievements

During the single and multiplayer games, the player can complete a series of achievements. There are 54 achievements. While an achievements requirements are hidden at first, they are revealed once both campaign and conquest mode are complete.

Achievement Title	Requirements
Campaign and Conquest Mode
This is an Achievement	Start up the game and create a save file
Start your engines	Rocket start perfectly 15 times
A winner is you!	Win your first cup
Mind the gap	Fall of the track 30 times
Showboating	Execute 20 tricks while floating on the water in one race
Perfect Sweep	Win 3 cups by getting first place in every race
Lucky Streak	Win a race without getting hit by an item (status items do not count)
Lightning Dodge	Dodge the Lightning item by using a boost
King of the Hill	Get first place in all four kinds of battles
Campaign Complete	Defeat Alchemii and complete Campaign mode
Fashionista	Buy all of Palmer's gear in Campaign mode
Fashionista Supreme	Buy all of Palmer's gear in Conquest mode
Generalissimo	Defeat all 6 bosses without taking damage in Campaign mode
Generalissimo Extreme	Defeat all 6 bosses without taking damage in Conquest mode
Employee of the Month	Get the high score in all 6 Backstage events in Campaign mode
Employee of the Year	Get the high score in all 6 Backstage events in Conquest mode
For Glory	Place in the top 3 of a cup without using any items
The disrespect is real	Drive over the finish line in reverse in all four races in a cup, and win 1st in the cup.
Cue Airhorn	Take down a racer just before they cross the finish line and steal the win.
Valhalla bound	Win 50 battles
Dress to Impress	Unlock all the alternate costumes
Dividends	Collect 10,000 coins
Stake your claim	Defeat all the rivals in Conquest mode (even though its optional)
Consolation Prize	Lose a race in Conquest mode
Thou art worthy	Defeat all 6 bosses in Conquest mode
Clean Victory	Defeat Alchemii in the final race without taking a single hit
Conquest Complete	Defeat Alchemii (again) and complete Conquest mode
Casual Solo Modes
CPU approved	Create a course that DSi cannot find any fault with.
Well-Rounded Course	Create a course that is just a circle
Double the game	Fill all 6 custom cups with courses (at least 8 of the courses must be made by the player)
Artist	Create and save an emblem
Emblem Ensemble	Create 15 emblems
Upload Complete	Upload an Emblem to the Online Community
Modder	Create custom vehicle and save it
Full Garage	Create and save 18 vehicles
Roll out	Upload a vehicle to the Online Community
Ghost Hunter	Beat all the ghosts in a cup
Ghost Hunter+	Beat all the ghosts in the game
Exorcist	Beat all the pro ghosts in a cup
High Exorcist	Beat all the pro ghosts in the game
Suicidal	Beat your own ghost
Multiplayer Modes
Ice Cream Social	Play a multiplayer mode... with other people there (gasp!)
Comrade at arms	Win a mode on the same team as a human player
Twinning	Race as the same character and use the same vehicle as another human player.
Battle Royale	Fight a battle with three other players on different teams
Secure connection	Enter the online lobby
Social Butterfly	Join a guild for the first time
Special Event	Participate in an event
+9000	Get a VR rating that is... OVER 8999!
Trials and Tribulations	Win 5 rounds in Rainbow Trial
Jackpot	Earn 1,000,000 coins
And the winner is…	Be on the winning Guild OR be on the losing guild 5 times
Automobile Connoisseur	Browse the Kart Museum for 10 minutes
You’ve earned it	Play the game for 730 hours (about 1 month)- the time is only counted if the player is actually playing a mode. OR Own the game for a year.

Cheat codes

Cheats can be activated for VS mode to change up the gameplay. A cheat will either change the game visually, enable a mechanic from past games, or do something completely unexpected. Up to three cheats can be enabled, one of each type. While a cheat code can be used before it is unlocked in the game (if, for example, it is found on the internet), it will not be saved into the cheat book, requiring the player to enter the code each time until it is unlocked. A new code is unlocked after completing three achievements.

Code	Type	Effect
EEEELINE	Visual	Replaces the drift sparks with E's, like in MK 64.
HIGHFIVE	Throwback	Replaces all x3 items with x5 items.
NO-BOOST	Gameplay	Removes MiniTurbos, instead speeding up vehicles while drifting.
FOGLIGHT	Visual	Covers the stage with thick fog, reducing visibility.
SEESPEED	Throwback	Adds the speedometer from Double Dash to the HUD.
SHOWOFFS	Gameplay	Taunting creates a short speed boost- CPU's taunt more often.
PHANTOMS	Visual	Racers fade out over the course of the race (map unaffected).
BEEPBEEP	Throwback	MK Wii's chaotic bumping physics return.
EZPICKIN	Gameplay	The item roulette is much slower, allowing racers to choose an item.
8BITMINT	Visual	Coins are displayed as 8bit sprites.
VOIDZONE	Throwback	Removes the item warning signal.
GOLDRUSH	Gameplay	Removes the 20-coin limit, and every coin increases top speed.
PAPERCUT	Visual	All items are displayed as flat images, like in MK DS.
SERPENTS	Throwback	Enables the snaking-friendly drift engine from MK DS
FAIRWIND	Gameplay	Racers can draft much more quickly than before.
FLIPFLOP	Visual	Every item's display is replaced with a flip flop.
HIROLLER	Throwback	Every vehicle can wheelie.
WRONGWAY	Gameplay	All racers appear to be driving in reverse- controls unaffected.

Backstage Events

Over the course of the single player modes, Mii can earn extra cash by participating in backstage events. There are six different minigames unlocked, one after each tourney, and each has three levels of difficulty.

• Camera- Scanitu's game. The player is presented with a series of camera shots of a track, and a map of the track with spaces for each camera. The player must arrange the shots in the order they should play to follow a racer around the track. On higher difficulty levels, there are more shots than spaces, and some shots need to be discarded.
• Create- Makeitu's game. The player is presented with a picture of a vehicle, and a selection of parts. The player must assemble the correct vehicle as quickly as possible. On higher difficulty levels the picture is obstructed by track elements, or the photo is damaged. There are also more parts to choose from.
• Clean- Scrubitu's game. The player is given a Starman while driving on a track. The player must hit all the items on the track, while grabbing new stars from item boxes. On higher difficulty levels, the track is from more difficult courses, and there are more items.
• Carry- Liftitu's game. The player must move boxes onto targets to demonstrate how to use Lakitu's line. There are five rooms in each level: A room with no obstacles, a room with quicksand that makes the boxes harder to lift, a room with water that pushes the boxes around, a room in the air where the boxes are far apart, and a room with fire that destroys the box if it is not moved quickly. On higher difficulty levels, the boxes and targets are color coded, and must be moved to the right spot.
• Contain- Boxitu's game. The player is presented with a series of items, which must be placed in the box in order of their probability of appearing (EG, banana > shell > bomb) within a time limit. On higher difficulty levels, there are more items to sort, and less time to sort them.
• Compete- Knowitu's game. The player participates in a quiz game and must answer questions about past Mario Kart games, items, characters, and techniques. On higher difficulty levels, the questions are more difficult and obscure.
• Cloud- Lakitu's game. This game is unlocked by beating the high score on the highest difficulty for each of the other six games. In Cloud, the player is allowed to float freely through all unlocked courses as Lakitu. There is no objective, but there are easter eggs hidden in some of the courses.

Characters

Mario Kart Speed Saga has a staring roster of 19 playable characters, with 9 unlockable characters, for a total of 28. Each character (except Mii and Bowser Jr.) has three alternate costumes; while some simply change the characters appearance, others are completely different characters. When costumes are taken into consideration, there are actually 82 different characters (83 if you count Lady and Pauline separately). 

Each Character falls into 5 weight classes- Light, Floater, Medium, Cruiser, and Heavy. The only difference among the characters are weight and size. Not all members of a weight class are alike- for example, Metal Mario is very heavy but the same size as Mario, while King Boo is light compared to racers of comparable size. The weight of Mii is determined by the Mii's size, and some costumes are changed depending on the Mii's gender.

Starting Roster

Name (Weight)	Alt. 1	Alt. 2	Alt. 3
Mario (Medium)	Fire Mario	Tanooki Mario	Dr. Mario
Luigi (Medium)	Ice Luigi	Frog Suit Luigi	Mr. L
Yoshi (Medium)	Birdo	Boshi	Alt. Colors
Donkey Kong (Cruiser)	Super Guide DK	Supercharged DK(Skylanders)	Funky Kong
Shy Guy (Light)	Ninji	Subcon	Alt. Colors
Wiggler (Cruiser)	Flutter	Green Wiggler(Sunshine)	Wigalactic(Boss)
Peach (Medium)	Fire/Classic Peach	Cat Peach	Nurse Peach
Daisy (Medium)	Thunder Daisy	Lady (Pauline from DK arcade)	Safari Daisy
Toad (Light)	Toadsworth	Toadette	Captain Toad
Rosalina (Cruiser)	Fire Rosalina	Captain Syrup	Pauline
Baby Mario (Light)	Baby Luigi	Baby Peach	Baby DK
Prof. E Gadd (Floater)	Young E Gadd (M&L PiT)	Yikk	Hiker E Gadd
Wario (Heavy)	Biker Wario	Wario Man	Pirate Wario
Waluigi (Cruiser)	Strikers Gear	Magician Waluigi	Tennis Waluigi
Metal Mario (Heavy)	Gold Mario	Robo Mario (MK GP arcade)	SIlver Luigi
Bowser (Heavy)	Dark Bowser	Dry Bowser	Meowser
Koopa Troopa (Light)	Parakoopa	Dry Bones	Lakitu
Kamek (Floater)	Kammy	Kamella	Alt. Colors
Mii (Varies) Racer Uniform	Deluxe Racer Uniform Formal Outfit Construction Gear	Knight Armor Doctor/Nurse Uniform Samurai Armor	Captain Uniform Plumber / Princess Hi-Tech Gear

Unlockable Characters

• Note that Bowser Jr.'s costumes are unique. He has nine alts instead of three, and each set of three has a different wieght, but nearly identical size. The weight of each set is listed.

Name (Weight)	Alt. 1	Alt. 2	Alt. 3
King K. Rool (Heavy)	Kaptain K. Rool	Wart	Fredrick
Diddy Kong (Floater)	Professor Chops	Dixie Kong	Cranky Kong
Bowser Jr. (Medium)	Floater Alts. Lemmy Wendy Larry	Medium Alts. Ludwig Spike Bandanna Jr.	Cruiser Alts. Morton Roy Iggy
King Boo (Floater)	Dark Moon King Boo	Thunderboolt(Boss)	Grouchy Possessor
King Bobomb (Heavy)	Genie (Mario Land 3)	Metal Bobomb (Boss)	King Whomp
Eye Roc + Thwomp Cutout (Heavy)	Ice Roc + Freezie (Boss)	Tiki Tong	Master/Crazy Hand (SMASH 4)
Goomboss (Cruiser)	Goomblaze (Boss)	Giant Galloompa	Prince Bully
Chief Chilly (Cruiser)	Chief Chillam (Boss)	Big Bully	Baron Brrr
Hammer Bro (Medium)	Fire Bro	Ice Bro	Boomerang Bro

Non-Playable Characters

Name (Species)	Image	Description
Casey Spanner (Toad)		Mii's best friend and trusty assistant. He is a natural with machinery and adept at constructing vehicles. Appears in Campaign, Conquest, and Challenge mode.
Titus Budget (Bandit)		Mii's "official" agent who manages the team's funding. While it has been suspected that he borrows some of the funds he is entrusted with, he consistently brings in results. Appears in Campaign and Challenge mode.
DSi (Nintendo DSi)		DSi, or the Design Supervision Interface, exists to make it easier for players to create tracks and logos. What DSi lacks in tact he makes up for in superb advice and excellent results. Appears in Mario Kart Maker and Logo Designer.
Palmer (Pianta)		Palmer is actually the name of 6 different Piantas, each of which run a different shop. They sell gear like outfits, vehicle parts, and Mario Kart Maker pieces. They may drive a hard bargain at first, but they offer discounts to successful racers in return for endorsements. Appear in Campaign, Conquest, and Challenge mode.
The Backstage Workers (Lakitu)		Six overworked Lakitus that need a helping hand. While everyone knows about the Lakitu, these guys work just as hard to keep things running behind the scenes. Helping them out in their tasks is a good way to earn extra money. Appear in Campaign and Conquest mode. Scanitu- Programs the camera's ahead of time so that the play in the correct order. Makeitu- Works as a mechanic, constructing the vehicles the main cast use in each prix (not everyone gets a personal mechanic like Casey!) Scrubitu- Extreme janitor, cleans up the track of used items before they are used again- dangerous work! Liftitu- Coaches the next generation of Lakitu's in the art of retrieving racers from out of bounds. Boxitu- The foreman of the item box assembly crew; he makes sure that 1st place doesn't get a Starman, or anything crazy like that. Knowitu- Runs the Mario Kart Quiz club, which has been poorly attended as of late. Maybe a new celebrity personality will bring some life to the show!
The Spirits of Speed (Ghost?)		The gatekeepers to Alchemii's secret realm. They will not allow anyone to challenge him until they have all been beaten. Appear in Campaign and Conquest mode. Rev- The Red spirit of Speed. His feisty personality is matched only by his love of all things speed. Fought as Goomblaze after the Fire Tourney. Hefty- The Orange spirit of Weight. He is the most level-headed of the group, but will stop at nothing once he has a goal. Fought as Metal Bob-omb after the Earth Tourney. Torque- The Green spirit of Acceleration. She is perpetually upbeat and "motivated," even when laying waste to entire cities on an MMO game. Fought as Thunderboolt after the Wind Tourney. Float- The Blue spirit of Handeling. He approaches even the most benign situations with caution and tact; many misintepret his reservedness and formality as arrogance. Fought as Ice Roc after the Water Tourney. Stella- The Yellow spirit of Boost. His world moves at 60 all the time, and he has no patience for those who can't keep up. Fought as Wigalactic after the Light Tourney. Nova- The Purple spirit of Offroad. He may seem random and impulsive, but every move he makes has been calculated to reach his goal. Fought as Chief Chillam after the Dark Tourney.
Alchemii (Human)		The mysterious racer from beyond the world. He is such a good racer, not even the Main cast could beat him. He was officially the world's greatest racer until Mii beats him... twice. Later revealed to be Captain N the Game Master. Appears in Campaign and Conquest mode.
Global Broadband (???)		A sentient... globe... thing. He is the host of all the online modes in the game, and distributes the monthly prizes for each guild. Appears in Online mode.

Controls and Techniques

Although the game is set up for right handed people by default, the controls can be set for left handed racers under the Options tab.  In addition to the following preset control schemes, a custom set can be made- one for right and one for left.

Controls

Action	R. Hand	L. Hand	Note
Accelerate	X or Y button	L Trigger
Brake	A or B button	R Trigger
Steer	Control stick	Control stick
Hop/Drift (hold)	R Trigger	A or B button
Item throw/Taunt	L Trigger	X or Y button	Taunt when no item is active.
Item drop	L + Control stick (down)	X/Y + Control stick (down)
Item Upgrade	Hold L Trigger	Hold X or Y Button	Only works when a Mix Chip is held.

Techniques

Using these controls, several advanced techniques can be performed.

• Rocket Start- By holding the accelerator at just the right time during the countdown, the player can start the race moving at top speed. If the accelerator is held too long, the vehicle will overheat instead, delaying the racer. If it held too early, the boost will not be as strong.
• MiniTurbo- By holding a drift long enough, a MiniTurbo can be charged. When releasing the drift button, the racer will recieve a small speed boost.
• Super MiniTurbo- By holding a drift after charging the MiniTurbo, the vehicle charges a super MiniTurbo. The boost is stronger when released. While all vehicles charge MiniTurbo at the same rate, different vehicle types charge the Super MiniTurbo at different rates- bikes charge so slowly they rarely get one, while ATV's charge it almost instantly.
• Sliding- By steering sharply, a vehicle can enter a semi-drift. While the vehicle can make tight turns this way, and top speed is temporarily increased, no MiniTurbo is charged.
• Firehopping- By hopping just after receiving a boost, the length and power of the boost is increased. This works for any boost received except MiniTurbo from drifting, since the hop button is the same as the drift button.
• Trick- By hopping just as the vehicle goes over a ramp, the player can execute a trick. If a trick is successfully performed, the racer receives a slight midair boost and a speed boost when landing. While the racer will use one of their three taunts automatically, a specific trick can be used by holding a direction on the control stick while hopping.
• Trick Combo- By hopping just as the vehicle leaves a glowing trick ramp, the player initiates a trick combo. The player will be given a series of up to 5 taunts to perform before hitting the ground. Performing each one creates a slight midair boost- performing all of them creates a powerful boost when landing. If the racer does not perform any taunts after performing the initial trick, the vehicle will still receive the usual boost when landing.
• Rubbering- By braking while holding the accelerator, the player can swivel the car in place. If used when stationary, the player can also charge a MiniTurbo this way. If used while moving, it can be used to slightly angle the vehicle without slowing down, and can be used to counter some status effects, such as freeze.
• U-Turn- By releasing the accelerator while rubbering and turning, the vehicle will perform a 180 degree turn. Mostly useful in battle mode, where it allows players to quickly change direction.

Mastering all these moves is the key to victory! 

Courses

Mario Kart Speed Saga has 18 cups with four courses each, making a total of 72 courses. Of these, 36 are new courses and 36 are returning courses. There are also 18 Battle stages, 12 new and 6 returning. More details about the courses, such as maps and course descriptions can be found on this sub-page.

Fire Tourney
Hammer Cup	Arena Circuit	Mario Castle	Mario Circuit Adv.	Mario Circuit Wii
Vacuum Cup	Luigi's Blimport	Treacherous Mansion	Luigi's Mansion DS	Maka Wuhu 3DS
Egg Cup	Fruity Forest	Yarn Loop	Yoshi Circuit GC	Kalamari Desert 64
Battle Stages	New Nintendo 3DS	Yoshi Island	Double Deck 64	Pipe Plaza GC
Earth Tourney
Barrel Cup	Tugboat Trail	Rocketbarrel Canyon	Sunset Wilds Adv.	DK Mountain GC
Spear Cup	Harmony Bay	Sweet Dream	Delfino Square DS	Electrodome U
Bloom Cup	Mudslide Derby	Cavern Commute	Dino Dino Jungle GC	Thwomp Ruins U
Battle Stages	Sticker-Bush Bowl	Subcon Castle	Funky Stadium Wii	Palm Shore DS
Water Tourney
Peach Cup	Peachy Orchard	Queen Peach	Peach Beach GC	Sky Garden Adv.
Crown Cup	Botanical Garden	Sarasaland	Daisy Circuit Wii	Daisy Hills 3DS
Pickaxe Cup	Mushroom Mountain	Metro Overpass	Toad's Factory Wii	Moonview Highway Wii
Battle Stages	Sunset City	Battle Castle	Delfino Pier Wii	Honeybee Hive 3DS
Wind Tourney
Luma Cup	Starlight Fountain	Celestial Station	Rosalina's Ice Planet 3DS	Rainbow Road Wii
Gameboo Cup	Evershade Valley	Boo's Badlands	Boo Lake Adv	Twisted Mansion U
Stork Cup	Sugar Garden	Lost Grotto	Sweet Sweet Mountain U	Baby Circuit GC
Battle Stages	Rocket Launchpad	Comet Observatory	Luigi's Mansion GC	Tart Pop DS
Star Tourney
Garlic Cup	Lost City	Trawler Warehouse	Wario Colosseum GC	Diamond City GP
Racket Cup	Waluigi Studios	Carnival Hill	Vanilla Lake Adv	Waluigi Pinball DS
Bullet Cup	Robot Metropolis	Oil Outpost	Choco Mountain 64	Rock Rock Mountain 3DS
Battle Stages	Diamond City	Flying Fairground	Skyscraper 64	Tilt-A-Kart GC
Shadow Tourney
Fortress Cup	Bowser's Tower	Magma Mountain	Bone Dry Dunes U	Bowser's Castle GC
Magic Cup	Boo University	Galactic Galleon	Airship Fortress DS	Cloudtop Cruise U
Shell Cup	Skelekoop Pass	Desolate Flats	Dry Dry Ruins Wii	Desert Hills DS
Battle Stages	Grim Garden	Volcano Storm	Battle Course II GBA	Big Donut 64
Black Tourney (DLC)
Smash Cup	Hyrule Circuit U	Dreamstalk Drive	Fourside Street	Battlefield (Arena)
Astro Cup	Corneria Cruise	Mute City U	The Bottle Ship	Final Destination (Arena)
Pokemon Cup	Poke Park Stadium	Pallet Town	Big Blue U	Pokemon Arena (Arena)
White Tourney (DLC)
Legends Cup	Tadpole Pond	Paper Chronicles (Animal Crossing U)	Bean Bean Tour	Star Road (Arena)
Baddies Cup	Bobomb Battlefield	Super Bell Hill	Pirahna Plant Slide 3DS	Airship Armada (Arena)
Guest Cup	Sonic Generations	Robot Museum	Pac-Mountain GP	Pac Maze (Arena)

Items

Note: There are a lot of items, so the details of each one are listed on this sub-page.

In a departure from the traditional item system, MK:SS uses an elemental system to upgrade weak items to more powerful ones. This can only be done while holding a mix chip, which can be picked up from item boxes. Because the items are stronger than most games, most items can be either avoided or blocked by using an item of your own (for example, using a boost can counter the thunderbolt if it is timed right) or by using a special move (For example rubbering reduces the time spent frozen by an Ice flower). There are a total of 64 different items.

Item Gallery
Static Items
Banana	Podoboo	Jacker	Freezie	Thundercloud	DK Barrel	Oil Drum
Dynamic Items
Shell	Fire Snake	Spike Ball	Snowball	Warp Whistle	Gold Shell	Yoshi Egg
Ballistic Items
Bob-omb	Magmaargh	POW Ball	Melon	Bullet Bill	Magic Wand	Doom Boom
Projectile Items
Spanner	Fire Flower	Boomerang Flower	Ice Flower	Cloud Flower	Gold Flower	Void Flower
Mounted Items
UltraPunch	Fire Bar	Piranha Pot	Blooper Box	Spark Magnet	Chomplet	Cannon Box
Boost Items
Mushroom	Nitro Mushroom	Mega Mushroom	Tidal Mushroom	Static Mushroom	Golden Mushroom	Poison Mushroom
Invincibility Items
Starman	Blazing Comet	Metal Box	Chilly Comet	Boo Ball	Launch Star	Boom Box
Status Items
UFO	Angry Sun	POW Block	Shaved Ice	Lightning	Pi'illo	Dark Moon
Other Items
Coin/ Yoshi Coin	Fake Box/ Phantom Box	Rocket Shell/ Spiny Shell	Air Horn/ Super Horn

Vehicles

Each vehicle falls into three categories- Karts, Bikes, and ATVs. Each vehicle can be set to use hard or soft steering- this alters its stats and changes how it behaves while drifting.

• Karts- The easiest type of vehicle to use. They have high speed and handling, but poor off-road and acceleration. When they drift they maintain the same trajectory. Soft karts turn wider and have a higher weight stat, and hard karts turn tighter and have a better turbo stat.
• Bikes- Take tighter turns, even when no drifting and can also wheelie. Due to their small size they can quickly draft off of opponents and get good airtime off jumps. They have high off-road and acceleration, but poor weight and turbo. Soft bikes turn widely before drifting into the turn and have good handling, and hard bikes have inside drifting and have high speed.
• ATVs- Take wider turns, even while drifting. When they drift, the tend to slide and change direction slowly, making navigating tight corners a challenge. However, they can charge a super-mini turbo almost instantly, and boosting will send the vehicle in the direction it is facing. They have high weight and turbo, but poor speed and handling. Soft ATVs turn tightly at first, but gradually slides out wide and has good acceleration, and hard ATV’s slide throughout the entire turn and has good OffRoad.

There are six different stats assigned to a vehicle:

• Speed- Increases a vehicles top speed.
• Weight- Reduces the knock-back from collisions, and reduces time spent prone after being hit with an item.
• MiniTurbo- Increases the speed boost received from drifting and boost panels.
• Acceleration- Reduces the time needed to reach top speed.
• Handling- Increases the sensitivity of the vehicles steering while turning and drifting.
• OffRoad- Reduces the effects of driving off the track or on terrain that is not asphalt.

There are 42 vehicles in the game, 21 of which need to be unlocked.

Standard Vehicles

Name	Vehicle Type	Best Stats	Worst Stats
Standard Kart	Kart	Handling	OffRoad
Pepper Cruiser	Kart	Speed	Acceleration
Pipe Frame	Kart	Acceleration,Miniturbo	Handling
Motor Manta	Kart	Speed	Handling
Landship	Kart	Handling	Weight, OffRoad
Kaliente Wagon	Kart	Weight	Acceleration
Spellbound Carpet	Kart	Speed, Acceleration	Handling, Weight
Standard Bike	Bike	OffRoad	MiniTurbo
Dragmaw	Bike	Acceleration	Weight
Groll Grinder	Bike	Weight	MiniTurbo
Flutter Flier	Bike	Acceleration, Speed	Weight
Steel Driver	Bike	OffRoad, Weight	Acceleration
Ancient Treasure	Bike	MiniTurbo	Speed
Bullet Bike	Bike	Speed, Acceleration	MiniTurbo
Standard ATV	ATV	Weight	Handling
Bad Bully	ATV	MiniTurbo	Handling
Thwomper Stomper	ATV	Weight, Handling	Speed
Featherwieght	ATV	Speed, Miniturbo	Weight
Cool Sleigh	ATV	Handling	Miniturbo, OffRoad
Neon Coaster	ATV	Speed	Weight
P-3000	ATV	Speed, Miniturbo	Acceleration, OffRoad

Unlockable Vehicles

Name	Vehicle Type	Best Stats	Worst Stats
Barrel Train	Kart	MiniTurbo	Acceleration
Podobooster	Kart	MiniTurbo	Handling, Weight
Rompus	Kart	Weight	Speed
Cloud 9	Kart	Speed	Weight, Acceleration
Cheep Skipper	Kart	Handling	OffRoad
Arcane Lamp	Kart	Speed, Miniturbo	Handling, Acceleration
Mysteride	Kart	OffRoad, Acceleration	Speed, Weight
Xtreme Bike	Bike	OffRoad, Speed	Acceleration
Hell Rider	Bike	Miniturbo, Weight	Speed
Ugly Mutt	Bike	Speed, Acceleration	MiniTurbo
Cloudburster	Bike	Acceleration	Weight, Handling
EelOut	Bike	Handling, Acceleration	Speed
Techno Cycle	Bike	Miniturbo	OffRoad
Star Stallion	Bike	Speed, Miniturbo	Acceleration
Lucky 7	ATV	Miniturbo	Acceleration
Dire Phoenix	ATV	Speed, Miniturbo	Weight, Handling
Wiggler Rig	ATV	OffRoad, Acceleration	Speed
Bugabeetle	ATV	Offroad, Speed	MiniTurbo
Plessie Power	ATV	Weight, OffRoad	Handling, Speed
Spideroller	ATV	Handling, Offroad	Weight
Crimson Shuttle	ATV	Speed, Acceleration	Handling, OffRoad

There are also two different kart parts that can be combined with any of the above frames:

• Wheels- Come in three different types- Ranger, Racer, and Booster. Ranger wheels improve OffRoad and reduce Speed, Racer wheels improve Speed and reduce MiniTurbo, and Booster wheels improve MiniTurbo and reduce OffRoad.
• Gliders- When not in use, gliders double as spoilers. They also have three types- Drifter, Dodger, and Bruiser. Drifter gliders improve Handling and reduce Acceleration, Dodger gliders increase Acceleration and reduce Weight, and Bruiser gliders increase Weight and reduce Handling.

There are 24 wheels and 24 gliders. For each, there are 12 standard and 12 unlockable alternate forms.

Wheels & Gliders

Part Type	Normal	Alternate	Part Type	Normal	Alternate
Racer	Slick	Cyber Slick	Drifter	Parachute	Cloud
Racer	Techno	Analog	Drifter	Butterfly	Squawks
Racer	White Wall	Mirror	Drifter	Simple	Twin
Racer	Steel	Magma	Drifter	Cape	Carpet
Ranger	Mushroom	Wood	Dodger	Balloon	Blimp
Ranger	Button	Cloth	Dodger	Ancient	Relic
Ranger	Bubble	Leaf	Dodger	Flower	Parasol
Ranger	Spike	Gear	Dodger	P-Wing	WaddleWing
Booster	Barrel	Bongo	Bruiser	Airplane	PaperWing
Booster	Shell	Monster	Bruiser	Rocket	Chopper
Booster	Ski	Hover	Bruiser	Comet	Meteor
Booster	Gyro	Magnet	Bruiser	UFO	Cosmo

DLC

Speed Saga has two DLC packs- the White pack and the Black pack. Each pack contains 9 new characters (each with 3 alt. costumes), 3 new cups (with 2 new courses, 1 retro course, and 1 battle stage), 9 vehicles and 9 vehicle parts. The White Tourney is themed after other Mario titles, such as the various RPG series, as well as 3rd party franchises such as Sonic and Megaman. The Black pack is themed after Smash Bros., and includes characters from several nintendo properties, such as Earthbound/Mother, Kirby, Starfox, Pokemon, and the Legend of Zelda. Each pack is $5.00. If both packs are purchased, the final campaign mode is unlocked- Challenge Mode. This mode is a mix of Campaign and Conquest mode. Mii has to race through 2 additional tourneys, beating new rivals and earning new gear. There are three new bosses in this mode- Master and Crazy Hand, the bosses of White tourney, Orbulon, the boss of Black tourney, and Master Crown, the boss of Challenge Mode. Master Crown can only be fought if the player has purchased both the White and Black tourneys.

• Orbulon
• Master Crown (Fire Form)
• Master Crown (Earth Form)
• Master Crown (Water Form)
• Master Crown (Air Form)
• Master Crown (Star Form)
• Master Crown (Shadow Form)

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Smash Battle

A new Battle Mode based on the Smash Bros. games. in this mode, players strive to knock their rivals off the stage by ramming into them. Each player starts off with 5 balloons- as they receive attacks, they lose balloons and become easier to launch. A new item, the Smash Ball, replaces the UFO item- instead of being an upgradeable item, like the other items, it unleashes a random Status move when activated. Smash Battle can only be played on the Final Destination and Battlefield stages. In Final Destination, Master Hand and Crazy Hand appear as stage hazards.

DLC Characters

Name (Weight)	Alt. 1	Alt. 2	Alt. 3
Smash Pack
Link (Medium)	Fierce Diety	Dark Link	Zelda
Kirby (Light)	Alt. Colors	Waddle Dee	Meta Knight
Ness(Floater)	Paula	Poo	Lucas
Astro Pack
Fox McCloud(Medium)	Falco Lombardi	Peppy Hare	Wolf O'Donnel
Samus Aran (Power Suit) (Cruiser)	Samus Aran (Varia Suit)	Dark Samus	Zero Suit Samus
Captain Falcon (Cruiser)	Doctor Stewart	Blood Falcon	Black Shadow
Pokemon Pack
Pikachu (Floater)	Rockstar Pikachu	Mew	Jigglypuff
Charmander (Light)	Bulbasaur	Squirtle	Eevee
Mewtwo (Cruiser)	Lucario	Greninja	Blaziken
Baddies Pack
Nabbit (Medium)	Mr. Blizzard	Charging Chuck	Bandit
Goomba (Light)	Octoompa	Blooper	Boo
Chukya (Cruiser)	Wallop	Brolder	Crabber
Legends Pack
Paper Mario(Light)	Paper Luigi	Paper Peach	Paper Kooper
Geno (Medium)	Axem Red	Mallow	Boomer
Brickle (Medium)	Popple	Fawful	Princess Shroob
Guest Pack
Megaman (Cruiser)	Protoman	Roll	Bass
Sonic (Floater)	Tails	Shadow	NiGHTS
PacMan (Medium)	Ms. Pacman	DigDug	Inky

DLC Vehicles

Name	Vehicle Type	Best Stats	Worst Stats
Smash Pack
Master Cycle	Bike	Handling	Acceleration
Warp Star	Kart	Speed	Handling
Chimerage	ATV	Offroad, Acceleration	Speed
Astro Pack
Chozo Mk. II	Bike	Acceleration	Speed
Blue Falcon	Kart	Speed, Acceleration	Handling
Landmaster	ATV	Handling, Offroad	Speed
Pokemon Pack
Acro Bike	Bike	Handling	Speed
Arceus	Kart	Handling, Acceleration	Miniturbo
Rayquaza	ATV	Handling	Speed
Legends Pack
Hooktail	Bike	Speed	Weight, Handling
Drill Digger	Kart	Miniturbo, Offroad	Speed
The Blade	ATV	Handling, Weight	Miniturbo
Baddies Pack
Parabeetle	Bike	Handling, Weight	Speed, Acceleration
Hurricane	Kart	Weight, Speed	Acceleration
Haunted Mount	ATV	Handling, Miniturbo	OffRoad, Speed
Guest Pack
Rush Bike	Bike	Speed, Weight	OffRoad, Handling
Galaga Starfighter	Kart	Speed, Handling	Weight
Tornado Mech	ATV	Handling, Speed	OffRoad

Vehicle Parts

Wheels & Gliders

Name	Type	Name	Type	Name	Type
Smash Pack
Hylian Kite	Drifter Glider	Dynawing	Bruiser Glider	YoYo	Booster Wheels
Astro Pack
G-Diffuser	Bruiser Glider	Sonic	Racer Wheels	Metroid	Dodger Glider
Pokemon Pack
Master Ball	Ranger Wheels	Charizard Chute	Drifter Glider	Shiny	Booster Wheels
Legends Pack
Paper	Ranger Wheels	ZeeKeeper	Dodger Gliders	Sheep	Racer Wheels
Baddies Pack
Boo	Racer Wheels	Swooper	Dodger Glider	Bowser Flag	Drifter Glider
Guest Pack
Scorch	Booster Wheels	Fruit	Ranger Wheels	Chao Glider	Dodger Glider