Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit

Impulse GamerTony Smith

Nintendo have an affinity in setting itself apart from its competitors and Mario Kart Live Home Circuit is another one of those experiences that successfully

StuffMatt Tate

2020 has been a mostly awful year for obvious reasons, but for Mario fans it has at least in part also been a celebratory one.

ShackNewsDonovan Erskine

8/10

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an entertaining take on the classic franchise. The mixed reality format allows player creativity to shine, as the ceiling for possibility is practically infinite. Nintendo is able to expertly weave staple Mario Kart features and characteristics into an augmented reality setting, making the game stand out from other RC racers. Players may be limited by their own home environment, or the rather short connectivity range of the kart itself. Despite a handful of technical road bumps, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is an exciting and inventive way to play the beloved ...

Video ChumsA.J. Maciejewski

7.5/10

Mario Kart has been in the virtual realm for a very long time and it's about to enter your living room via a new augmented reality game.

Nintendo World ReportJordan Rudek

7/10

After waving the checkered flag, there will definitely be racing fans who find hours and hours of entertainment in Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. There may be just as many, though, that open up the box and begin setting up the game only to find that their home just isn’t a great fit or they don’t have others around to enjoy it with. Without question, its novelty is charming and it makes a stellar first impression, but the experience can start to seem shallow the more and more laps you make around the track. If you have a good amount of space and flexibility where you can play, Mario Kart L…

COGConnectedAlex Everatt

70/100

Nintendo has always been at the forefront of gaming innovation and they’re back at it again by utilizing one of their most beloved franchises. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit aims to combine the excitement of the Mario Kart franchise with the fun of racing RC cars. By utilizing augmented reality (AR), gamers will be able to race an actual Mario or Luigi RC car around a track of their own design, with the gameplay projected on the TV or Switch screen. It’s not the first time Nintendo has combined real-world toys with video games, as we’ve seen with their extensive line-up of amiibo. Will Mario Ka...

Checkpoint GamingLuke Mitchell

7/10

Nintendo aren’t new to combining real-world elements and toys with their games. LABO allowed gamers to piece together cardboard creations to pair with the Switch, for example, but the one thing LABO possibly lacked was its direct connection to nostalgia and simplicity. Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is the next Nintendo experiment, combining a real-world racing kart that can be controlled via your Switch, as you race around your house using augmented reality elements that, at times, feels pr...

Attack of the FanboyKyle Hanson

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a gleefully successful experiment for Nintendo and Velan Studios...though some minor elements hold it back from exceeding expectations.

Metro GameCentralGameCentral

7/10

A wonderfully inventive attempt to bring Mario Kart into the real world, whose mere premise is enough to amuse and delight, despite some unavoidable practical limitations.

TwinfiniteRebecca Stone

I suspect many 10-year-olds will have Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit on their wishlists this holiday season. The game itself is a brilliant idea: you use your Nintendo Switch to control a toy kart around a real-life course you set up in your house. It seems like the start of something great, but unfortunately, it doesn't reach its fullest potential.

Press StartShannon Grixti

Unscored

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit provides a fresh and unique gaming experience, which feels hard to come by these days. The kart is cleverly designed and well put together, responding to every precise movement. Whilst the core gameplay might get a little repetitive, the technology has a bright future, and it's guaranteed to provide fun for the whole family.

WellPlayedKieron Verbrugge

Unscored

As both a game and a toy, Mario Kart Live delivers on most of its promise, save for a few annoyances and a high barrier of entry for multiplayer