The most entertaining/aggravating thing about Mario Kart is coming to the classic card game.

For decades, Mario Kart has been one of the top choices for friendly competitive fun (OK, maybe for some gamers the competition isn’t that friendly, but we’re assuming everyone you’re racing with practices good digital sportsmanship). Nintendo’s flagship racing franchise strikes just the right balance between accessible for newbies and rewarding for skilled veterans, and a dash of random luck in the game mechanics keeps things extra interesting. Throw in a not-too-long-but-not-too-short amount of time to determine a winner, and you’ve got a game that’s always a crowd-pleaser that can bring people together.

Actually, you can apply a lot of that description to Uno as well, and apparently those similarities didn’t escape the notice of Nintendo and Mattel International (the toymaker’s Japanese division), as the two companies have teamed up to release Uno Mario Kart.

The immediately obvious crossover element is the artwork, as instead of just a number, almost every card has a character from the Super Mario cast, such as Mario himself, Luigi, Princess Peach, Bowser, or Yoshi. But in addition to a number and character, the cards also have a picture of a Mario Kart power-up.

That’s because Uno Mario Kart has a special, exclusive rule that brings Mario Kart strategy into the card game. If you’re lucky, at some point in the game you’ll end up with an Item Box card in your hand. When you choose to play this card, you then flip over the top card from the draw pile and active whatever item is on it.

▼ The Item Box card (left) and cards with the super mushroom and green shell items

Each item has a different effect. For example, the banana peel forces the person who went before you to draw two cards, while the lightning bolt makes every player besides you draw one and lets you take a second turn.

Uno Mario Kart goes on sale this month, priced at 1,430 yen (US$13.80). The preview photos don’t show any blue shells, by the way, and while we can’t guarantee they’re not hiding deeper in the deck, at least if someone is a sore loser throwing a card is a lot less destructive than throwing a controller.

Source: PR Times via Inside Games via Livedoor News via Otakomu
Images: PR Times
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