Like so many in the emulation world, I’m often overwhelmed by choice paralysis. For many in the handheld community, the issue isn’t just having a ton of games to choose from, but a litany of handheld consoles as well.
When I find myself with a window of free time and a desire to do some gaming, I am often left with two choices. Keep exploring whatever title I’m half-working on at the moment, or to explore. Not only different games, but devices that are often left collect dust. Not due to any fault, just the fact that I’ve amassed a silly collection that’s impossible for one person to play.
Every so often, it’s nice to take a device down off the shelf and give it another look outside of the parameters of a review. I like going back and exploring what little gems might be included on a stock OS image, like what I found on the R40XX. Curated collections can turn up some wacky finds that you may have never been exposed to before.
This is how I found myself on a random weeknight doing my damnedest to clear all the tracks of a game that crosses Street Fighter II with Super Mario Kart to create something of a new SNES classic. Originally released in 2016 and seeing new versions as recently as 2022, Hyper Street Kart: The Road Warriors is a joyous love letter to another era in two of gaming’s most memorable and long-lasting franchises.
Here Comes a New Track Challenge!
A lot of ROM hacks are just reskin jobs that insert new IP or characters into an existing gameplay environment. There is certainly some of that here, but there’s also enough that’s new for Hyper Street Kart to separate itself from being labeled another reskin.
Tracks will appear familiar at the starting gate, but you’ll quickly realize that these aren’t the same tracks you trained on as a kid in Super Mario Kart. Fun design implementations like multiple paths and layouts keep things spicy. Terrains change in the middle of the track. Jumps and speed boosts are abundant. It’s a fun bit of driving.
A Whole New Road-feel
From the moment the lights turn green in Hyper Street Kart, everything will feel familiar, but tweaked. This game feels genuinely snappier in control and gameplay speed when played next to its inspiration.
The most glaring difference in control and feel that comes with Hyper Street Kart is drifting. You can skid Blanka out as much as you want, but don’t expect your kart to stick to the road as well as it did in Mario Kart.
The additional responsiveness requires a more delicate touch to avoid oversteer. Get too aggressive, and you’ll find yourself sliding off-road often.
Graphics and Presentation
While it’s easy to dismiss the graphical additions as merely a new overlay, the visual enhancements are anything but trivial. A completely new set of pixel art has been integrated into the Mario Kart universe. Character palettes cleverly align with Street Fighter counterparts – Greens and oranges quickly turn Bowser to Blanka, and so on.
Items are swapped around in ways you might expect. Classics like red and green turtle shells are now fireballs. The presentation’s tone really feels like a mashup of the two worlds, rather than one simply taking over the other.
Ready? Fight!
A Mario Kart x Street Fighter mash-up wouldn’t be worth much without a battle mode. Thankfully, the classic balloon popping section is present and accounted for here. The only problem for Retrohandhelds.gg fans is that it’s a couch-multiplayer experience only. There is no setup here for single players to explore battle mode. There’s always RetroArch multiplayer, though, whether it’s with a friend over Networking and RetroArch, or using your handheld as a console with controllers, the option is there if you want it.
Worth a Download
Hyper Street Kart: The Road Warriors is a project that clearly demonstrates its developers‘ reverence for both properties.
Next time you find yourself struggling with what to try next on your latest handheld, give Hyper Street Kart a look. It has the advantage of being a new way to play a classic formula, with just enough difference in the gameplay mechanics and presentation to make it feel fresh. Go check this one out.
