Mari(o) and Koopa * , duking it out like never before.
Kart Fighter is a bootleg (read: unlicensed) two-player Fighting Game made for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Hummer Team. Predating Super Smash Bros. by six years, it's basically Mario characters (those featured in Super Mario Kart, hence the name) beating each other up Street Fighter-style in one of the first NES fighting games. Each character has up to three command moves that allow for more damaging moves.
For a bootleg NES game, it's actually a surprisingly good effort, being one of the best 2D fighting games for the console alongside the officially-made Joy Mech Fight and the NES version of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Tournament Fighters (and the bigger amount of Street Fighter II feeling you'll ever get on a NES game).
Characters:
- Mario (spelled "Mari")
- Luigi
- Yoshi ("Yossy")
- Toad ("Kinopio")
- Peach
- Donkey Kong Jr. ("Donkey")
- Bowser ("Koopa")
- A Koopa Troopa ("Nokonoko")
This game provides examples of:
- Banana Peel: Donkey Kong Jr.'s projectile attack is a thrown banana peel. Naturally, it makes the opponent trip (and does quite a bit of damage).
- "Blind Idiot" Translation: Mostly averted with the character names, since they're based off the Japanese onesnote , with the exception of Mari(o).
- The Computer Is a Cheating Bastard: Luigi. Most of his specials are AI only and can't be done by the player.
- Easy-Mode Mockery: You only get an ending screen if you beat the game on the highest difficulty setting. The rest of the time, you get a high score screen and that's it.
- Endless Game: Averted. While many assume that the game repeats the last two fights endlessly (against Koopa and a clone of your character), the game ends after the second loop.
- Hotter and Sexier: Peach's outfit has a much shorter skirt compared to most appearances before this game's release, plus she's given almost knee-high boots.
- Immune to Flinching: A.I. Luigi during his Green Missile Kick.
- Joke Character: Koopa Troopa arguably qualifies, due to being the first opponent in 1-Player mode and having two special moves instead of three, none of which are projectiles. Luigi ends up being an unintentional example due to a glitch.
- Kamehame Hadoken: All of the characters have at least one projectile move, minus Koopa Troopa.
- Lethal Lava Land: The Mario Bros.' stage.
- Level in the Clouds: Peach's stage is located in the sky, and is made completely of clouds.
- The Lost Woods: Toad's stage.
- Mirror Match: The final boss. Can also occur in two-player mode.
- Moveset Clone: Mari(o) and Luigi. They have the same moves, but the difference is that most of Luigi's specials are Secret A.I. Moves.
- Never Trust a Title: Despite the weird title, this is not a mix between racing games and fighting games. Only the "Fighter" part makes sense to the game's "plot", whereas the "Kart" part is merely a reference to which game the character roster is based on.
- No Ending: Finishing the game on any difficulty other than the highest has the game simply end with the high score screen.
- Prehensile Hair: Peach.
- Recycled Soundtrack: Donkey Kong Jr.'s theme is a slightly altered version of the boss theme from Jing Ke Xin Zhuan
, while the ending theme ended up being used in several of Hummer Team's other fighting games. - Secret A.I. Moves: Most of Luigi's special attacks are only usable by the AI.
- Shifting Sand Land: Home of Koopa Troopa and Bowser.
- Shotoclone: Mari(o) and Luigi, both of whom come with hadouken and shoryuken moves.
- Shoryuken: Used by many of the characters.
- Single Player Gauntlet: In 1P mode, every playable fighter is encountered twice before the game ends.
- SNK Boss: Every single AI-controlled opponent after the first. They are able to read your movements and will use attacks to counter yours, and will even change strategies after being beaten once. This usually makes them hard to fight, unless the player spams blocking and low kicks.
- Some Dexterity Required: This game actually has command moves, but thankfully they aren't hard to execute.
- Spell My Name without an O: MARI, a mistranslation of Mario.
- Spin Attack: Peach and Donkey Kong Jr. have a spinning charge move, Mario and Luigi spin when doing their uppercut, and Koopa Troopa has a shell spin move.
- Tail Slap: Yoshi does this instead of kicking.
- Took a Level in Badass: Yoshi, Peach, Toad, and Koopa Troopa. No longer mounts/distressed damsels/advisors/cannon fodder anymore. Yoshi is one of the more competent fighters and his AI will kick your ass if you don't know how to counter him.
- Waif-Fu: Peach can actually kick some ass.
- Warmup Boss: Your first opponent, Koopa Troopa. His shell spin special is pretty weak, and he has no far range attacks. As for the rest of your opponents, they're tough.
- A Winner Is You: Beating the game on the highest difficulty gives you a win screen.
- Word Salad Title: Fighting with karts?
- Your Size May Vary: Bowser. He's actually the smallest character in the game, even though he's larger everywhere else.
