https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXFwo_FRdhE

Starting during the 16-bit era, “mascots” got more than their usual style of gaming. There was Sonic Drift for the Game Gear, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars on the Super Nintendo, but also Super Mario Kart. It had pretty decent graphics and quite an extensive cup system. But what about the music?

I found it very interesting and addictive despite some shortcomings. They are minor and you actually don’t hear them much. However they tend to be annoying.

The main problem is the ridiculously short loops for the character jingles. Although they are fairly appropriate – Donkey Kong Junior and Bowser have “heavy” jingles whereas Koopa Troopa and Toad have lighter themes – they loop within five seconds. Also, the Choose your Driver screen has a short loop problem; Super Mario Bros 2 was able to do it better!

But despite these annoyingly short loops, the rest of the soundtrack rocks! My absolute favorite is Rainbow Road. Its arrangements were actually quite realistic; the first part of the loop had constant brass in the background that became louder in the second part. It gave the track a magical ambiance I loved, which was appropriate for this insanely difficult track even the AI had difficulty riding.

There were also two “exotic” tracks that were very good. Choco Island is the most exotic one with its Caribbean percussion. It really feels like you are enjoying a cold chocolate drink on a sunny beach. Koopa Beach, on the other hand, sounds more Hawaiian with its slower main track. You can even hear brass in the second part of the loop that does take the “exoticism” away but that doesn’t spoil the track.

And while it’s not my favorite track, Vanilla Lake still sounded good. The “bells” in the background gave the track a Christmas atmosphere, which is perfect for this frozen track with frigid water and ice blocks. Ghost Valley also sounded appropriate. It’s a more elaborate version of the Ghost House in Super Mario World. The tempo is quicker, the “anguished” sound of the dead sound scarier and the second part of the loop has loud arrangements that will surprise you since you don’t expect them. Bowser’s Castle, like many “hot” tracks on the SNES, is more on the rock side. A remix from the Castle (or Bowser’s) theme would have been better, but it sounds dark enough to fit the environment.

That leaves the three other main tracks that, while interesting, were not stellar. I never really cared for Battle Mode since I never actually played it – I only watched my cousins play it. It’s the exact same for all four tracks, and it sounds a little too cartoonish. The core of the loop has a constant set of arrangements in the background that don’t sound “serious”, and the main track has “brass” and “violins” that also sound “silly.

Mario Circuit has the same similar arrangements in the background, but fortunately the main track sounds more “serious” with its brass arrangements. They give the track the most serious look of the whole album.

Finally, Donut Plain also has a kind of exotic feel to it with similar drum arrangements as Choco Island. However the constant whistling in the background got annoying in the end.

Nevertheless, Super Mario Kart should be part of any video game music library. Despite very short character loops, the racing track themes are very good and even “context appropriate” sometimes – Koopa Beach and Choco Island sound and look exotic while Ghost Valley sounds like ghosts are haunting you.