Top 8 Mario Kart 64 characters explained: What Tricks Each Knows

Mario Kart 64, also erroneously known as "MarioKart", premiered in 1996 on the Nintendo 64 old-school console. The game was prominent mostly because every significant character from the Mario universe was playable and also because it had the multiplayer mode. It brought much fun and joy to every couch-gamer back in the days.

Of course, the gameplay of Mario Kart 64 significantly revolved around the blatant luck. However, each character in the game possesses unique "talents" that can surely garner a skillful and thoughtful player the feel taste of triumph.
We tried our best to identify their unique talents & skills while making this little guide for you.

Mario: Versatile, Unknockable

 

Okay, the central hero of the mushroom-lizard-turtle universe is the best character in this game to begin with for the greenhorn newbies. It's 100% guaranteed. He's just multitalented: incredible speed, effortless acceleration, easy-to-master control and perfect balance. To state the obvious, he has been designed in accordance with the "happy medium" principle.

Maybe he's not lightning-like fast, but it takes him merely 4-5 seconds to gain his maximum speed. While being supersonic-fast, Mario still remains easy to manipulate. And, as wonderful as it is, he smoothly deals with whatever barriers, obstacles, and traps he has to face. Some of his controllability deteriorates when he has to go around the turns though. Nevertheless, Mario always stays on track, no matter what, which is a merciful gesture towards the rookies.

Some of the hardcore Mario Kart 64 players over the course of time will discard the services of the charming Italian man with the mustache. Still, he's the best option for a newcomer, since his stats are well-balanced which greatly mitigates the risk of a bitter fiasco.

Luigi: Never loses speed, Hard to hit

Luigi has always been sorta dark-horse in all of the Mario games. Having such a famous bro is challenging after all. Mostly Luigi's stats mirror those of his cheerful sibling although there are some differences.

To say the truth, Luigi would be a better choice for those players who have an inclination to play conservatively. He's well-balanced, just like his celebrity-brother, but there's one crucial unique detail: Luigi almost never loses the speed.
This exclusive skill might come in handy for novices who lack experience at going around the corners (all that urgent and nervous brakes-hitting). As a result, whenever Luigi gets back on race-track he has a good chance to surpass the rivals.

Additionally - due to his "compact" body constitution - Luigi is a hard-to-hit target. Something an extra-watchful player would appreciate.

Princess Peach: Rapid, Superb at maneuvering

Italian plumber's sweetheart is probably, the swiftest lightweight character in the entire game. And you shouldn't be deluded by her fragile girlish appearance.

The royal beauty's controllability is, perchance, the best outshining even that of Mario himself. Her speed and acceleration ability are roaring wild - Peach needs approximately 2.5-3 seconds to fly at full throttle which is much quicker than what middleweight Italian bros can do.

While driving at the top of her speed, Peach remains charmingly easy to manipulate - that guarantees avoiding bumping into other racers and staying on track.

To sum it up, Mario's aristocratic girlfriend is for those who want to try a lightweight character for the first time.

Yoshi: Goes full throttle quickly

This scaly cutie-patootie, who debuted as Mario's babysitter in Yoshi's Island, won a lot of franchise fans' hearts. Probably because watching after little Mario was a nightmarish hustle, Yoshi became very fast - he's one of the fastest characters that Mario Kart 64 has to offer. And also he's the most popular one because of both, a dizzy speed he's capable of gaining and his attractive appearance.

Unfortunately, that speediness takes its toll and Yoshi has been notorious for bumping into obstacles on a regular basis. But even after such a lamentable setback he still has a chance to be the first to cross the finishing line.

Toad: Agile and swift

Peach's butler named Toad always played the second fiddle (if not the third) in every Mario game he could get a chance to star in. Probably to compensate for such unpardonable discrimination, the developers made him the Speed King of Mario Kart 64. Yes, even Yoshi himself can't compete with Mr. Toad.

His controllability is greatly sabotaged by that, no discussion here, but in the right hands, Toad becomes a blinding meteor who makes his competitors bite the dust. It is strongly recommended that unprepared and unskilled players do not pick Toad - it will turn the ride into a miserable, bumpy catastrophe.

Donkey Kong: Rough and tough

Donkey Kong - the most prominent and outstanding gorilla of our time - is the best heavyweight character for a newcomer to try. It can be explained by the fact that he's the most well-balanced heavy guy. He can accelerate pretty quickly and at the same time, he's quite athletic and robust - not an easy prey for those who enjoy pushing the rivals off track.

Donkey Kong is quite splendid at maneuvering too - unexpected, winding turns aren't his kryptonite. Although it should be noticed that he needs much more time to gain the maximum speed since his monkey tush weighs a lot.

Moreover, he might be the best at maintaining the stable speed.

Wario: Versatile but nothing fancy

Wario is technically an evil doppelganger and a villainous alter-ego of Mario. He retains his own unique charisma, a moderate fandom and not more than average in-game stats. Basically, he's a reversed version of Mario, only put in the heavy-weight category that's why he's a mediocrity at everything.

The only thing he can boast of is that he reaches his full-throttle speed faster than the bulky gorilla Donkey Kong. As for the rest, he's a universal character, lingering somewhere in the middle. Along with the devilish gorilla, he's good for newbies who aspire to join the heavyweight league.

Bowser: Fat and furious

Mario's sworn nemesis Bowser is the top player in the heavyweight category. First of all, his ability to get to his possible highest speed can be compared to that of Yoshi or Peach which is kinda surprising since Bowser seems to be a gentleman of a corpulent constitution.

Second, he's the only character who's immune to being pushed off the track even by his heavy "colleagues" Wario and Donkey Kong. Yes, his massive weight allows him to be the most notorious hell-raiser on the track.

However, his maneuverability leaves a lot to be desired and going around a turn is something torturous for a player who decides to pick Bowser.