USJ Mario Kart High-Score Guide: How to Break 200 Points

What You’ll Learn

How to score over 200 points on USJ’s Mario Kart, including controls and the start bonus
Which enemy characters to hit with shells and how to aim for a higher score
The best course, seat, and riding strategy for earning points

USJSUPER NINTENDO WORLD‘s hugely popularMario Kart

The ride is designed to stay fun no matter how many times you play, so many guests keep trying for a higher score.
Buthave you found that your score stops improving after a certain point, even after repeated rides?

This time, I,Tynkanoland, have ridden more than 60 times in total, and I’d like to share ways to raise your score, even if only a little!

My personal best is 241 points, so plenty of regulars still score higher, but these tips are for anyone aiming to break 200.

Note: Some Mario Kart regulars score more than 300 points.

How to Play Mario Kart

There are three keys to playing Mario Kart:getting ready for the race, steering, and firing shells　.

What to do after boarding the kart

• Earn coins by steering
• Earn coins by firing shells

The winner is determined by how many coins you collect.
It is not about your finishing position orracing for speed.

Getting Ready for the Race

• Take your bag off your shoulder before boarding.
• After sitting in the kart, place your belongings by your feet and lower the safety bar.

• Take the goggles from under the steering wheel and attach them to the headband you received while waiting in line.
(They will click into place.)

•Power-Up BandTouch it to the steering wheel.
If the color changes, it has been detected.

Steering

• When you see an arrow, turn the steering wheel in that direction. Keep it turned for several seconds.
(You earn coins when you steer correctly.)

Firing Shells

• Once you get shells from an item box, you can fire them.
(Before the race begins, it is practice time, so you can fire unlimited shells even before collecting an item.)

• Look carefully at your target and press the button on top of the steering wheel to fire a shell.
• Hit Team Bowser’s karts and other enemies with shells to earn coins.
• Be careful not to hit Team Mario’s karts.

• Collect 100 coins or more to win♪

How-to-play video

【Open video page】USJ Mario Kart Pre-Show! Comparison of Pre-Opening and Grand Opening! Attraction Operation Instruction Video [Super Nintendo World]

How to Get a High Score on Mario Kart

The goal in Mario Kart is to collect at least 100 coins.

High-Score Tip: Never Miss a Steering Prompt!

Soon after the ride starts, you will see a red arrow ⇨, butyou should not just turn the wheel for a split second when it appears.

As you keep the wheel turned,a short musical chimewill play. Until you hear it,keep the steering wheel turned.

Some steering prompts award 3 points and others award 5. For a 5-point prompt,it takes longer for the chime to play, so keep holding the wheel in the turned position.

If you follow this sequence, by the time you receive your first shells to fire at enemies,you can have collected 39 coins, including the starting coin bonus.

Wondering what the starting coin bonus is? Here’s how it works.

Always Get the Starting Coin Bonus!

You perform this action when the countdown to the race begins.

When the 3, 2, 1 countdown appears,at the beat between 2 and 1, press and hold both the left and right buttons used to fire shells.

This serves the same purpose asthe starting boost in the home versions of Mario Kartand gives you the starting coin bonus.

The timing is fairly difficult. I’ve explained it to several people, but few succeeded on their first try, so practice is the only answer.

Once you get it right, remember that timing!

Together with the points above,39 coins is the maximum you can earn before receiving your first shells.

Don’t Shoot the Targets That Suddenly Appear!

You may want to hit enemies such as Goombas, Spinies, and Koopa Troopas, butresist the urge and ignore them completely here!

So what should you hit? Don’t forget the point of this game:this is Mario Kart.

To slow down the opposing team and help Team Mario win,you need to hit Team Bowser’s karts, driven by Bowser’s minions, with shells.

Hit the same kart three times in a rowand it will spin out, sending the minions off the course and awarding bonus points.

Even after being hit, the minions’ karts return from behind, so as a rule,turn your body sideways or backward and keep firing at the karts approaching from behind!

If you wait until an enemy kart comes in front of you, it takes too long to land three hits, andif someone else lands the third hit, that person gets the points.

So instead of facing forward the whole time, keep looking to the side and behind you and fire continuously.

You will receive more shells in the next area even if you use them all, so do not save them.Fire whenever an enemy kart is in sight!

The Giant Fish Bone Is a Big Opportunity!

When you enter this room, keep firing at the Mega Fish Bone in the back rather than the small Fish Bones in front.

This is a team challenge. If everyone in your kart keeps hitting the Mega Fish Bone, you can defeat it and earn a large coin bonus.

Luck plays a part, but it is still worth trying your best!

Aim for the Head of the Pokey!

(Pokey photo taken onYoshi’s Adventure.)

At one point, the cactus character Pokey slowly appears from the right.You can defeat it from the bottom up, but a shot to the head defeats it in one hit.

Hitting it from the bottom only earns 1 point at a time, so aim for the head and finish it in one shot!
A head shot earns a high score!!

Several enemy karts pass in front of you at this point, so quickly hit one three times before aiming for Pokey’s head to maximize your score.

To defeat it efficiently,you need to line up in the left lane after leaving the second pre-show room.

You can still aim from the right lane, which leads to the left course, but you will have to shoot from behind the other kart traveling on the right course, so it requires considerable skill.

After Becoming Invincible, Keep Targeting Enemy Karts!

This is the final Rainbow Road section, soland three hits as quickly as possible, before anyone else!!

When Bowser’s invincibility is about to end,his body will start flashing. From that moment, fire all your remaining shells at him!

Stay focused after that. A final red arrow appears near the end, so do not forget the last steering prompt!

What About the Hidden Blocks?

A hidden block is only worth 1 coin, so once you have finished collecting the stamps, ignore all of them! Haha

If you are still collecting stamps, complete the set first, then try aiming for a high score♪

Which Course, Left or Right, Is Best?

This is a team game, not an individual contest. Once another player has hit an enemy kart or Pokey, you cannot hit that same target.

That means riding with other high-score players can turn into a battle for points, so riding alone is the best option.

There are separate left and right courses, but the easier one for scoring isthe course reached by taking the left lane after the second pre-show.
(Taking the left lane puts you on the right-side course.)

The front-row right seat is also the easiest position.

In the back row, the front row blocks your view, and even if you fire at the same moment, the front row’s shells have less distance to travel and will hit the enemy first.

You cannot choose where you sit, though, so keep practicing until you can score at least 200 coins from any seat!

Good luck, everyone!!

After Mario Kart, why not explore the menu at Toadstool Cafe?

How the Happyell Editor-in-Chief Scored 216 Points for the First Time

From here, the Happyell editor-in-chief shares a personal experience.

First, there is something first-time riders should know.

Mario Kart seats four people per kart, with two karts on the left and right courses, for a total of eight players racing at the same time.
The other seven players can see the shells you fire, the enemies you defeat, and any teammates you accidentally hit.
Only the first of the eight players to hit an enemy or a Team Bowser kart with a shell gets credit.

If one of the other seven players hits the target before you, you do not earn the coins.

One of the charms of USJ’s Mario Kart is that the race unfolds differently depending on the people riding with you.

Here is my own experience.

I rode Mario Kart about 20 times after it opened, but I could not get past 200 points.
Here is what I did when I scored 216 for the first time.

The tips above were my foundation, but I also used a few slightly different methods.

Board on the Right Side of the Platform for the Left Course

In the earlier strategy, Tynkanoland recommended lining up in the left lane after the pre-show and boarding from the left side of the platform. I used the Single Rider line, however, so I could not choose a side and boarded a kart departing from the right side of the platform. (I sat in the front-left seat.)

Boarding from the right side sends you onto the left course.

On the left course, it is nearly impossible to get Pokey’s high-value hit. Since only one person can claim those points, all eight players in the two karts compete for it.
Even on the right course, I could not hit Pokey’s head unless I aimed quickly and accurately.

Meanwhile, several Team Bowser karts pass by while everyone is targeting Pokey.

So while everyone else was aiming at Pokey, Iignored Pokey and targeted Team Bowser’s karts to earn coins (points).

In the final Rainbow Road section, a space-like area with a rainbow-colored track, I try to target Bowser at the very end to earn a few more coins. Even though the targeting window is fairly long, rapid firing can use up all your shells.

It is also difficult to hit Bowser from a distance because he moves unpredictably.

On the left course, there is a point partway through Rainbow Road when you get very close to Bowser.
Firing a burst of shells there makes them easier to land and helps you earn more coins.

After his invincibility ends and you defeat Team Bowser’s enemies,wait until Bowser is close enough to target before firing.
Do not wait too long, though, or you will cross the finish line. It may take several rides to learn the timing.

Defeat the Fish Bone

The giant Fish Bone is also easier to target from the left course without accidentally hitting the smaller Fish Bones.
Make sure your shells hit the giant Fish Bone and claim the high-value coin bonus.

Note: If the other riders in your kart do not target the giant Fish Bone, you may fail to defeat it and waste your shells.

Hit Bowser in the Underwater Stage

In the underwater stage, the passage narrows and Bowser travels directly in front of you for a while, making him easier to target.
Hit him with two or three shells there.

I believe each hit earns about 2 coins.

Let the Bullet Bills Come Closer

Bullet Bills are fired from the airship. If you try to hit them while they are approaching from the sky, you may miss.
They disappear when they are about to collide with the kart.

Not every Bullet Bill hits the kart, however; some fly past to the left or right.

A Bullet Bill that missesmay pass right beside the kart, making it almost certain that you can hit it.

If It Looks Like Yoshi or Princess Peach, Don’t Shoot

From behind, Yoshi’s dinosaur-like shape can briefly resemble a Team Bowser character, causing you to hit him by mistake.
Princess Peach’s pink color can also be confused with a pink Team Bowser enemy.

If you can only see the character’s back and cannot tell who it is, do not shoot; this prevents wasted shots.
I fired only when I could see the face and was certain it was Team Bowser.

When You Can’t See an Enemy, Look to the Side

When no Team Bowser kart is visible, one will often overtake you from behind.
They pass quickly, so they may escape before your shell reaches them.

Instead, turn sideways and look slightly behind you. This makes it easier to aim as a kart passes directly beside you.
This approach is easier even if you are not good at landing shells.