It Took 24 Years To Discover This Mario Kart 64 Shortcut
As with many games of its era, Mario Kart 64 has numerous bugs and glitches that can either be harmful or helpful to players. A glitch in the latter category – one utilized by YouTuber and Mario Kart 64 player Beck Abney, or abney317 — enabled him to set a new world record on the Luigi Raceway course that would drop any player's jaw.
A YouTube video uploaded by Abney showed the process by which he was able to attain the new Luigi Raceway world record at just below 23 seconds. Using the Japanese version of the game, Abney used three mushrooms, each providing boosts, to ram into the wall right next to the finish line in a very specific area. After doing this, Abney backed over the finish line and re-crossed it, allowing him to go onto the next lap. He repeated this process twice and finished the race, securing the new world record track time of 22 seconds and 85 milliseconds.
For Mario Kart 64 fans, this could be your call to action. Every world record is kept on hand for the game, and with Abney's video now out for anyone's viewing, it's possible that more Mario Kart 64 players will attempt to topple him. Interestingly, Abney also holds the world record for numerous other Mario Kart 64 courses. While Luigi Raceway is the most impressive example, the YouTuber also holds the top spot on courses like Kalimari Desert, Frappe Snowland, Choco Mountain, Mario Raceway, and Sherbet Land.
It's safe to say that the Mario Kart series may have a problem with these types of bugs and glitches popping up. In fact, Mario Kart 8, which has reigned as the Switch's best-selling game and gains popularity every year, has a host of them. Although none appear to be as potentially game-breaking as Mario Kart 64's lap-skipping wall trick, it goes to show the rest of the series shares something in common with Mario Kart 64 and its vast collection of bugs.
That isn't true for all Mario Kart experiences, though. The most recent entry in the series, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit (which requires a substantial amount of room space), seemingly limits the amount of glitches altogether. Unfortunately, game bugs and glitches are generally replaced with tech issues like kart connection errors and laps registering incorrectly. The only truly glitch-free Mario Kart experience — which fans will hopefully get to check out soon — might be the real-life Mario Kart component of Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios.