Use shells and protect a lead
Turn a random item into a deliberate attack or a safer stretch of racing.
Original Nintendo 64 game, first released in Japan in 1996 and internationally in 1997. Guides use the original kart roster, courses and N64 controls.
14 items · one picture per entry · open a picture for full size.
Shells
Green Shell
Fires straight ahead or behind and rebounds off walls, so it can hit you on the way back.
Triple Green Shells
Three shells circle your kart, blocking hits until you fire them one at a time.
Red Shell
Homes in on the racer ahead; walls and tight corners can still stop it.
Triple Red Shells
Three orbiting homing shells; keep them as protection or fire them at rivals ahead.
Spiny Shell
Races along the track to the leader and hits anyone in its path on the way.
Hazards
Banana
Drop it behind you or throw it forward; a racer who hits it spins out.
Banana Bunch
A trail of five bananas you release one by one to block a racing line.
Fake Item Box
Looks like an item box but knocks over whoever drives into it.
Speed
Mushroom
A single speed boost, useful for shortcuts across grass or sand.
Triple Mushrooms
Three separate boosts to use whenever you like.
Super Mushroom
The golden mushroom gives unlimited boosts for a few seconds.
Defence and attack
Quick notes
- Aim green shells instead of spending them. A Green Shell travels in a straight line and ricochets from walls.
- Give red shells a clear opening. Red Shells home toward a target, but the original game's behavior can waste them against nearby walls and awkward terrain.
- Place hazards where racers need space. Bananas and Fake Items are more useful when they affect a decision: a corner entry, a narrow passage or the approach to real Item Boxes.
A clean firing lane matters more than using a shell as soon as it appears.
Picture details
Game artwork belongs to its respective rights holders.