Sonic Kart 7

***Sonic Kart 7*** is a racing game developed by Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios for the Nintendo 3DS. It is the ninth installment of the ***Sonic Kart*** series overall, the seventh in the main series (hence the game's title), and the third on a handheld console. This is the second (the first was ***Super Sonic 3D Land***) installment in the ***Sonic the Hedgehog*** series overall (excluding crossover installments) to be localized to Dutch, Portuguese, and Russian. Additionally, it is also the first ***Sonic Kart*** game to be developed by more than one video game developer, Nintendo EAD and Retro Studios, and the second ***Sonic Kart*** to have a different video game developer (not including the ***Sonic Kart Arcade GP*** series), the first being ***Sonic Kart: Super Circuit***.

The main new feature of this installment is the hang gliding and underwater driving which allows racers to glide through the air and race in underwater sections of the new and old tracks. Kart customization is also introduced instead of racing in pre-made karts like previous titles. In the game, players are able to exchange Ghost data and play online in multiplayer mode. Players can also receive Ghost data via SpotPass and race against other player's Ghosts from around the world. Nintendo stated that the game brings "a bunch of new elements" to the ***Sonic Kart*** series.

***Sonic Kart 7*** is the first ***Sonic the Hedgehog*** game to use the Nintendo Network service as it offers the ability to create custom communities, which would then become one of the features of the service. Once Nintendo introduced retail games that could be downloaded via the Nintendo eShop, ***Sonic Kart 7*** was released in 2012 for the eShop, where it requires 635.38 MB (5,083 blocks) to download.

## Gampley

***Sonic Kart 7*** features the standard gameplay present in preceding games in the series, with the gameplay style being very close to that of ***Sonic Kart Wii***. Players compete for gold trophies in the eight Grand Prix cups, consisting of four Nitro Cups and four Retro Cups, a returning feature from ***Sonic Kart DS*** and ***Sonic Kart Wii***. Along with Grand Prix, Time Trials and Battle Modes also return. Time Trials have players race on tracks to set records, as well as race against their own or other racers' ghosts. Battle Mode features two different modes; Balloon Battle and Ring Runners, the latter returning from ***Sonic Kart Wii***. Players can set their own rules for Battle Mode, choosing CPU difficulty, which items will appear or team games. Online races and battles return, allowing up to 8 players to race or battle using the Nintendo Network online service. Players can also create custom communities, which can be accessed by other players via codes.

***Sonic Kart 7*** also has some new features. Players can now use hang-gliders to navigate through the air and propellers to drive underwater. In addition, players now assemble their own karts, rather than select preset karts as in previous games. It is possible to select the kart's body, wheels, and glider, although some parts need to be unlocked before they can be used, mainly through collecting coins during races. ***Sonic Kart 7*** returns to the traditional eight-driver race like in previous installments, instead of the total of twelve as seen in ***Sonic Kart Wii***. It is also compatible with both SpotPass and StreetPass.

In this new installment of the ***Sonic Kart*** series, coins make a prominent return. Rings have not been featured in this way in the recent ***Sonic Kart*** games since ***Sonic Kart: Super Circuit***. Rings are to be found along a race track, and can be underwater, on the road, or in the air. Collecting rings on different tracks will allow the player to unlock vehicle parts used for customization. The option to select classic ***Sonic Kart*** tracks is also available again in this game.

Similar to preceding games, an overall "game ranking" of ★, ★★, or ★★★ is shown next to the player's nationality flag if the player has earned the designated ratings in all cups and in all classes. The overall ranking can also be seen while participating at a Grand Prix. The game shows the overall ranking at the results of the last course before the overall results of the last cup being shown.

Among other gameplay mechanics is the vehicle's behavior in the courses. Each element to assemble the vehicle has a function that grants an advantage on certain courses. In other words, speed and handling alter if the player is driving through land, underwater, or in the air. Gliders also provide speed and duration for the vehicle when airborne and can be controlled using the Circle Pad. Players can tilt the Circle Pad either up or down to fall quickly or gently, respectively. Additionally, when driving underwater, the kart's handling, speed, and drifting can considerably change compared to when driving on land.

This ***Sonic Kart*** installment also introduces the option to race and battle in a first-person view. This function allows the player to watch the race and battle from the character's perspective and can race by Tilt motion control the system. In first-person view, the player can also see the vehicle's steering wheel in front of the character with an emblem on it. The gyroscope, which gives the player the ability to steer the kart in first-person mode by tilting the Circle Pad, can be enabled or disabled by going to the **Sonic Kart Channel**, going to the player's Mii icon on the bottom right, going to "Settings", and lastly selecting "Use" or "Don't Use" when going to "Gyro Sensor".

In a minor note, an extra track with beats is added to the course's music if the player gets ahead in first place at top speed (frontrunning). This track fades when the player slows down via braking, going off-road, or getting hit by an item. This happens only in 100cc, 150cc and Mirror class.

Motorbikes, which made their first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, do not return in the game. Tricks, which were also introduced in ***Sonic Kart Wii***, still return and can be used with Gliders for more speed. The manual for the game refers to tricks as Jump Boosts. The map is viewed in the bottom screen, but unlike in ***Sonic Kart DS***, the map doesn't display course hazards and obstacles. The Single Player version of VS mode from the other ***Sonic Kart*** games and the mission mode from ***Sonic Kart DS*** are also removed.

## Characters

### **Playable Characters**

* Sonic the Hedgehog
* Miles "Tails" Prower
* Knuckles the Echidna
* Princess Sally Acorn
* Cream the Rabbit
* Shadow the Hedgehog
* Rouge the Bat
* E-123 Omega
* Espio the Chameleon
* Charmy Bee
* Vector the Crocodile
* Blaze the Cat
* Silver the Hedgehog
* Metal Sonic
* Dr. Eggman
* Mii

## Modes

### **Grand Prix**

As usual in the ***Sonic Kart*** series, ***Sonic Kart 7*** has the Grand Prix, where a single player has to compete against computer-controlled opponents in order to obtain the trophies of the eight cups in the game. The Grand Prix has three engine classes: 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc. The higher the engine class, the harder the races will be against the opponents. In this mode, by beating the first cups available, the user unlocks the other cups as well as new elements such as the kart's parts (by collecting rings in each race) or a new playable character. By completing all the engine classes available at the start, the player unlocks the Mirror class.