Discover all the hidden secrets in Mario Kart 64, including how to unlock Extra Mode, Time Trial Ghosts, and more. Become a true Mario Kart master!
Although it's no Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (or Super Circuit, for that matter), Mario Kart 64 has a few secrets to keep players busy. None of them are that easy to unlock, although they range from medium difficulty to nearly impossible. Here they are.
Extra Mode
What could be more challenging than 150 cc? How about 150 cc with everything reversed? Extra Mode is a new option when selecting a cc to play on, and it is basically 150 cc with everything that used to go right going left and vice versa. It's quite challenging, really. To unlock it, beat (that is, get the Gold Cup) each cup of 150 cc - Mushroom, Flower, Star, and Special.
Note: When you unlock Extra Mode, the title screen changes. Whereas it used to show Wario, Mario, and Bowser front and center, it now has a side view that shows other character who weren't show before (primarily, Donkey Kong and Luigi).
Time Trial Ghosts
By getting very good times on Luigi Raceway, Mario Raceway, and Royal Raceway, you can unlock ghosts for that track. These ghosts mean business, my friend. They are extremely tough (more so than unlocking them is), and beating those ghosts makes you a true Mario Kart master. Here are the times you must get for each course to unlock them for that course.
- Luigi Raceway: 1'52"00
- Mario Raceway: 1'30"00
- Royal Raceway: 2'40"00
Interestingly, if you press R on the title screen, your fastest time for Mario Raceway will show up. Mario truly is the star of the show.
Losers Bomb Out
This isn't a secret per se, but it is pretty cool. If you come in fourth place overall (this is harder to do than it sounds. You can't continue in the race if you come in 5th or worse (you'll have to retry), which means you'll probably have to get exactly 4th for each race. Anyways, coming in fourth shows an award ceremony with failure music. And then you are struck by a Bob-omb. Ha, ha! Just like in real life... But, if you make it to first, second, or third, you can briefly see the fourth place racer to the side before you rise up on your pedestal.
Those are all of the general secrets (I did not include ones like glitch shortcuts or the Mushroom Castle in Royal Raceway).
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