Nintendo preservation website Forest of Illusion has acquired the "infamous" Mario Kart XXL tech demo - a pitch by Denaris Entertainment Software for the Game Boy Advance, dating back to April 2004. It's now been made available to download.
The German development studio (founded by Turrican creator Manfred Trenz) originally showcased the game and its "dynamic and adjustable perspective view engine featuring dual playfields" to Nintendo of Europe. The demo is made up of a single track using Mario Kart assets and features BGM from a PlayStation racer called Moorhuhn Kart, which Denaris also helped develop.
Interestingly, this Mario Kart demo began life as a racing game called 'R3D-Demo'. The same developer eventually went on to release a Game Boy Advance kart racer based on the CGI-animated character Crazy Frog. Yikes!
You can get a more detailed history and look at Mario Kart XXL along with the R3D-Demo on the Hard4Games YouTube:
What do you think of this slice of kart racing history for Game Boy Advance? Comment below.
[source forestillusion.com, via youtu.be]
Comments 18
Reminds of that supre mayro krat game
It looks like a doll version of Mario like Luigi! Super doll kart!
Weird that they were never able to use that tech in a game, it looks pretty good for GBA. The Crazy Frog game doesn't look to be using the same tech though which is also weird.
Despite how nice it looks though I don't know how they ever thought they could convince Nintendo to let them develop the next Mario Kart.
@mystman12 I never expected you, the creator of Baldi, to comment here!
Unironically looks like it would've been a better game than Super Circuit.
Looks hideous i must say. Super circuit was a fun game
@MinionsBanana He's been a regular on this site for years! I befriended him on this site back in 2015, before he ever developed Baldi's Basics. Great guy!
I like when these ppl who wont share their games online dont get their way
@BASEDSAKRI I heard it was the same guy who refused to release years back. Guess he had a change of heart
Fun fact: Trenz’s company name, Denaris Entertainment Software, is a throwback to when his original studio Rainbow Arts coded a direct ripoff of R•Type on the C64. Originally called Katakis before being yanked, it eventually reappeared as… Denaris.
Rainbow Arts were also behind Great Giana Sisters back in the day. Wonder what happened to them…
@Coffeemonster Rainbow Arts were only the publisher.
The actual people behind the game were Armin Gessert, Manfield Trenz and Chris Huelsbeck.
Gessert went on to found Spellbound Entertainment who put out Desperados 1 & 2 and later on did a very underrated Giana Sisters DS. He died in 2009. Spellbound became Black Forest games and did Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams, one of the best 2D platformers of the last decade. They hadnt done much of note since, een the Giana follow ups were lacking. They erm also bought back Bubsy...but recently bought back Destroy All Humans.
Trenz was responsible for the excellent Turrican series and sone other great games but then had to take contract work to make ends meet. He was also behind Giana DS and then quit the industry sadly.
Hülsbeck is one of the industries greatest game music composer. His work on the Turrican games is outstanding.
So yeah they did more than a actually very good and well made Mario clone.
The double layer mode 7 was used in later F Zeros on GBA. I m not sure about maximum velocity, but in the two last games they used that kind of graphics
It was always amazing to see some devs pull off very early basic 3D on that console. Shows how the GBA was sort of bridging the gap to 3D handheld gaming, back when that was a novelty.
Konami Krazy Racers already has dynamic and adjustable perspectives, and it was a GBA launch title!
@mystman12 It worked for Velan Studios
Comic Sans as the menu is top shelf
Mario looking absolutely tip-top here.
@Geonjaha you're kidding, right?
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