A blue shell two corners from the finish line, and a 3DS that nearly flies across the room.

The profile reads easily. Controller feel explodes, ahead of 96% of games, which says plenty about a handling model you understand within one lap. Fun follows, ahead of 85% of titles, and connection ahead of nearly three quarters. The soundtrack stays solid, above two thirds. Where it slips is art direction, ahead of only a third of games, and the desert island falling back near average. There is the tension: people love holding it, they do not look at it as a work of art, and they hesitate to take it away alone.

That fits what a portable Mario Kart is. The style is the series style, familiar, with no ambition to surprise, and the game comes alive with other people, local or online. Alone in an empty room, it loses half its flavor. Vote counts are still small, a handful per criterion, so the picture will sharpen.

So, who is it for? For you if you want immediate pleasure, short races and loud evenings. Much less so if you want a visual shock or a game to savor on your own.