Fan mods for Mario Kart 8 aren’t uncommon, and neither are mods dropping the world of 1 sport into the engine of one other. However there’s one thing particular about this Zelda: Ocarina of Time-themed mod which recreates the Hyrule of Nintendo’s 1998 basic as a course for the smash hit kart racer.
What’s putting about the mod, by RiazorMC — which has captured the hearts of the Zelda subreddit — isn’t simply the genuine look of the fashions and textures. It’s the way in which it recreates the precise geography of Ocarina’s Hyrule too, turning the sport’s journey fields right into a form of open-world rally course, with every lap taking you to totally different iconic places.
The race begins on the mouth of the Deku Tree, earlier than heading via Kokiri Forest on the way in which to Hyrule Discipline, blasting previous Hyrule Fortress and Lon Lon Ranch, and looping via the desert canyons and ruins of Gerudo’s Fortress on the primary lap. Then it’s off to Lake Hylia in lap 2, and again throughout Hyrule Discipline earlier than a punishing, twisty ascent via Kakariko Village and up Dying Mountain in lap 3.
I like how seamlessly the sport’s places have been blended collectively, and the way they’re all precisely the place you’ll anticipate finding them on the map; it appears like it might be enjoyable to discover in free-roam, simply navigating from reminiscence. The course additionally has an appropriately maze-like really feel, laden with secret shortcuts, and it appears like fairly the technical racing problem (try the evil hairpin bend on the Dying Mountain ascent). Nevertheless, because it lacks the clear flip indicators and monitor signage of an official Mario Kart course, it might be extraordinarily tough to comply with for actual.
Sadly, we’re unlikely to get an opportunity to attempt — a Redditor notes that RiazorMC by no means releases their mods. Which, contemplating how litigious Nintendo may be about fan use of its properties, might be for the very best.