Fan mods for mario kart 8 are not rare, nor do mods drop the world of one game into the engine of another. But this has something special Zelda: Ocarina of Timethemed mod that recreates the Hyrule from Nintendo’s 1998 classic as a track for the high-speed kart racer.
What is remarkable about it the mod, by RiazorMC – who has won the hearts of the Zelda subreddit — isn’t just the authentic look of the models and textures. It’s the way it’s the actual geography of Ocarina‘s Hyrule too, turning the game’s adventure fields into an open-world rally course of sorts, taking you to different iconic locations each lap.
The race starts at the mouth of the Deku Tree, before passing through Kokiri Forest on the way to Hyrule Field, blasting past Hyrule Castle and Lon Lon Ranch and winding through the desert canyons and ruins of Gerudo’s Fortress on the first lap. Then it’s off to Lake Hylia on Lap 2 and back across Hyrule Field for a tough, twisty climb through Kakariko Village and up Death Mountain on Lap 3.
I love how seamlessly the game’s locations are put together and how they’re all exactly where you’d expect them to be on the map; it looks like it would be fun to explore in free-roam, just navigating from memory. The track also has a suitably maze-like feel, loaded with secret shortcuts, and it looks like quite a technical racing challenge (check out the evil hairpin on the Death Mountain climb). However, since it lacks the clear turn signals and signage of an official Mario Kart track, it would be extremely difficult to follow in real life.
Unfortunately, it’s unlikely we’ll get a chance to try it – a Redditor Notes that RiazorMC never releases their mods. Which, given how litigious Nintendo can be about fans’ use of its properties, is probably for the best.