Some video games have certain levels that players may love or hate. Whether underwater, in the sky, or somewhere in between, these special areas can add fun to the experience or make it more engaging by taking the player out of the ordinary.
Mine card levels, in particular, get mixed reviews, with some really liking them, while others may prefer to hand the controller over to someone else. Whether you need to jump between platforms or attack enemies, these journeys are often action-packed, and they appear in video games more often than some might expect.
Banjo-Tooie
Between finding items and uncovering secrets, it’s easy to forget that Banjo-Tooie even has a mine card level. While exploring the Glitter Gulch mine, you can free Canary Mary from her cage, and then she’ll challenge you to a series of races for prizes. There are two races you can take in the Glitter Gulch Mine before Canary Mary flies off to await a final showdown with you in Cloud Cuckooland. These races may not be as exciting and dangerous as the other levels, but they are still a fun challenge that will help you free the canary from its cage.
Yooka-Laylee
Yooka-Laylee was developed by former Rare team members who worked on games like Banjo-Tooie and Donkey Kong 64, so it’s no surprise that the game has some levels to get through with a mine card. There are five different courses hidden throughout the game, each surrounded by a talking card called Kartos.
One of the most famous of these tracks is the one in the Capital Cashino area, where the fun and colorful background adds an exciting atmosphere to the racing. To complete the challenge, you must collect 150 gems before reaching the finish line.
Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 1
Nearly twenty years after the end of the Sonic & Knuckles series, Sega decided to release a new major entry in the series. The game was released as a digital download for consoles and mobile phones, but only the first two episodes were released before the project was shut down.
Sonic 4 had many interesting ideas, including the use of gyroscope control in the mobile versions. That is, instead of controlling the car directly, you tilt your phone to move the platform and push Sonic in the direction you want. The environment was top notch, but the platforming wasn’t available in the console versions, making it nearly impossible to experience today.
Final fantasy 7 revival
In Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, small moments from the original game are transformed into exciting experiences. For example, on the first trip over the Kuril Mt. Corel, you would have to walk through a short path, but in Rebirth there is a section dedicated to a small game that takes place on a mine card, which affects your relationships with the team members.
At this point, the team splits up with Tifa, Barret, and Yuffie taking over the camper part. Although Tifa doesn’t care which path they take, Barret wants to take a dangerous shortcut, and Yuffie, who suffers from motion sickness, prefers things to go slowly and safely. You have to make a big decision on which path to take, as well as destroy chests along the way as Barret or Yuffie. It’s an experience worth playing at least twice to get all the details.
Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker
When Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker was created for Switch, new features such as cooperative multiplayer and additional levels inspired by Super Mario Odyssey were added, allowing a familiar world to be seen from a new perspective.
One of the best moments in this extensive experience is a first-person mine cart ride through Cascade Kingdom, where you have to collect 320 coins by throwing turnips at them, and there are enemies along the way too. There are also three secret gems that may require a repeat visit to fully discover.
Gears of War
Gears of War set a new standard for third-person shooters with the quality of its story and gameplay. One of the most memorable moments is the trip to the Lethia Imulsion facility, where Marcus Fenix and Dominic Santiago have to ride karts and pass several enemies. This journey is characterized by tension and excitement, as the players are limited to a small space on the rails of the cart heightens the suspense, and the possibility of being exposed to a surprise attack keeps you always alert. . This is considered to be one of the few levels that you can play with a friend if you are going through the story mode cooperatively.
Super Mario RPG game
Super Mario RPG is Mario’s debut in the world of RPG games, as it was first released on the SNES and then re-released with improvements on the Nintendo Switch in 2023. The game is full of all what you would expect from an RPG, such as building your own team and completing side quests and mini-games. After exploring the mines in Moleville, Mario and his friends find the missing children near a mine cart, and jump in to make a quick exit. After that, Mario can go back and replay the mini-game to earn coins.
Stardew Valley
Stardew Valley has something for everyone, whether you’re looking for an engaging farm simulator, an RPG, or an endless game. Stardrop Saloon also has some playable arcade machines with mini games so good they could sell them as a product on their own.
To unlock the Junimo Kart arcade machine, you need to get the Skull Key from the 120th floor in the mines. It takes some time to get to this point, but when you open this mini-game, you will quickly realize how attractive it is. All you have to do is press a button to jump over obstacles and gaps to see if you can get a high score.
Resident evil 4
Resident Evil 4 feels like a roller coaster ride, but it goes further by adding two levels back to back using mine cards. After fighting Dos Gigante in the furnace area, Leon and Luis must jump into a cart and go through dangerous tunnels full of obstacles and enemies.
The first round teaches you how to control the car to keep it from falling off the track and how best to deal with the waves of enemies. In the second round, the difficulty increases with more enemies, including some townspeople with chainsaws that can easily destroy your cart.
Donkey Kong Country
Although there have been mine cart levels in games before Donkey Kong Country, this game on the SNES arguably favors this type of platforming. The first mine cart level in the game: Mine Cart Carnage is often considered one of the best levels in the series or perhaps the reason why some players don’t like Donkey Kong Country.
This challenging and fun level set the standard for what makes a great mine card game experience. There are many other mine card levels in the series, but these are the ones worth returning to again and again.
