Mach Rider - Legacy

Legacy

Back in 1972, Mach Rider was originally released as a plastic race car or hot rod toy also by Nintendo that came with a ramp for jumping and a stick shift-like object with three different kinds of meters on it. When the car is placed inside of it, it can be charged up and let loose at high speed.

Later, Mach Rider was released as part of the Nintendo Vs. Series arcade variations. It was essentially a modified version of the Endurance Course from the original game. It included a brief scene that for the first time revealed clearly what Mach Rider looked like. After the player completes all ten courses, it is shown that Mach Rider is a brown-haired woman in a white bikini holding a knife.

While Mach Rider has not gained a true sequel, many elements from the game, such as the futuristic setting, incredible high speeds and aggressive racing have also been used in Nintendo's premiere racing series F-Zero, making it somewhat of a spiritual sequel to Mach Rider. Even the character Mach Rider himself bears some similarity to the hero of the F-Zero series, Captain Falcon.

In the Super Smash Bros. series there were some Mach Rider references. Starting with Super Smash Bros. Melee, Nintendo's crossover fighting game has a remix medley of the Mach Rider soundtrack, including the title screen music, track selection music, stage music and game over jingle. This music is used as alternate music on the F-Zero themed stage called Big Blue, further reinforcing the connection between the two series. There is a Trophy of Mach Rider that can be earned, which shows Mach Rider in great detail on his motorcycle. The Trophy entry, which gives additional information about the plot of the game reads:

After the destruction of his home town, Mach Rider jumped onto his machine-gun-equipped combat motorcycle and set off in search of a new home, destroying all the Quadrunners who got in his way. His motorcycle had four gears and endless ammunition. When hit, Mach Rider would break into fragments and then rejoin together.

In Super Smash Bros. Brawl, the Mach Rider became one of the game's many Stickers, while the remix medley from Super Smash Bros. Melee returned, only this time to the F-Zero-themed stage, "Port Town: Aero Dive", rather than Big Blue.

In WarioWare: Twisted!, one of the many microgames is based on Mach Rider.