Dry Bones Kart Wii is a racing game for the Wii console. It is the sixth installment in the main Dry Bones Kart series and the eighth overall. Dry Bones Kart Wii includes new features such as new race courses along with other courses that appeared in past Dry Bones Kart games, like its predecessor Dry Bones Kart DS. It features both classic and new Dry Bones Kart characters and items, as well as an increased number of players for the races. Dry Bones Kart Wii also introduces the use of bikes that vary in capabilities along with the traditional karts. Game modes are also present such as the Grand Prix, Versus, Battle, and Time Trial, many of them made use of the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection before its discontinuation for worldwide online play.
A Wii Wheel is included in most Dry Bones Kart Wii packages, though the game is still compatible with other controllers such as a regular Wii Remote held sideways, the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the Nintendo GameCube controller, and the Classic Controller and Classic Controller Pro.
This game requires 23 blocks of storage on the player's Wii system to save game data. Also, the game data cannot be copied onto another Wii. The game also includes its own Wii Channel, called the Mario Kart Channel, which allows players to play in special tournaments and trade their racing profile with other players around the world. This channel uses 74 to 88 blocks (depending on the game's region), but unlike the game data, players can copy the channel onto their SD cards.
Dry Bones Kart Wii, unlike the preceding Dry Bones Kart games, has twelve players present in normal races instead of eight. All twelve racers head to the finish in a multi-lap race around a given circuit. Along the way, players may employ items, utilize techniques, and take shortcuts to earn first place.
With over 56 million copies of the game sold, Dry Bones Kart Wii is the best-selling fanon Wii game and the best-selling Dry Bones game for the Wii console.
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection was terminated by Nintendo starting on May 20th, 2014, therefore making it no longer available to play Dry Bones Kart Wii (as well as Dry Bones Kart DS and other games that support WFC) online.
While every previous Dry Bones Kart game allowed for a maximum of twelve racers on each course, up to sixteen are on the course at a time in Dry Bones Kart Wii.
In Dry Bones Kart Wii, players can select sixteen types of vehicles (eight karts and eight bikes) for each of the three classes. Vehicle selection varies depending on the character's size class, and color schemes for available vehicles also vary depending on the character selected.
A major departure from prior games is the change of the drifting system. Performing a Mini-Turbo depends on how long players can hold the button for drifting and the angle at which they drift. Drifting can be used strategically and involves managing the drifts to avoid losing speed. It is also unique that there are two drift modes (Automatic and Manual).
Players are now able to perform tricks as part of the gameplay. When drivers perform a trick and land successfully, they gain a momentary boost of speed. Tricks consist of mid-air acrobatics and are performed by shaking the Wii Wheel upward, shaking the Wii Remote in the Wii Remote + Nunchuk combo, pressing the +Control Pad on the Classic Controller, or pressing the +Control Pad on the GameCube controller.
Players can now look backwards while pressing the A Button button.
Motorbikes are introduced in this game. Miss P, Miss D, Miss R, and other female characters wear an alternate outfit while driving motorbikes, as opposed to their traditional dresses while riding karts, possibly due to the fact that it would be very difficult to ride a motorbike while wearing a dress. Although Wario does have a biker outfit of his own from the WarioWare series, he does not wear it when driving motorbikes and he still wears his classic outfit while driving motorbikes.
Special Items which were introduced in Dry Bones Kart: Double Dash!!, are not featured in the game. Overall, Dry Bones Kart Wii is based heavily on Dry Bones Kart DS and has some influence from Dry Bones Kart: Double Dash!!.
Dry Bones Kart Wii features a text chat in Online Multiplayer Mode when racing or battling against Friends. Users can send pre-written phrases to other users before the series of races starts. However, there is no facility for a user to type custom messages.
Another new change is the point system used for Grand Prix races. With twelve racers competing in each race, the point value has increased. The following chart shows the difference of the point spreads from previous games to this installment.
Point Spread Comparisons (GP)
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
12th
13th
14th
15th
16th
Super Dry Bones Kart Dry Bones Kart 64 Dry Bones Kart: Super Circuit
15
12
9
6
3
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
-
-
-
-
Dry Bones Kart: Double Dash!! Dry Bones Kart DS
20
18
15
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Dry Bones Kart Wii
20
18
15
13
12
11
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
Grove-green bg signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), best after-race music Yellow-limegreen bg signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction), same music in Wi-Fi as winner (different in MKDS GP) Normal bg signifies losing results, losing music; - means not available In Super Dry Bones Kart, and Dry Bones Kart: Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer fares this badly four times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Dry Bones Kart 64, Dry Bones Kart: Double Dash!! and other installments after that game, 7th or worse (9th or worse for this game) forces the player to retry the race, but without the restrictions on how many times the player can retry a race.
Dry Bones Kart Wii includes three new items: the Mega Mushroom, POW Block, and Lightning Cloud. Items can be earned by driving through Item Boxes on the courses, just like in previous games. Once a player has done so, an item will be selected via the Item Roulette. Players can use items by pressing +Control Pad left. In general, players tend to obtain a weak item such as a Banana Peel or a Green Shell when they are in first. However, if players are in a lower place, they obtain a slightly more powerful item such as a Red Shell or Lightning Bolt is more frequent. Usually, the lower the place of the player, the rarer and more powerful the item they get. Starmen, Mega Mushrooms, and Bullet Bill are examples of powerful items as they provide speed boosts and invincibility. This is the only game in the Dry Bones Kart series where the drivers do not vocally react to getting inked by a Blooper.
Items with an asterisk (*) signify this item's last appearance in the Dry Bones Kart series (only appearance for new items).
The driver grows bigger, which allows them to squash other racers by running over them, making them lose their items and slow down for a moment. The Mega Mushroom makes the racer invincible to all attacks except those from Stars, Bullet Bills, and Bloopers. It allows the user destroy items and course obstacles and gives the driver a speed boost. In addition, the player can go off-road without suffering any effect of slowing down. The effect lasts for 7.5 seconds but will be ended prematurely if the player is hit by a Lightning Bolt.
A POW block appears onscreen and causes any racer on the ground ahead of the user to spin out and drop their items. Players who deploy the wheelie button get a milder version of the effect.
A Lightning Cloud hovers over the recipient and strikes it with lightning after ten seconds. The user shrinks to a very small size for 10 seconds, driving more slowly. Before this happens, the user has higher speed and acceleration while not losing speed when driving off-road, and may pass the cloud to an opponent by bumping into them.
A POW Question block appears onscreen, flips any racer on the ground ahead of the user, and causes them to drop their items. Players who deploy the wheelie button get a milder version of the effect.
Triple Mushrooms
Gives players three Mushrooms, which give separate boosts. It is the default item in Time Trial mode.
This item imitates an Item Box, but is colored red and has an upside down question mark. It causes opponents to flip over once hit. It cannot block item attacks.
When drivers run into a Banana, it causes them to slip and slow down. It can also be held behind the player's vehicle to block attacks from shells and other vehicles.
A blue shell that flies directly to the racer in first place and explodes like a Bob-omb.
Star
The driver obtains total invincibility for 7.5 seconds, allowing them to knock over items, course obstacles, and other players on contact. Also, the driver receives a speed boost and the power to drive off-road with no speed loss. Racers that are hit will lose all items in their possession.
Lightning strikes every racer ahead of the user, causing them to spin out, drop their items and shrink to very small size, driving more slowly. This item takes no effect on racers with invincibility items activated. The effects wear off from lowest place to first. Any users with the Mega Mushroom in effect shrink to normal size.
Squirts ink on any racer ahead of the user, partially obscuring vision. It eventually wears off, but can be immediately removed by a speed boost from a mushroom or boost tile, etc.
Transforms the racer into a large bullet bill, which rockets down the entire track at very high speeds on auto-pilot. The Bullet Bill provides total invincibility and will knock over any item, any course hazard and any player that is in the way, making them lose or drop all their items.
Characters
Many characters return from previous installments. There are also some new characters, like Baby Thunder Daisy, the rest of the Koopalings, and Lakithunder.
The POW Question Block was going to reappear in this game, and its model still exists in the game's files. The Spiny Bombshell was also going to debut in this game, but it gets the role in the next installment. If hacked, then both of these items will be in the game.
