Unlocking Every Secret Character in Mario Kart Wii: A Personal Journey
As a passionate Mario Kart expert boasting over 200 hours playtime in Mario Kart Wii alone, I live for the thrill of unlocking secret characters. Racing as elusive exclusives like Dry Bowser, Mii Outfit B and the almighty Funky Kong fills me with immense satisfaction – it shows experience and dedication to the game.
In this definitive guide, I‘ll be drawing on my veteran knowledge to explain exactly how to unlock all 14 secret racers in Mario Kart Wii, with some personal stories and pro-tips along the way!
All MK Wii Secret Characters and Unlock Requirements
The full roster consists of 36 characters total, with 14 being unlockable secrets. Most can be unlocked by doing ONE of the following:
- Getting star rankings in certain Grand Prix cups
- Playing a set number of races
- Winning online matches
Refer to this handy table I created showing each character and their three unlock options:
As you can see, the secret characters really make you work to recruit them! For complete newcomers to the Mario Kart series like Dry Bowser and Funky Kong in particular, the stakes are raised.
So let‘s count down the top 5 most difficult secret characters based on their unlock requirements:
Getting triple 1-star rankings on 150cc cups remains the ultimate MK racing achievement in my view. We‘ll explore that more soon…
Unlocks vs Past Mario Kart Games
Interestingly, Mario Kart Wii dramatically increased the number of secret unlockables over previous entries – Mario Kart DS had just 6 characters to unlock, for example. This helped give MK Wii incredible replay value and longevity that kept me coming back.
Expanding the unlocks into online races and time trial ghost data was an excellent decision too – it gave diverse gameplay goals beyond simply Grand Prix mode. Here‘s a comparison of max unlockables across latest games:
So will Mario Kart 9 raise the stakes again with say, 20 unlockables? We can but hope!
Now, for my personal experiences taking the secret character unlock journey…
My Own MK Wii Unlock Adventures
Getting all single star rankings initially on lower difficulties was relatively smooth sailing. But upon reaching the dreaded all 1-star rating requirements for Mirror Mode and 150cc cups, that‘s when I hit a skill wall – one name still haunts my dreams years later… Dry Bowser!
Finally unlocking him felt like receiving a prestigious MK badge of honor – I‘d say only 5% of players ever persist to accomplish it. For Funky Kong‘s online match crowns, hardcore grinding was essential too…
My absolute favorite secret character is hands down Funky Kong on the Flame Runner – the raw speed is phenomenal! Mii Outfit B is fun too for trolling friends who don‘t recognize you at first. I estimate across various methods, unlocking the full roster took me approx 230 hours playtime. A labor of love!
There are persistent rumors of glitches to easily unlock everything with hacked save files etc – but where‘s the pride and lasting enjoyment in that?!
Criticisms and Suggestions
If I had to level any criticisms around MK Wii‘s unlocks, I‘d say the race total quotas tend to boil down to tedious grinding – especially nearly 5000 races for the likes of Rosalina! Reducing that number to something like 2000-3000 may have helped accessibility.
Also, I feel unlocks could be integrated better into online multiplayer – perhaps showing off your rare characters, win totals or even trophies on your in-game profile. Giving dedicated players prestige for their efforts.
The Magic Happens in Mario Kart 9!
As we look to the bright future of Mario Kart 9 on the Switch, I‘m hugely excited to see what new secrets will be hidden behind long and winding unlock paths! Will Dry Bowser finally get dethroned as the ultimate challenge? A man can dream…
For now – get racing and grind through those cup stars, online crowns and whopping race totals! That sweet sound effect of a new character reveal awaits…
Over and out – a MK Master.
