What Does the L Button Do in Mario Kart?

Pressing the L button toggles the rear view camera angle in Mario Kart games, allowing you to look behind your kart. This simple feature opens up a host of strategic opportunities once mastered.

The Evolution of Mario Kart Rear Views

Rear viewing in Mario Kart has come a long way since the early days. The first game on SNES had no look behind feature at all. Gamers demanded it and the next iteration, Mario Kart 64, delivered with a look behind button to see racers tailing you.

This early implementation, however, was rigid and limited. Your view switched from forward to behind with no in-between. You were blind to approaching dangers ahead while reversing too. Still, it beat driving deaf and blind.

Developers Nintendo and Bandai Namco have refined rear views steadily with each Mario Kart release:

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe stands as the current pinnacle evolution with both flexible viewing angles and novices in mind.

Gamers have not been shy sharing their passion (and frustrations) mastering these features over the years:

"Learning to quickly check behind me without crashing was a right of passage."

"That feeling when you blind shell snipe someone with a well timed L press brings me back every time!"

"Smart steering is a bit cheating but I can finally beat my friends now, so I‘ll take it."

Why Use Rear Views in Mario Kart?

Glancing back while speeding forward sounds like risky business. Here are tactical reasons it pays to take your eyes off the road:

See Track Hazards Early

Many Mario Kart tracks have blind jumps, hidden item boxes, alternate routes. Catching a quick peak of what lies ahead from a rival‘s point of view can save you from surprises.

Block & Dodge Attacks

If you hear the beepingindicator of an incoming red shell, well-timed rear check letsyou spot, drift or hop to safety. Similarly, you can block trailing ghosts or strategically time banana drops.

Study Opponent‘s Racing Lines

Where turns are best clipped? Any shortcuts being exploited? You can learn alternate lines that shave precious mili-seconds off lap times.

Set Up Drift Chains

Experts combine L button peeks with long drift chains to rack up turbo boosts out of sight then shock opponents as they blow past. This needs perfect awareness and timing to pull off without crashing.

Assess Race Standings

In later laps, verifying who is leading or fallen behind can help decide when to use key items. Do you go for broke with that blue shell or preserve it?

L Button Tactics and Techniques

Let‘s dig into some key maneuvers to win races leveraging the L button vantage point:

The Bait & Switch

Fake letting an opponent pass you then nail them with a power up weapon. Convincing acting is key to not arouse early suspicion.

The Backwards Bomb

Master dropping banana peels accurately while driving in reverse. In Mirror mode especially, this catches many off guard.

The 180 Drift Bomb

Sharply drift 180 mid-race for a surprise shelling or item toss leaving no reaction time. Must be executed flawlessly at top speeds.

The Blind Spot

Hide in an opponent‘s rear blind spot then pass them up with a mushroom turbo just before the finish line. Often leads to rage quits!

L Button Usage Statistics

How often do Mario Kart players actually look backwards while speeding forwards? High level player Habako tracks detailed Mario Kart statistics on his YouTube channel.

His sample of over 75 Cup races in Mario Kart 8 shows:

• 15% camera time spent in rear view on average
• But as high as 25% for courses with many hazards like Shell Cup
• Top players leverage rear view 10% more than novice players
• Smart steering reduces average rear view usage by 3-5%

So 1 in every 6 seconds backing up the track statistics seems common among serious racers. This confirms many subtle tactical checks to gather intel happen behind the scenes.

The Rise of Smart Steering

Veteran Mario Kart players may scoff at the newest "Smart Steering" assist feature as beginner training wheels. But it has succeeded at making Mario Kart more accessible to new and younger players.

My niece Amy, 8, never could quite coordinate drift boosts while avoiding track edges. This led to much frustration (and a few rage quits I quietly undid to hide controller marks on the wall!).

After discovering smart steering, she is overjoyed at finishing races with me now. This has done wonders for her confidence and not getting as much "Amy, no!" from her parents seeing the TV wobble precariously. I‘ve also noticed she checks behind her more often, perhaps feeling safer or more free to take her eyes off the road.

And I have to admit, as a battle-hardened veteran I‘ve surprised myself leaning on smart steering as a crutch at 200cc when things get intense. Don‘t judge until you‘ve been blue shelled by 4 Grandmas in a row! While it lowers top speed slightly, this autopilot lets me focus on fine tuning the best mix of items and attacks.

After over 30 years of evolutionary improvements, the humble L button offers Mario Kart players of all ages a chance to glimpse competitive edgewith the past still sight unseen. Enjoy the rear view because the race is always heading somewhere exciting!