What makes the extra music layer start playing in Mario Kart 7

mario-kart-7

Sometimes if I’m in first place during a race in Mario Kart 7, an extra layer of music will start playing. You can hear it start around 2:56 in the video below.

However, the extra layer doesn’t always play when the player is in first. There seems to be an extra requirement needed before the extra layer kicks in.

What causes the extra layer of music to start playing in Mario Kart 7?

Best Answer

There are two extra requirements:

  • Speed. You have to maintain a certain forward velocity for the extra beat to play. I'm not sure what the exact number is, but it's higher than what's possible during a 50cc race, so you can only hear it in 100cc and above.
  • Separation. You have to maintain a certain distance between yourself and the 2nd-place racer. It would be hard to measure this without looking at the game's code.