SNL gives Mario Kart a gritty HBO series

Ever on the pulse of what’s hot in pop culture, Saturday Night Live has presented a trailer for what looks to be the most badass video game adaptation of all time. Playing off of the success of HBO’s The Last of Us, SNL put out a fake promo for a gritty take on Mario Kart on this weekend’s episode.

In the mock SNL Mario Kart promo, host Pedro Pascal (who plays Joel on The Last of Us) portrays Mario, tracked down with the task of delivering “important cargo” Princess Peach to Rainbow Road (the payment being coins, naturally). “We’ll never make it on foot,” he says, before revving up his trademark go-kart with the princess by his side. Pascal is on point throughout–even John Leguizamo might like this casting…

As the two make their journey to Rainbow Road, they drive through an apocalyptic wasteland cluttered with easter eggs, like Bowser’s battleship, Petey Piranha, the Princess’s castle, and more. And yes, they encounter a shotgun-wielding Luigi, ready to help them on their journey. There, too, is Yoshi (now bisexual for some reason), Toad (also bisexual…maybe they’re together?) and big bad Bowser (totally straight). The clever SNL Mario Kart promo also plays off of the sheer difficulty of dodging a red shell when you have no defensive items in your arsenal. Addressing concerns of their dangerous journey, Peach grimly asks, “What if we crash?” Mario calmly replies, “A little guy in a cloud comes and uses a fishing pole to put you back on the road.”

Unfortunately, SNL’s grim reboot of Mario Kart we so desperately need–more than a Bullet Bill when in 10th place–is just a parody. But it can at least hold us over until Wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass arrives on Nintendo Switch, presumably sometime in March or April. And of course there is the animated The Super Mario Bros. Movie set for April 7th.

SNL did such an impressive job on their Mario Kart spoof that we hope they tackle other Nintendo properties. Come on, Lorne, give us Donkey Kong in a Vietnam-era jungle or Star Fox shooting down Chinese spy balloons!

What do you think of SNL’s gritty Mario Kart trailer? Do you still play Mario Kart? Let us know below!