Mach Rider Strategy Guide
Around 20 years ago, I heard about a hidden power-up in Mach Rider. The method to unlock it wasn't clear, I only got it once, and the source disappeared offline. Since then, the number of questions I had about this game has gone up, while answers remained elusive.
Mach Rider is well-known on a superficial level. A brutally difficult motorcycle combat game packaged with some "fun facts": Did you know the game is named after a 1972 Nintendo toy? And that Mach Rider is secretly a lady?
No game deserves to be remembered only through the lens of stale trivia and a trophy in Super Smash Bros. Melee. This guide is my effort to make sure Mach Rider the game is part of its own legacy.
~Fryguy64~
Mach Rider (NES) Index
In the year 2112, a motorbike-riding vigilante stands alone against an army of evil enemy invaders. Travel from sector to sector, blasting the invaders, dodging road obstacles and surviving the deadly slip zones. Safely reach each city in your search for survivors. You are Mach Rider!
How to Play
Game Modes
Other information
- Revision A
- Find out more about the 1972 Mach Rider toy at the Before Mario Blog
VS. Mach Rider (Arcade) Index
Two arcade versions of Mach Rider were released for the Nintendo VS. Multisystem cabinet. One was based on the Fighting Course mode and the other on the Endurance Course mode. While similar to the NES version, there are several significant differences worth looking at.
Further help
While this guide was being written, even more questions presented themselves to which we were unable to find answers. If you are in a position to help answer any of them, please contact NinDB.
NES Version
- Is there a technique for staying at top speed on the ice without power-ups? If so, is Solo Course beatable?
- What are the differences between the original release and Revision A that means gameplay can't sync up?
Arcade Versions
- Is there a method for getting any of the power-ups?
- Is there any significance to the roadside barrels occasionally doubling up or being replaced by rocks?
- What are the conditions for "Bonus Time" to be added in Endurance Course Version?
