A Meeting of the Mines

Minecarts can be found in many different Zelda games, but the ones from The Minish Cap are the most fun by far. The Cave of Flames features several carts to ride in, and they move along at breakneck speeds. When they start rolling, Link’s head is thrown back and he’s forced to hold on for dear life. Our hero screams like a child on a rollercoaster, and he’s completely taken aback by the speed. It’s almost like there are rockets attached to the carts! The sections of tracks aren’t especially lengthy, but they allow Link to enter rooms that would otherwise be inaccessible. You also need to exercise a bit of strategy before jumping into a cart. There are a couple of instances where Link has to re-direct the minecart tracks by activating switches. At other points, he needs to figure out how to flip overturned carts before he can ride in them. The minecart sections from Skyward Sword were more creative, but The Minish Cap provided more of an adrenaline rush – even if it was short-lived.

During the second reel of Viewtiful Joe 2, you’ll take a trip through underground ruins in a rusty minecart. You’ll need to dodge the occasional bolder along the way, but it’s a relatively straightforward journey at first. Things get more interesting during the boss battle, however. The boss in question is a drill sergeant named Big John who just so happens to be a dinosaur. Big John has the ability to breathe fire and rides along the tracks in an army tank, but he mostly attacks by throwing barrels. (I’ll assume that he was inspired by Donkey Kong.) His patterns are simple and your minecart will inexplicably jump whenever you do, so it’s not too difficult to avoid attacks. The track layout couldn’t be much more linear and you’ll probably make quick work of Big John, but there was no way I was going to overlook Viewtiful Joe 2. Minecart stages are usually action-packed by default, so you can imagine how exciting things get when you throw superheroes, dinosaurs, and army tanks into the mix.

World of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck can be played solo, but some of the areas can only be accessed with a second player. The Treasure Mine is one of the stages that can only be played in co-op mode, and it requires players to work with each other to operate a manually-powered trolley cart. The cart works like a traditional handcar, but Mickey and Donald have to jump on each side of the handle instead of relying on a simple hand pump. The two characters have to alternate their jumps to power the cart through the mine, but this is easier than it sounds. Rocks will fall from above and bridges will crumble below you, so you’ll need to get your timing right if you want to escape with your life. The entire ride will only last about a minute (if you know what you’re doing), but you have to admire the creative approach. It feels radically different from everything else on this list.

The thrilling minecart sequence from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the highlight of the film, and it helped inspire many of the entries on this list. Atari’s 1985 arcade game tried to reproduce the movie’s most iconic scenes, so it’s not surprising that the minecart chase was prominently featured. The second stage in the game sees Indy riding in a minecart and racing to the temple’s entrance. The mines are filled with dead ends and missing rails, and you frequently have to tilt your cart on the tracks to avoid obstacles. You’ll also have to outrun enemies or find ways to overturn their carts. Indy’s trademark whip is extremely helpful in this regard, and you’ll be able to attack in all directions. You won’t always be able to hit your target directly, but you can cause a lot of damage by whipping barrels of gasoline at your opponents. Like the movie it was based on, the minecart chase was the most exciting part of the game. It also happens to be one of the earliest examples of a great minecart level, and this list wouldn’t feel complete without it.

After venturing deep into a coal mine near the town of Moleville, Mario and his friends exit the caves by taking a ride in a minecart. Most of the course uses a pseudo-3D perspective, but the game occasionally switches to a side-scrolling 2D view to keep things interesting. The tracks are a mess of hairpin turns and right angles, and you have to wonder why any engineer would ever sign off on such a ridiculous project. It may not be the most efficient design, but it makes for an entertaining ride. Mario has to slow down for corners and lean into his turns, and he’ll fall off the rails if he’s going too fast. At the same time, he’s encouraged to complete the course as fast as possible. He’ll even be able to collect speed boost mushrooms along the way. Your first run through Moleville Mountain is mandatory, but you’ll have the option to re-visit the mines later on. It’s an easy way to earn extra coins, and you can gain even more money by beating your best time. Minecart rides are usually dangerous excursions, but Super Mario RPG treats them like a minigame and encourages you to take multiple trips through the mines.

Armadillos are known to burrow underground, so it’s only fitting that Armored Armadillo would use a mine as his home turf. His level is inhabited by robot miners and robot bats, but they’ll barely impede your progress. At several points during the stage, you’ll have the opportunity to ride on unconventional minecarts. These carts have large spikes on either side, and they will obliterate anything in their path. Most minecart stages encourage players to avoid enemies, but Mega Man X let’s you plow right through them! The minecart sections are relatively short and they don’t provide much of a challenge, but you’ve gotta appreciate the sense of speed if nothing else. Armored Armadillo’s stage is one of the most entertaining levels in the entire Mega Man series, and the game gives you plenty of reasons to re-visit it. Whether you’re farming for extra lives or trying to earn the elusive Hadoken upgrade, you’ll spend a lot of time riding around on the deadly minecarts.

I can’t decide if Resident Evil 4 is a traditional survival-horror game or a straight-up action game, but I maintain that the minecart section feels like a rail shooter. (In most rail shooters, you progress through the levels on invisible rails, but Resident Evil 4 takes this concept literally.) Leon Kennedy stumbles upon the mine while exploring underground tunnels, and he soon finds himself in the middle of yet another intense shootout. After the carts begin to roll, legions of infected villagers will attempt to pile in. It’s difficult to eliminate enemies when they’re in adjacent carts, and the chainsaw-wielding zealots are especially problematic. The track is lined with scaffolding, so your best bet is to shoot your enemies from a distance before they can get the drop on you. As if the ride wasn’t dangerous enough, you’ll also have to blast through wooden beams that block the tracks. Things become even more perilous when the carts start rolling down hill. Eventually, you’ll be moving so fast that you won’t be able to aim properly! Before it’s over, you’ll be forced to jump out of the cart before it crashes off a cliff in dramatic fashion. It’s a bumpy ride from beginning to end, but that’s Resident Evil 4 in a nutshell.

Nintendo gets a lot of flack for re-releasing Wii U games on other platforms, but I maintain that games like Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker deserve a chance to reach a wider audience. Most of the game’s levels would fall into the action-puzzle genre, but the minecart sections play out like rail shooters. (You can even play them from a first-person view.) During these stages, Toad and Toadette try to collect as much treasure as possible while arming themselves with a limitless supply of turnips. The vegetables can break through bricks and eliminate enemies, and they can even retrieve precious gems somehow. The game features several minecart stages, but the “Mine Cart Cascade Crusade” is the most spectacular. This stage is based on the Cascade Kingdom from Super Mario Odyssey, and it can only be found in the 3DS and Switch ports. Minecart stages are often difficult or downright frustrating, but Captain Toad moves along at a more leisurely pace. The minecart has no brakes and the ride feels like a rollercoaster at times, but you’ll still have ample time to admire the view. On that note, “Mine Cart Cascade Crusade” is breathtakingly beautiful, and I was taken aback by how amazing the waterfalls looked. I was a huge fan of Super Mario Odyssey, so it was nice to be given a closer look at one of the game’s most iconic stages.

Donkey Kong Country wasn’t the first game to feature a minecart stage, but “Mine Cart Carnage” still felt fresh and exciting. Its industrial theme was radically different from the jungle-based stages that proceeded it, and it was more fun than a barrel of monkeys. The music was incredibly tense, the screeching sound of metal-on-metal made everything seem more dangerous, and the layout of the stage forced you to rely on reflexes. At its core, “Mine Cart Carnage” plays exactly like an endless runner. Jumping over enemies and obstacles seems easy enough, but it’s difficult to control your speed since the minecart rails are filled with peaks and valleys. The momentum shifts make you feel like you’re on a carnival ride, so it was a natural evolution when roller coasters replaced the minecarts in the sequel. There are two minecart stages in Donkey Kong Country and several more in Donkey Kong Country Returns and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. “Mine Cart Carnage” isn’t the most thrilling or dramatic minecart stage in the series, but you never forget your first.

Gunstar Heroes secured the top spot on our list of the best Genesis games of all time, and the underground mine is arguably the highlight of the entire game. As you venture beneath the surface, enemies will approach from all sides. The mine has tracks on the ground and the ceiling, so you can expect your foes to attack from above. Fortunately, players have special minecarts that allow them to switch between the floor and ceiling with the press of a button. The tracks are relatively straightforward and they don’t have any peaks or valleys to worry about, but there are occasions where the mine shafts suddenly switch to a vertical orientation. Fortunately, your minecarts can travel on vertical rails without issue. The entire stage moves along at incredible speeds, and you’ll encounter trains full of enemies along the way. Things become even more intense during the battle with Seven Force. True to its name, Seven Force is an advanced mech that can morph into seven different shapes. Every form has its own attack phase, so you’ll have to figure out several different patterns if you want to be victorious. Most of its shapes mimic animals – like tigers, eagles, or urchins – and it can also transform into a massive floating gun that pelts you with oversized bullets. It might sound like hyperbole, but Seven Force is the most impressive boss of the 16-bit era.