"Double Dash!!" is different to the other "Mario Kart" games. You can now use two characters at a time. One drives and the other one uses items. You can not put an item at the back of the kart as a shield against shells, so you will have to quickly move away from them instead. This is the first game where the characters lose their items when they get hit. Players can also steal items from other characters. If a character makes blue sparks, they get a small boost (called a mini-turbo). 