Stardew Valley Junimo Kart Guide - Arcade Minigame
Junimo Kart is an arcade minigame playable on the arcade machine in The Stardrop Saloon. It was completely redone in version 1.4 and is now one of the most challenging minigames in Stardew Valley.
What Is Junimo Kart?
In Junimo Kart, you play as a Junimo in a cart moving to the right side of the screen. The only control you have is jumping. You must avoid gaps, obstacles, and hazards to reach the end of each track.
How to Unlock
Junimo Kart is initially locked and requires the Skull Key to play.
Getting the Skull Key
- Reach level 120 in The Mines
- Open the chest on floor 120 to receive the Skull Key
- The Skull Key unlocks both the Skull Cavern and Junimo Kart
Once you have the Skull Key, the Junimo Kart arcade machine becomes playable in The Stardrop Saloon.
Arcade Machine Locations
The Stardrop Saloon (Primary)
The main Junimo Kart machine is located in The Stardrop Saloon in Pelican Town, near the Journey of the Prairie King machine.
- Access: Walk up to the machine and interact with it
- Hours: Available whenever the Saloon is open (12:00 PM - 12:00 AM)
- Cost: Free to play
Junimo Kart Arcade System (Home)
The day after beating all six levels in Progress Mode, a Junimo Kart Arcade System will be sent in the mail. This furniture item can be placed inside your farmhouse, allowing you to play at home.
Controls
Junimo Kart uses simple controls:
| Action | PC (Keyboard/Mouse) | Controller |
|---|---|---|
| Jump | Left mouse button, Space bar, or X key | X Button |
| Pause | P key | - |
- Quick tap: Small jump for minor obstacles
- Hold down: Higher jump for large gaps
Note: There is no accelerate, brake, or left/right movement control. The cart moves automatically to the right.
Game Modes
Progress Mode
In Progress Mode, you start with 3 extra lives. When all lives are lost, the run ends.
- After completing a stage, lives are replenished up to a minimum of 3
- Collecting 100 coins grants an extra life
- Each level has three pieces of fruit: Cherries, Orange, and Grapes
- Each fruit is worth 10 coins
- Collecting all three fruits in a level grants another extra life
- After finishing 6 levels, the game ends
Endless Mode
Endless Mode is unlocked after completing all 6 tracks in Progress Mode.
- You only have one life
- A numerical score is tracked
- Every tile traveled adds 10 points
- Each coin collected gives 40 points
- Each fruit gives 1,000 points
- Finishing a level gives 5,000 points
- Bonus 5,000 points for collecting all three fruits in a level
- All 8 levels are played in order (except ”???”)
All Tracks
Junimo Kart features multiple unique tracks with increasing difficulty.
Crumble Cavern
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 1st (Progress Mode), 1st (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Cave with falling boulders |
| Obstacles | Falling boulders, gaps |
| Music | Mines (Crystal Bells), Mines (A Flicker In The Deep), or Mines (Star Lumpy) |
The first level is relatively straightforward. Focus on jumping and grabbing coins/fruit. Landing on top of an obstacle destroys it.
Slippery Slopes
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 2nd (Progress Mode), 2nd (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Icy slopes |
| Obstacles | Slippery downward slopes, upward slopes |
| Music | Mines (Icicles), Mines (Marimba Of Frozen Bones), or Mines (Cloth) |
Downward slopes are slippery and give extra speed. Upward slopes require precise jumping between them.
Secret shortcut: Finishing this level in under 60 seconds skips The Gem Sea Giant and Slomp’s Stomp, going straight to Ghastly Galleon.
??? (Hidden Level)
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | Alternate 2nd (Progress Mode) |
| Theme | Dark cave with stalagmites |
| Obstacles | Water floor, stalagmites |
| Music | Wind ambience only |
To reach this hidden level: Clear Crumble Cavern without losing any lives AND collecting all coins and fruit. This level contains a huge amount of coins but does not appear in Endless Mode.
The Gem Sea Giant
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 3rd (Progress Mode), 3rd (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Underwater with a giant whale |
| Obstacles | Whale bubbles, slower falls |
| Music | Junimo Kart (The Gem Sea Giant) |
Takes place underwater with slower falls. A large whale on the right periodically spews bubbles. Landing on top of bubbles causes you to bounce high into the air.
Slomp’s Stomp
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | Alternate 3rd (Progress Mode), 5th (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Slime chase |
| Obstacles | Sticky upward slopes, giant bouncing slime |
| Music | Junimo Kart (Slomp’s Stomp) |
A giant bouncing slime chases you from behind. Upward slopes are sticky and slow you down. This level is chosen at random as an alternate to The Gem Sea Giant.
Ghastly Galleon
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 4th (Progress Mode), 4th (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Ghost ship |
| Obstacles | Faster movement, ghosts, large gaps |
| Music | Junimo Kart (Ghastly Galleon) |
You move faster on this level. Ghosts move in circular patterns and are fatal on contact (cannot be landed on). After completing this level, Glowshroom Grotto and Red Hot Rollercoaster each have a 50% chance to be next.
Glowshroom Grotto
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 5th (Progress Mode), 6th (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Mushroom cave |
| Obstacles | Giant purple mushrooms, spore clouds, bouncy mushrooms |
| Music | Junimo Kart (Glowshroom Grotto) |
Pairs of giant purple mushrooms raise and lower each other. Red mushrooms shoot slow-moving spore clouds upward. Smaller purple mushrooms can be bounced off of.
Red Hot Rollercoaster
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | Alternate 5th (Progress Mode), 7th (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Volcanic rollercoaster |
| Obstacles | Diagonal ramps, falling boulders, empty spaces |
| Music | Mines (Danger!) |
Lots of adjacent diagonal ramps and randomly generated falling boulders. Requires constant jumping across stretches of mostly empty space.
Sunset Speedway
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Order | 6th (Progress Mode), 8th (Endless Mode) |
| Theme | Nighttime speedway |
| Obstacles | Short rails at scattered heights |
| Music | Nighttime sound effects only |
The final level is full of short rails at widely scattered heights, making it very easy to slip off. After completing this in Endless Mode, it loops back to Crumble Cavern.
Track Summary
| # | Track Name | Progress Mode | Endless Mode | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crumble Cavern | Yes | Yes | Easy |
| 2 | Slippery Slopes | Yes | Yes | Easy-Medium |
| 3 | ??? | Yes (hidden) | No | Easy |
| 4 | The Gem Sea Giant | Yes | Yes | Medium |
| 5 | Slomp’s Stomp | Yes (random) | Yes | Medium-Hard |
| 6 | Ghastly Galleon | Yes | Yes | Medium-Hard |
| 7 | Glowshroom Grotto | Yes (random) | Yes | Hard |
| 8 | Red Hot Rollercoaster | Yes (random) | Yes | Hard |
| 9 | Sunset Speedway | Yes | Yes | Very Hard |
Mr. Qi’s Special Order
Endless Mode is used in Mr. Qi’s “Let’s Play A Game” Special Order.
- Requirement: Score 50,000 points in Endless Mode within 7 days
- Reward: 20 Qi Gems
- Tip: Focus on distance traveled, coin collection, and fruit collection for maximum points
Strategies and Tips
General Tips
- Jump timing is everything - Most deaths come from mistimed jumps
- Hold jump for height - Longer holds mean higher jumps for large gaps
- Tap jump for small gaps - Quick taps give you more control
- Land on obstacles - Landing on top of boulders, bubbles, or mushrooms destroys/bounces them
- Collect all fruit - Each level’s three fruits grant an extra life
Track-Specific Tips
Crumble Cavern:
- Practice basic jump distances
- Destroy boulders by landing on them
Slippery Slopes:
- Use slope momentum for longer jumps
- Go for the under-60-second shortcut to skip levels
The Gem Sea Giant:
- Use whale bubbles to reach high coins and fruit
- Underwater physics mean slower falls
Slomp’s Stomp:
- Never slow down - the slime is always chasing
- Maintain momentum on sticky slopes
Ghastly Galleon:
- Ghosts cannot be landed on - avoid them completely
- Faster speed means less reaction time
Glowshroom Grotto:
- Time your mushroom platforming carefully
- Jump through gaps in spore cloud patterns
Red Hot Rollercoaster:
- Constant jumping is required
- Falling boulders have predictable spawn patterns
Sunset Speedway:
- The hardest track - requires precise small jumps
- Short rails mean less room for error
Achievements
| Achievement | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Junimo Kart | Complete all 6 levels in Progress Mode |
| Legend | Achieve a high score in Endless Mode |
Trivia
- On the Endless Mode title screen, there is a leaderboard with scores from villagers. Mayor Lewis has the highest score.
- When idle at the title screen, the Junimo will start dancing.
- Version 1.6 added “grace jumps” - players who run off the track can still jump for a short time to recover.
History
- 1.0: Introduced
- 1.1: Lives reduced from six to three
- 1.4: Entire minigame completely redone
- 1.6: Added grace jumps, score saving for forced exits, reduced bubble spawn rate on whale level
- 1.6.3: Increased “Let’s Play A Game” reward from 10 to 20 Qi Gems