Mario Circuit

Mario Circuit
File:MarioCircuit-MarioKart8.png The Mario Kart 8 iteration of Mario Circuit.
First appearance	Super Mario Kart (1992)
Last appearance	Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass) (2022)
Created by	Nintendo EAD
In-universe information
Other name(s)	Mario Raceway
Type	Race track
Location	Mushroom Kingdom

Mario Circuit is a reoccurring name for a course in the Mario Kart series of kart racing video games. It is often found in the Mushroom Cup or the Flower Cup, the first and second cups of every Mario Kart game respectively. It is often themed after Mario or an element in the Mario universe associated with him, such as pipes, Piranha Plants, mushrooms or Princess Peach's Castle. The only games in the series to not have a Mario Circuit course are the Mario Kart Arcade GP games and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Mario Circuit has also made appearances outside of the Mario series, such as in Itadaki Street DS or the Super Smash Bros. series.

Appearances

Super Mario Kart

File:SNESMarioCircuit1.png

Mario Circuit 1 from Super Mario Kart.

The first game in the series, Super Mario Kart, has four new Mario Circuit courses, more than any entry in the series.

• The first is Mario Circuit 1, being the first course in the game. It has a simple layout containing five bends and Warp Pipes on the track acting as obstacles.
• Mario Circuit 2 is the final course of the Mushroom Cup, which contains more sharp bends, oil slicks on the track and a ramp where the course overlaps.
• Mario Circuit 3 is the final Flower Cup course. It has pipes and oil slicks just like the previous two, but has a lot more sharp turns, a shortcut on the final turn and a Dash Panel near the finish line.
• The last course of the Star Cup and the last Mario Circuit is Mario Circuit 4. It is similar to Mario Circuit 3, but has sharper turns and more barriers. This is the only Mario Circuit from Super Mario Kart to have never returned as a classic course outside being an Extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

Mario Kart 64

The Mario Circuit of Mario Kart 64 is Mario Raceway, as circuits are called raceways in this game. It is the second shortest course in the game, having lots of turns, shortcuts over grass off-roads, a giant pipe racers drive through, Piranha Plants and a big toadstool near the end. There is also a big Mario Cap mounted at the top of the crowd stadium.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

The Mario Circuit course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit is the first of the game's Flower Cup. The course has a long U-turn section after the first bend leading to a set of wavy bends leading to the end, which has an alternate path with a Dash Panel. The Mario Kart 8 version turns the U-turn into an anti-gravity section being held up by Ultra Hands, one of Nintendo's old toys from the 1960s they produced before video games.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

The second course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, this iteration of Mario Circuit features many elements from past Mario Circuits such as Warp Pipes and Piranha Plants while introducing others that would appear in future versions, such as Goombas acting as obstacles and Princess Peach's Castle being on the course instead of the background.

Mario Kart DS

The Mario Kart DS version of Mario Circuit appears as the third course in the Star Cup, making it the first singular Mario Circuit to not be in the first two cups; Mushroom Cup or Flower Cup. This Mario Circuit includes an uphill section, a Warp Pipe tunnel and Peach's Castle. This is also the first Mario Circuit to have not yet reappeared in future instalments.

Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Wii's Mario Circuit is a short basic track taking place in a city, having a Chain Chomp in the middle (a first for the series), and a gentle turn surrounded by hills with Goombas walking around, before leading back to the finish line.

Mario Kart 7

This Mario Circuit is the second course in Mario Kart 7's Flower Cup. It starts with a long bend through a group of pink cherry blossom trees, leading to a gliding section towards Peach's Castle. This is the first Mario Circuit where racers drive through the castle, as the track has an upwards spiral up to an exit in the form of another glide section. The course ends with a Warp Pipe tunnel and a large bump in the road towards the finish line.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Serving as the first course for the Flower Cup in Mario Kart 8, this iteration of Mario Circuit is designed after the Möbius strip and is mostly in anti-gravity to show off the capabilities of the new gimmick. The course includes white wooden bridges, Goombas on the start and end, sharp turns inhabited by Piranha Plants, and a glider ramp past a Goomba Tower.

Mario Kart Tour

While most of the Mario Circuits prior to Mario Kart 8 have returned in Mario Kart Tour, the game features one new Mario Circuit course, being RMX Mario Circuit 1. It is a remixed version of the Mario Circuit courses from Super Mario Kart, having elements from all four including pipes, oil slicks, Goombas, ramps and the same layout as Mario Circuit 2.

Recepetion

Thoughs on Mario Circuit are mostly positive, although a common complain for the theme is that the courses aren't as interesting as others and are usually very basic. SNES Mario Circuit 3 from the Booster Course Pass DLC in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is considered the most disliked in the pass by fans so far.

See also

Rainbow Road (Mario Kart)