Booster Course Wave 2 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is here, and we’re checking out All Changes
and differences made for the returning courses.
Next up in the Turnip Cup is Mario Circuit 3, which made its debut in Super Mario Kart.
This level track with many turns has remained consistent in design throughout the years.
So how does the most recent update differ from past instalments?
Let’s find out!
Since the 16-bit original, Mario Circuit 3 has appeared on GBA, Wii, and Tour.
Like most of the courses originally from Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart: Super Circuit,
the track here is larger in scale compared to its pixelated counterparts, taking nearly
double the time to finish a lap.
But like with the extruded, multi-coloured blocks, this has been the case ever since
the course’s comeback in Mario Kart Wii.
Other than the presence of double item boxes—which only appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
and Mario Kart 8—there are not really any other significant changes that impact the
way we drive on the course compared to past iterations...or is there?
The Analysis Machine noticed something peculiar about the pipe placements, which could affect
how we cut corners.
After the first oil slick, the pair of pipes on the inside of wide bend has been reduced
to just one.
Huh!
The Wii and Tour versions followed the SNES design, only shifting the pipe positions a
bit.
Well, the GBA version had no pipes at all, but that’s a story for another day.
The course seems to have a bit more in terms of cosmetic changes.
There are two blue cones by first oil slick and two red cones by second oil slick, added
for this update.
Cones generally don’t impede driving, so we’re not considering this a gameplay change.
Next, a minor adjustment was made to the curb of the road throughout the track, as we first
mentioned in the trailer analysis.
Originally, a continuous white line followed along the sandy edge.
Ever since Tour, this has been changed to include a thinner yellow line running parallel
to it, with a gap between them and the off-road area.
These three red flags between the coloured blocks at the hairpin bend are entirely new.
With their triangular pennant design and gold star emblem, they seem like something out
of the classic or New Super Mario Bros. series.
Speaking of which, the biggest visual change—and our favourite—is the Super Mario Bros.-style
2D course layout along the outer bounds of the track.
Complete with block stairs, bricks with spectators, and teal pipes with Piranha Plants, it’s
a really charming and welcome addition.
Much like the gameplay and visuals, the music also is faithful to the original with both
composition and instrumentation, remaining virtually unchanged for the Wii and Tour versions.
The 16-bit classic had this sort of Latin jazz fusion, befitting both Mario and racing...
That distinct synth brass lead, accompanying chromatic instruments, and even Latin percussion
remain for the remix, only improving the standard drums and giving it all a nice reverb environment...
It almost seems like the same samples were used, but now using higher fidelity.
It matches the design direction of everything else so well.
And that’s about it for All Changes we found in Mario Circuit 3!
The course may have had very little deviation in design and appearance, but it also respects
its classic roots.
Maybe like Jake says, it’s the real deal, baby.
But what do you think?
Have you found any notable changes that we missed?
Let us know in the comments below.
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Until next time, ciao!