| Rainbow Road | |
|---|---|
| Mario Kart location | |
 The latest iteration of Rainbow Road, as seen in Mario Kart World | |
| Genre | Kart racing game |
| In-universe information | |
| Type | Race track |
Rainbow Road is the name of several levels featured in the Mario Kart series of videogames.
Rainbow Road customarily appears as the final brand new track of each Mario Kart game and the final race of the Special Cup. It typically is among the most difficult to complete, since most Rainbow Road tracks often have little to no guardrails to prevent the player from falling off the edges of the track, and oftentimes feature tight curves, steep slopes, and wavy grounds. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]
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SNES Rainbow Road was remade in Mario Kart 7 as a retro track, [7] in Mario Kart 8 as part of the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8 DLC pack, [8] and in Mario Kart Tour. [9]
The next Rainbow Road featured in Mario Kart 64 as the fourth and final track of the Special Cup. It is the longest track in the game. [10] N64 Rainbow Road was later remade as a retro track in Mario Kart 8. [11]
In Mario Kart Wii, the track is located above Earth's atmosphere, [12] sending racers burning down toward the planet if they fall off. [13] Wii Rainbow Road is heavily inspired by Super Mario Galaxy , as there are Star Bits floating throughout the track and the climax features a Launch Star that launches players upwards similar to the Mario Kart: Double Dash!! version. [14] Wii Rainbow Road was later remade for Mario Kart Tour [15] with mostly visual improvements and for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as part of the Booster Course Pass expansion pack, featuring its anti-gravity mechanic throughout the track. [16]
3DS Rainbow Road was remade for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. [17] It was also featured as a stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS . [18] [19]
In Mario Kart 8 as well as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , the track uses three whole laps again instead of lap sections, and there is again a planet in the background with a higher resolution than the one from Mario Kart Wii. This track is the first one to exploit the idea of gliding upon solar panels on a space station, giving a plausible explanation to the track's premise of a rainbow-colored track suspended in outer space. The ground uses quadratic tiles in resemblance to the original Rainbow Road (Super Mario Kart). At the start/finish line, the track crosses through a space craft filled with Toads who sit on tribunes as on a normal racetrack. Several more space ships carry parts of the track, most notably the one with two circular conveyor belt rotating rings in opposing directions which can speed up or slow down the vehicle that drives upon. [14] As with other Mario Kart 8 tracks, Rainbow Road's surface is wildly twisted, forcing racers to make use of the new anti-gravity feature. At a location, two separated parts of the track cross nearby in different angles, and distant parts of the track can be seen ahead from far away. [20] According to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe producer Kosuke Yabuki, the development team's goal was to create a version of Rainbow Road with a "near-future" aesthetic when anti-gravity controls were added. [21] [22]
Mario Kart Tour features two courses based on the original Rainbow Road from Super Mario Kart. Labeled as "remix courses" (abbreviated to "RMX courses") these courses use a different layout compared to the original, and feature new mechanics, such as gliding and bouncy mushroom platforms. These courses are named RMX Rainbow Road 1 and 2, and share their music with the course they are based on. [23]
The course makes an appearance in 2023's The Super Mario Bros. Movie as a celestial highway on which Mario, Princess Peach, Toad, Donkey Kong, and the Kong Army are pursued by Bowser's army. Mario battles the Koopas before he and Donkey Kong are thrown off the course by a Koopa General with a blue shell in a kamikaze attack, while Peach and Toad escape unharmed. When developing the film, directors Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic sought to recreate Rainbow Road's sense of danger and challenge as they described it as "The most unforgiving course in the series". The Rainbow Road scene in the film has been described as the most ambitious animation sequence that Illumination had undertaken compared to their previous films. [24] [25]
GameSpot praised the design of the course as "a visual feast", calling this version of Rainbow Road "an all-time great". [26]
Rainbow Road is referenced as a part of an Easter egg included in the programming of Tesla electric vehicles. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, once a Tesla car's autopilot mode is activated four times in quick succession, the gray road shown on the vehicle's instrument cluster would transform into a colorful path resembling Rainbow Road, with a cowbell tune playing in the background while this mode is turned on. [27] In commemoration of Mario Day celebrations for 10 March 2021, Mattel produced a Hot Wheels Mario Kart track set based on the course on 24 June 2021. [3]
To coincide with the 35th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., an ice cream cake inspired by the track was released by Cold Stone Creamery from 30 September to 15 December 2020. [28]
Rainbow Road has received a generally positive attention for its memorable music and unique visuals, as well as notoriety for its length and challenging difficulty. Edge Magazine described Rainbow Road as "the deadly ribbon that has entranced generations of racers". [1] Gus Turner from Complex described Rainbow Road as "simultaneously the most thrilling and most devastating level in any Mario Kart title". [29] Rainbow Road has appeared in multiple "top" ranking lists of the best tracks in the history of the Mario Kart franchise compiled by video game critics, including Paste Magazine, [30] Digital Spy, [31] Screen Rant , [32] and GameRevolution , [33] and TheGamer. [6]
The Rainbow Road levels in certain Mario Kart games have received particular attention. BuzzFeed News Reporter Joseph Bernstein ranked the Super Mario Kart version of Rainbow Road #15 on his list of the "34 Video Game Levels That You Must Play Before You Die". [34] Reminiscing the Super Mario Kart version of Rainbow Road, A. V. Club staff said the overall experience was awe-inspiring in spite of its flawed design and frustrating level of difficulty. [35] Its music has been praised by GamesRadar's Brett Elston [36] as well as Dan Neilan from The A.V. Club , who called it as the "one redeeming quality" of a notoriously difficult track. [37] Andrew Webster from The Verge praised the updated version of Rainbow Road for Mario Kart 8 as the best example of its "impressive new track design" and called it a vast improvement when compared to previous instalments. [38] On 28 April 2017, Rainbow Road was voted as the best course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe by UK players. [39]
Not all reception towards Rainbow Road has been positive. Ben Lee of Digital Spy as well as several US Gamer staff members considered the Nintendo 64 version of Rainbow Road to be one of their least favorite tracks in the history of the Mario Kart franchise. [40] [41]
A new gameplay trailer showed the characters fighting on various stages, including the newly-unveiled Rainbow Road arena based on the recurring track from the Mario Kart franchise.
Sakurai-san did bring us some intriguing information on a Rainbow Road stage for the 3DS version of the game and explained that Rosalina has an anti-gravity effect; both add to the potential awesomeness of these games.
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