Editing N64 Rainbow Road

{{about|the race course originally from ''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' and featured as a retro course in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''|Rainbow Road as a whole and other versions of the track|[[Rainbow Road]]|the course's music and later references to it|{{classic link|N64|Rainbow Road (theme)}}}}

{{race course infobox

|image=[[File:Rainbow Road MK64.png|300px]]

|appears_in=''[[Mario Kart 64]]'' ([[List of games by date#1996|1996]])<br>''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' ([[List of games by date#2014|2014]]) <br> ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' ([[List of games by date#2017|2017]])

|cups=[[Special Cup]] (''64'')<br>[[Lightning Cup]] (''8'', ''8 Deluxe'')

|online_play=No longer available ([[Wii U]])<br>Available ([[Nintendo Switch|Switch]])

|sample=''Mario Kart 64'': Kenta Nagata<br>[[File:MK64-Music-RainbowRoad.oga]]<br>''[[Nintendo Sound Selection Vol.3: B-Side Music]]''<br>[[File:N64RainbowRoad SoundSelectionV3.oga]]<br>''Mario Kart 8'' / ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'': Ryo Nagamatsu<br>[[File:MK8-Music-N64-RainbowRoad.oga]]<br>''Mario Kart 8'' / ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' (frontrunning)<br>[[File:WiiU_N64_RainbowRoad_Frontrunning.oga]]

|map=''Mario Kart 64''<br>[[File:MK64 Rainbow Road Map.jpg|100x100px]][[File:MK64 Rainbow Road minimap.png]]<br>

==''Mario Kart 64''==

===Course layout===

[[File:Mk64rainbowroad.png|thumb|right|upright=1.2|The big drop at the start. The player can make a long jump over it by hopping with precise timing when the road starts to descend, as seen in this picture.]]

The course begins with a long straightaway where the track curves downward and then more gently curves upward before soon becoming level again. Racers then pass through a rainbow ring and take a long gradual right turn, encountering the first set of [[Item Box]]es and passing neon signs of [[Mario]], [[Princess Peach|Peach]], and [[Luigi]] which all lie outside the turn. The track then briefly straightens out as racers reach another item set before there is a slight left turn with the track curving down. Here, there is a neon [[Dash Mushroom|Mushroom]] sign to the right of the track. The track then evens out and makes a very slight right turn before making a 360° counterclockwise loop around a large star. At the beginning of this loop is another item set, and at the end of this loop there is a neon [[Boo]] sign to the right of the track. A gradual right turn follows with another item set in the middle, then racers drive straight before making a gradual U-turn to the left. On the outside of this U-turn are neon signs of [[Donkey Kong]] and [[Yoshi]], with a neon [[Bowser]] sign in the distance. There is then another brief straight with another item set before the track makes a slight right turn and curves downward. It soon after curves upward and then evens out as racers continue driving straight, and then the track makes a very long and gradual U-turn to the right. At the start of this turn is another item set and a neon [[Toad]] sign on the outside, and towards the end of the turn is a neon [[Wario]] sign on the outside. Racers then reach another item set and make an equally long loop to the left as they pass the aforementioned neon Bowser sign. After this loop is one last item set followed by two very slight turns, and then racers reach the finish line.

 

Along the track, several [[Chain Chomp|Chomps]] can be found lodged in the middle of the track. They continuously travel the course in reverse and slide in a zigzag pattern. Racers that collide with them will be launched in the air.

A notable [[List of Mario Kart 64 glitches#Skip Most of Rainbow Road|shortcut]] can be found at the very beginning of the track. By using a well-timed hop to clear the railing on the left side of the track, the player can land on the loop going around the large star and skip a large portion of the track.

[[File:MK8 N64 Rainbow Road.png|thumb|left|250px|{{classic|N64|Rainbow Road}} in ''Mario Kart 8'']]

This version of Rainbow Road makes its classic course debut in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' and ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'', where it is the fourth and last course of the [[Lightning Cup]]. The course is now section-based, and takes place above a brightly-lit city near a coast at night instead of the deep space from the original. The Princess Peach Statue of Liberty from [[Toad Harbor]] and the course itself can be seen in the city setting, and in the center of the city below, there is a tower that faintly resembles the [[Eiffel Tower]], with four [[? Block]]s, a Mushroom, and a spinning [[Star]] visible on top of it. Christmas trees can also be seen scattered throughout the city. Also, there is a moon in the sky that can be seen right after the starting line. The road is now formed by multicolored tiles made of glowing {{wp|LED lamp|LED lights}} (similar to {{classic link|SNES|Rainbow Road}}) laid out in a diagonal color pattern within a golden frame, as opposed to the slightly translucent glass stripes from the original version. A flying train travelling around the course was also added, ridden by [[Toad (species)|Toad]]s who throw coins onto the track. Only a few areas, around the starting grid and on the outside of some corners, have railings now, as opposed to them lining the entire course.

The starting banner is now a rotating, star-shaped {{wp|planetary gear}}. When players nearly reach the finish line, the outer gears will change shape by expanding their star-shaped appendages wide and closing in upon themselves. A scrolling LED sign reading "RAINBOW ROAD" in the [[Nintendo Entertainment System|NES]] [[font]] can be seen in the inner part of the gears.

The other major change is that the course has been greatly altered to incorporate the game's [[Glider|gliding]] and [[anti-gravity]] mechanics. At the gentle uphill stretch, an anti-gravity panel was added. The circular loop now lies on the right side of the course instead of on the left side and is inclined at a near-90° angle to act as an anti-gravity section. The dip after the large U-turn is now another smaller U-turn. The [[Chain Chomp|Chomp]]s are now larger, and instead of sliding through the course in a zigzag pattern, bounce repeatedly, creating ripples on the track that can be used to perform aerial tricks. Along the course, [[Dash Panel]]s have been added and are surrounded with [[Ring (Mario Kart series)|rings]]. The final stretch before the finish line is now slightly sloped as an anti-gravity section and ends with a glide ramp.

A map of the city beneath the course, mentioning [[Toad Harbor]], {{classic link|Wii|Moo Moo Meadows}}, and {{classic link|Wii|Wario's Gold Mine}}, can be seen in [[Super Bell Subway]]. Because of this, this Rainbow Road is likely set above those courses.<ref>[[Media:MK8 dSBS City Map.png|The map of the city where the Super Bell Subway course is found]]</ref> The railway lines that can be seen from this Rainbow Road, according to the map in Super Bell Subway, connect this city to many other courses in ''Mario Kart 8''.<ref>[[Media:MK8 dSBS Map Signs.png|Signs containing the Super Bell Subway Rail Map]].</ref>

==Other appearances==

===''F-Zero X''===

[[File:F-zeroxrainbowrd.png|thumb|right|The course's appearance in ''F-Zero X''.]]

''[[fzerowiki:F-Zero X|F-Zero X]]'' features a recreation of ''Mario Kart 64''{{'}}s Rainbow Road as [[fzerowiki:Rainbow Road|''Rainbow Road: Psychedelic Experience'']]. It is the first course of the Joker Cup (the game's equivalent to the Special Cup). It is paved, with only sections of it being rainbow-colored. Unlike the original, it has no barriers in certain areas, and the neon [[Super Mario (franchise)|''Super Mario'' franchise]] decor is missing. Instead, it just has a plain black background with a watery blue bottom to which careless drivers may fall. The scale of the track is approximately 5:1 to 6:1 compared to in ''Mario Kart 64'' to account for the vehicles' larger size and higher speeds, resulting in a lap length of approximately 11 kilometers. The Chomps are replaced by deadly minefields on certain sections of the track which will cause drivers to crash or destroy their vehicle.

In addition, when racing the track with the [[Nintendo 64DD]] expansion features, the background song is a rock version of the Rainbow Road song heard in ''Mario Kart 64'' (the regular version uses the track used in Sectors α and β).

*'''Instruction manual bio:''' ''This course can be described in a word—LONG, very long. It is simply the longest of all the courses. As the name indicates, the road is made of rainbow and it has a fantastic view of neon sculptures twinkling in the distance. The final course of the Special Cup, it is definitely worth seeing. It is advisable to slow down to avoid the Chomps that will attack.''

 

MK64 Rainbow Road art.jpg|Artwork

MK64 icon Rainbow Road.png|The icon from the menu

Mk64rainbowroad4.png|A [[Chain Chomp|Chomp]] approaching Yoshi

When a player is playing the course, the neon lights of Mario, the [[Dash Mushroom|Mushroom]], and the Boo are the only ones that are animated. In order as the track follows:

MK8 N64 Rainbow Road Overview.png|Bird's eye view of the course

MK8N64RainbowRoad2.png|[[Metal Mario]], racing on the retro track

|Jpn=レインボーロード

|JpnR=Reinbō Rōdo

|JpnM=Rainbow Road

|ChiT=彩虹之路

|ChiTR=Cǎihóng zhī Lù

|ChiTM=Rainbow Road

|ChiSR=Cǎihóng zhī Lù

|ChiSM=Rainbow Road

|Spa=Senda Arco Iris

|SpaM=Rainbow Path

}}

==Notes==

*Excluding courses in or from ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', this is one of only two non-SNES courses in the series that differ in lap count between its original and remade versions; the other is {{classic link|GCN|Baby Park}} in ''[[Mario Kart DS]]''.

{{MK race courses}}