Editing SNES Rainbow Road

{{About|the race course originally from [[Super Mario Kart]]|Rainbow Road as a whole and other versions of the track|[[Rainbow Road]]|the musical composition of the same name|{{classic-link|SNES|Rainbow Road (theme)}}}}

|online_play=Available ([[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]] until early April 2024, [[Wii U]] until early April 2024, [[Nintendo Switch|Switch]])

|ghost={{ghost|7|Nin★YABUKI|1:34.459|[[File:LakituIcon-MK7.png|32px|link=Lakitu]][[File:MK7CyanPipeFrame.png|32px|link=Pipe Frame]][[File:MK7 Slim.png|32px|link=Slim (tire)]][[File:MK7LakituSuperGlider.png|32px|link=Super Glider]]}}{{ghost|7 <small>Expert</small>|Nin★SRIWtm|1:21.994|[[File:LakituIcon-MK7.png|32px|link=Lakitu]][[File:MK7 Cloud 9.png|32px|link=Cloud 9]][[File:MK7 Roller.png|32px|link=Roller]][[File:MK7 Paraglider.png|32px|link=Parafoil]]}}{{ghost|8|Nin★Anne|1:46.599|[[File:MK8 Cat Peach Icon.png|32px|link=Cat Peach]][[File:CatCruiserBodyMK8.png|32px|link=Cat Cruiser]][[File:Retro Off-Road.png|32px|link=Retro Off-Road]][[File:MK8ThumbCatPeachSG.png|32px|link=Super Glider]]}}{{ghost|8DX <small>150cc</small>|Nin★Anne|1:40.711|[[File:MK8 Cat Peach Icon.png|32px|link=Cat Peach]][[File:CatCruiserBodyMK8.png|32px|link=Cat Cruiser]][[File:Retro Off-Road.png|32px|link=Retro Off-Road]][[File:MK8ThumbCatPeachSG.png|32px|link=Super Glider]]}}{{ghost|8DX <small>200cc</small>|Nin★Marie|1:12.762|[[File:MK8 Tanooki Mario Icon.png|32px|link=Tanooki Mario]][[File:GLARed-MK8.png|32px|link=GLA]][[File:GLATires-MK8.png|32px|link=GLA Tires]][[File:ParachuteGliderMK8.png|32px|link=Parachute]]}}{{ghost|8DX <small>200cc</small>|Nin★Marie<ref>@zachruff (May 22, 2022). [https://twitter.com/Zachruff/status/1528386463632658434 "''So it turns out that there are 4 staff ghosts in the Tencent Chinese version of MK8D that are actually different to the global version. It seems that they really did not like the Mercedes car parts so any ghost that used them had to be redone.''"] ''Twitter''. Retrieved May 24, 2022.</ref>|1:12.696|[[File:MK8 Tanooki Mario Icon.png|32px|link=Tanooki Mario]][[File:MK8OrangePFIcon.png|32px|link=Pipe Frame]][[File:StandardTiresMK8.png|32px|link=Standard (tire)]][[File:ParachuteGliderMK8.png|32px|link=Parachute]]}}

The original '''Rainbow Road''' debuted in ''[[Super Mario Kart]]'', as the fifth and last course of the [[Special Cup]], starting the [[Mario Kart (series)|''Mario Kart'']] series tradition of having [[Rainbow Road]] as the finale of the game. It is the shortest Rainbow Road in the series.

This course is unique in ''Super Mario Kart'' in the fact that it is the only track in the game that is not numbered compared to the others, and thus it is the game's only unique track. It is the only track in the Special Cup with normal traction, but lacks rails entirely and has only 90-degree turns. Rainbow-colored tiles and a few [[jump]]ing bumps cover the track's surface, and the yellow tiles conceal [[coin]]s. This course features [[Star Thwomp]]s which can wipe out a racer by touch, unlike regular Thwomps, as well as by crushing, unless the racer uses a [[Super Star]] or a [[Boo]].

Rainbow Road reappears in ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'' as the fourth and final course of the Extra Special Cup, in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'' as the fourth and final course of the [[Lightning Cup]], in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' as the second course of the [[Triforce Cup]] as part of the [[The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8|''The Legend of Zelda'' × ''Mario Kart 8'']] DLC (and in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as part of the base game), and in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', debuting in the [[Tokyo Tour]]. If one counts ''Mario Kart 8'' and ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' as two separate games, then Rainbow Road is the most frequently appearing [[classic course]] in the series, having appeared six times in different games. In the opposite case, its number of appearances is then tied with [[SNES Mario Circuit 3|Mario Circuit 3]], also from ''Super Mario Kart'', the latter course re-appearing in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' as part of the second wave of the [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]] DLC.

In ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', the [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)|Rainbow Road]] theme rearranges a part of this course's music at its beginning; it is also rearranged in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' as part of the song "Buckle Up." ''Super Mario Kart'' composer [[Soyo Oka]] also considers this course's theme to be one of her favorite compositions.<ref>[http://www.rocketbaby.net/interviews_soyo_oka.html Interview between Rocketbaby and Soyo Oka]. Retrieved February 12, 2015.</ref>

The course is composed mostly of straightaways and 90° turns. There are also [[Super Thwomp]]s as obstacles, which remain airborne on the first lap. The course begins with a right turn followed by a straightaway, with the only set of [[? Panel]]s in the middle as well as several jump pads. The first row of four Super Thwomps also lies at the end of this straightaway. There is then two right turns followed by a brief straight with several more jump pads. Racers then take two left turns onto another brief straight with two pairs of Super Thwomps. After another two right turns, the track narrows and racers must go left or right as the path briefly splits; the paths are symmetrical and each contain a pair of Super Thwomps. Once the paths join, the track widens again and there is one more right turn followed by one more straightaway with a row of four Super Thwomps. Racers then reach the finish line.

[[File:SNES MK7.png|260px|thumb|left|Overview of the track in ''Mario Kart 7'']]

This version of Rainbow Road also returns as the fourth and last course of the [[Lightning Cup]] in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'', as well as the thirty-second and last course of the game overall. It is the first Rainbow Road to reappear as a classic course in another ''Mario Kart'' (besides its reappearance in ''[[Mario Kart: Super Circuit]]'').

The course uses a similar background to that of {{classic-link|DS|Waluigi Pinball}}. Unlike previous incarnations, this new version has the characteristic "glistening" sound effect when drifting on it, a common feature of all Rainbow Roads starting from the [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)|GCN rendition]]. The Super Thwomps (now with an appearance based on the Thwomps from ''[[New Super Mario Bros. Wii]]'') return. They are now larger, and their numbers in the track are reduced from sixteen to seven, and now form ripples on the track upon impact, which the player can [[Jump Boost|trick]] off of. Also, howling noises can be heard near the Super Thwomps.

The tiles' colors are similar to those of [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)|Rainbow Road]] from ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', with pink replacing the red tiles and cyan replacing the teal tiles. In [[First-Person View|first-person view]], the player can see through the breaks in the tiles. The widest part of the gap in the forked road is two tiles shorter, but the gap itself is also seven tiles shorter, making the shortcut easier to use. Also, the section of tiles before the fork (from the orange tiles on the narrow part of the straight after turn 7 to the purple tiles before the gap) is wider: the first orange, blue, yellow, and last purple tile rows before the gap are now two tiles wider. The finish line is also two tiles long, removing the red tiles that used to be in front of it.

Ramps replace the yellow bumps, though the first two bumps were removed entirely, the last pair at the fork is now a single taller ramp in front of the gap, and a ramp was added on the inside of the second U-turn, adding a new shortcut (requiring a [[Dash Mushroom|Mushroom]] or [[Mini-Turbo]] to get across); the ramps are only two tiles wide, rather than three, like the bumps. Like most other SNES and GBA classic courses, a starting banner stylized after the one from ''Mario Kart 64'' is added in this course.

Aside from enhanced percussion, the music remains faithful to the SNES version.

[[File:Mk8-DLC-Course-SNES RainbowRoad.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Overview of the track in ''Mario Kart 8'']]

This version of Rainbow Road returns in the [[The Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart 8|''Legend of Zelda'' × ''Mario Kart 8'']] DLC Pack of ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'' and in the base game of ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'', appearing as the second course of the [[Triforce Cup]]. As a result, for the first time, a Rainbow Road course is not the last race of a cup.  

The track's layout is similar to its appearance in ''Mario Kart 7''. The tiles revert to their original colors, though their color pattern is reversed, and they are now flashing LED lights, like on {{classic-link|N64|Rainbow Road}}. There are now eight different colors of tiles, instead of seven from its previous appearances (adding cyan between teal and blue), and the tiles the Thwomps land on are now white. The course itself is also larger, wider and banked (namely, the inclined third U-turn). Tiles at the edges of the track now have borders on the outer edges. The forked road is also altered further, with the narrow part of the hole's end filled in, and the ramp in front reverted to the original bumps' height and position. The music is also deeper-pitched and remixed, as with the other classic courses in this game.

The Thwomps work as they do in ''Mario Kart 7'', but they now have sparkles, a mosaic-like appearance, horizontal rainbow lines running from bottom to top of them, and the species' ''[[Super Mario Galaxy]]''  appearance, like the other Thwomps in ''Mario Kart 7'' and ''Mario Kart 8'', rather than their spiked ''New Super Mario Bros. Wii'' design in ''Mario Kart 7''. Additionally, all of the Thwomps are bigger except the last two. Unlike before, when they start to crash down, they will create rainbow waves above them. Also, when they shake before falling, and the moment they land, they make metallic glistening sounds. The waves on the track they create are now bigger, move more quickly, and disappear faster than in ''Mario Kart 7'', making tricks more difficult to perform.

The course now takes place in a cloudy night sky with the full moon visible, just like in ''Mario Kart: Super Circuit'', but it now has color-changing hills that stick above them. Various [[Toad House]]s litter the landscape below the course, which in itself is similar to {{classic-link|SNES|Donut Plains 3}}. The starting banner is now redesigned, with colored blocks with a Star on top of it and the ''Mario Kart'' logo's letters now individually colored (red, green, yellow, and blue) instead of having a rainbow gradient through the entire logo; the banner also stands on two walled areas, now making the start the only walled part of the course. Also, when a player approaches a turn, two green arrow holograms will appear behind the turn, and indicate in which direction the player must drive. Once the player has made the turn, the arrows will disappear.

In ''Mario Kart 8'', this Rainbow Road, {{classic-link|N64|Rainbow Road}}, the [[Rainbow Road (Mario Kart 8)|new Rainbow Road]] and {{classic-link|GCN|Baby Park}} are the only courses in the game to have the map in different colors instead of just blue. Like all other courses except {{classic|GCN|Baby Park}}, the map was made transparent gray in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe''.

[[File:MarioKartTour SNESRainbowRoad.jpg|thumb|The course in ''Mario Kart Tour'']]

This version of Rainbow Road reappears in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' starting with the [[Tokyo Tour]]. It mostly takes on the appearance of its ''Mario Kart 7'' iteration, including its starting banner. However, the ramp inside the second U-turn is absent (as in the original and GBA versions), the hole in the road is even smaller than it was before (the narrow part at the end is only one tile long, and the hole in general is 7 tiles shorter), the last two Star Thwomps are further apart, the red tiling on the course and banner returns (in place of the pink ones in ''Mario Kart 7''), the track edges are rounded, the track itself is thicker, and the arrow signs and Star Thwomp designs from the ''Mario Kart 8'' rendition return. Rainbow Road reuses the arrangement heard in ''Mario Kart 7'', while other classic courses retain their original music.  

SNES Rainbow Road received two remixed versions, titled [[RMX Rainbow Road 1]] and [[RMX Rainbow Road 2]], first appearing in the [[Super Mario Kart Tour]] and [[New Year's 2021 Tour]], respectively.

If the [[List of Mario Kart Tour pre-release and unused content#Closed beta|beta test]] is included, this course is the first, and currently only, course to appear as a [[Coin Rush (Mario Kart Tour)|Coin Rush]] course four separate times.

While the course does not appear in the film itself, a rendition of its music plays in ''[[The Super Mario Bros. Movie]]'' when Mario, [[Princess Peach]], [[Toad]] and the [[Kong]]s land on a [[Rainbow Road]] during their drive to [[Bowser's Castle]].

==Gallery==  

===''Mario Kart 8''===

Facebook MarioKartDE 2017-04-26.jpg|Image macro featuring a view of <small>SNES</small> Rainbow Road, originally posted on the official German ''[[Mario Kart (series)|Mario Kart]]'' Facebook page

MKT Icon RainbowRoadSNES Rosalina.png|The course icon with Rosalina

MKT Icon RainbowRoadRSNES MetalMario.png|The course icon of the R variant with Metal Mario

MKT Icon RainbowRoadTSNES BabyRosalina.png|The course icon of the T variant with Baby Rosalina

MKT Icon RainbowRoadRTSNES PinkGoldPeach.png|The course icon of the R/T variant with Pink Gold Peach

|FraA=Route arc-en-ciel

|FraAM=Rainbow Road

|FraE=Route Arc-en-ciel

|FraEM=Rainbow Road

[[de:Regenbogen-Boulevard#Super Mario Kart]]