SNES Bowser Castle 3

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This article is about the race course from Super Mario Kart and extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. For the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and retro course in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour, see GBA Bowser's Castle 3.
Bowser Castle 3
Bowser Castle 3 from Super Mario Kart.
Information
Appears in Super Mario Kart (1992)
Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001)
Cup(s) Star Cup (Super Mario Kart)
Extra Star Cup (Super Circuit)
Tour(s)
Music sample
Super Mario Kart

Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Course map
Super Mario Kart
The map for Bowser Castle 3.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
MKSC SNES Bowser Castle 3 Map.png
MKSC SNES Bowser Castle 3 Extra Cup Map.pngMKSC SNES Bowser Castle 3 Mini Map.png

Bowser Castle 3 is the fourth track of the Star Cup in Super Mario Kart. It was subsequently reused in Mario Kart: Super Circuit as the second track of the Extra Star Cup. Like every Bowser Castle course, the entire race is held inside a large castle room filled with a big lava pool.

The course returns in Mario Kart Tour starting with the 2023 Bowser Tour.

Super Mario Kart

File:SMK Bowser Castle 3 Screenshot.jpg
Luigi approaching a split path on Bowser Castle 3

Typical elements of Bowser Castles, including falling Thwomps, zippers, jump lines, and forks, are all to be found here. One major fork allows the player to choose one of three ways. The leftmost has six coins and one zipper, but is farthest away and narrows the following turn into a hairpin. The easiest path to reach is the right one, which has a jump line and a zipper directly behind such that a player who hits the jump line passes over the zipper. To reach the zipper, the player must time a hop over the jump line and activate the zipper. The middle path has six coins and two jump lines with Item Boxes positioned behind them.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Bowser Castle 3 from Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
Bowser near an item box

Bowser Castle 3 reappeared in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, and is the second track of the Extra Star Cup. It uses the background from that game's Bowser Castle 1. The Thwomps and zippers were removed from the track, along with the jump pad in the rightmost path at the end. Also, the ? Panels in the first split path were reduced to just three Item Boxes (one on both sides early on, and one in the middle afterwards).

Mario Kart Tour

SNES Bowser Castle 3 in Mario Kart Tour
The course in Mario Kart Tour

Bowser Castle 3 returns in Mario Kart Tour starting with the 2023 Bowser Tour, marking the first reappearance of an SNES Bowser Castle course in a Mario Kart title since Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Unlike the other SNES courses present in the game, the course has received a major visual and gameplay overhaul, including a redesigned starting banner. It is also the first SNES remake in the Mario Kart series to feature any kind of dynamic elevation.

Large stretches of the course are now angled vertically, including segments of lava. The course now features more walls, pillars, and ramps. The layout of the jump section has been streamlined, with the platforms all being fully aligned and offroad now breaking up the platforms. Lava Geysers now erupt from the lava. The walls separating the three roads towards the end can now be driven on, and gaps have been added between sections of the walls. An extra turn has been added before the U-bend where the track previously only got thinner, marked with an arrow sign. The final turn is now a curved bend as opposed to two 90 degree turns. Bone Piranha Plants have been added to the end of the course.

Like with the Vanilla Lake courses, due to the SNES Bowser Castle setting reappearing for the first time, it reuses its original arrangement despite the remake being overhauled akin to the Mario Kart: Super Circuit courses remade for Tour.

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese クッパじょうコース3 (Super Mario Kart)[?]
Kuppa Jō Kōsu 3
Bowser Castle Course 3
クッパじょう3[?]
Kuppa Jō 3
Bowser Castle 3
Chinese 庫巴城堡3 (Traditional)
Kùbā Chéngbǎo 3
酷霸王城堡 3 (Simplified)
Kùbàwáng Chéngbǎo 3[1]
Bowser Castle 3

References

  1. ^ From the unreleased iQue Mario Kart: Super Circuit