DS Desert Hills

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This article is about the course from Mario Kart DS and retro course in Mario Kart Wii. For the world from Super Mario Bros. 3 also known as "Desert Hills", see Desert Land.
Desert Hills
Desert Hills
Desert Hills.png
Information
Appears in Mario Kart DS (2005)
Mario Kart Wii (2008)
Cup(s) Flower Cup (DS)
Leaf Cup (Wii)
Based on Desert Land
Online play No longer available (DS, Wii)
Music sample
Course map
Mario Kart DS
Desert Hills mapMario Kart DS

Mario Kart Wii
The course map for DS Desert Hills from Mario Kart Wii.

Staff ghost(s)
DS Ninten★かつ
1:31.262 R.O.B.ROB-LGS
Wii Nin★CHIA
2:10.233 Dry BonesStandard Bike S
Wii Expert Nin★solami
1:52.686 Dry BonesTiny Titan

Desert Hills is the first race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. Elements of the track are based on Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3. Pokeys roam around the desert and the Angry Sun will drop Fire Snakes on the track. Both of these elements act as obstacles on the course. The course also has sharper turns and more intense slopes than previous tracks in the game, bringing up the difficulty for the Flower Cup.

Desert Hills reappears as a classic course in Mario Kart Wii as the first race track of the Leaf Cup.

Mario Kart DS

Course layout

The track starts near an oasis with a small lake where one can sink in the water. The first Pokey can be seen in front of the starting line here as well. To the right of the first turn, the track partially surrounds a pyramid made out of Brick Blocks. One of the other Pokeys is on this turn. There is then a field of dunes, with many more Pokeys roaming within it. The course has a few sharp turns at the end of each lap before approaching the finish line. The dark sand portion of the track is an out-of-bounds area, so if the player touches it, Lakitu will bring them back to the track.

The Pipes, Angry Sun, and block designs are taken from aspects of Desert Land in Super Mario Bros. 3.

Shortcuts

There are two shortcuts in this course. The first shortcut is taken by going straight across the hairpin turn, instead of going around. In 150cc, this shortcut requires only one mushroom, if the player jumps at the right time. The second is a dash-through behind the pyramid, right before the Pokeys start appearing. Two mushrooms will be required for this.

Glitches

If the player hits the left dark terrain before they touch the water, they will fall through it with no splash animation.

Missions

There are two missions that take place on Desert Hills, both of which the player controls Wario:

  • Mission 2-6: The player must use Bob-ombs to take out all 5 Pokeys within 55 seconds.
  • Mission 4-4: The player must pass through 7 gates within 45 seconds. Along the way, each Item Box contains Triple Mushrooms.

Mario Kart Wii

The DS Desert Hills tournament

Desert Hills makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Leaf Cup. The course received improved graphics, like most other retro courses in Mario Kart Wii. The starting banner was recolored to blue and now displays the classic Mario Kart logo. Few other changes have been made in the this version of this track aside from the visual improvements; Karts now spin out instead of flipping when making contact with Pokeys and the course map has been rotated 180 degrees in contrast to its predecessor.

If players use mushrooms, they can go over many of this course's walls, skipping sections entirely.

Tournaments

December 2009's first tournament required players to take out 10 Pokeys on Desert Hills. The whole track has more Pokeys than before, and players can make use of Item Boxes that either contain a Star or contain Triple Green Shells.

Profiles

Mario Kart DS

  • Instruction booklet bio: "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy."
  • Website bios:
    • Flag of the United States of America since July 4, 1960. For North American (and sometimes South American) release dates. "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy. Watch out for fireballs and stray Pokeys!"
    • Flag of the European Union (previously the European Economic Community). For European release dates. "Bring plenty of sunscreen and seat cushions for this race because the baking desert heat and bumpy terrain can give unprepared drivers serious sunburn and saddle sores. Watch out for the Pokeys too - walking cacti that can stop a speeding kart in its tracks and cost you precious seconds."

Mario Kart Wii

The DS Desert Hills card from the Mario Kart Wii trading cards
Trading Card
  • European website bio: "If you can't stand the heat, then stay away from the desert hills! Fireballs falling from the sun make it even tougher to negotiate the high turns snaking through the dunes."
  • Trading Card bio: "Desert Hills is not a very difficult course to get around, but it provides a perfect canvas for you to paint a racing masterpiece upon. Spend time on this track dialing your cornering techniques. Be sure to use Mushrooms (if you've got them) to blast over the tall dunes before the start/finish line."

Sponsors

Gallery

Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart Wii

Additional names

Internal names

Game File Name Meaning

Mario Kart Wii old_deser_ds Old Desert DS

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese サンサンさばく[?]
Sansan Sabaku
Sun Sun Desert
French Désert du Soleil[?] Sun's Desert
German Glühheiße Wüste[?] Glowing Hot Desert
Italian Deserto Picchiasol[?] Sun Beaten Desert
Korean 썬썬 사막[?]
Sseon-sseon Samak
Sun Sun Desert
Spanish Desierto Sol-Sol[?] Sun-Sun Desert

Trivia

  • In Mario Kart DS, Desert Hills is the only course in the game where the skybox rotates clockwise. For all other courses in the game, the skybox rotates counterclockwise