GBA Ribbon Road
Template:Racecourse Ribbon Road is a racing track in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It is the second track in the Star Cup. The track reappears again in the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 as a part of the Bell Cup. The entire road is made of a giant stretch of ribbon.
Course layout
The course begins in a straight red road that soon leads to a curve to the right. It is a circular curve that leads the player into boost panels and makes the player boost past and over the section of the road they were in. Here a shortcut may be performed if the player takes all the boost panels and then makes a sharp turn to the right after jumping. It is risky and may land the racer off the track, but it is useful for getting ahead. Past the ramp is a short straight road that turns left into a straight road, and another curve to the left that will also lead the player into boost panels and a ramp that will speed the player past a previous section of the course.
After the second and final ramp is a curve to the right that will lead the player into a twisty, but one-directional road that has off road and presents to slow the player. After the twisty road is another twisty road past the curve to the right that leads the player southwest the course and two more minor curves to the left, that leads the player into the southernmost part of the course.
There is a slightly straight, but curvy road in the last straight road before the finish line. The first section of this road is straight, but there is a very minor curve to the left that leads the player even further down the course until they meet a curve to the right that leads into the road with the finish line. It is straight and it leads the player back into the finish/starting line.
Mario Kart 8
Ribbon Road returns in Mario Kart 8 as a retro course in the add-on pack, Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8, as the second track in the Bell Cup. The course is now set in a child's bedroom at toy size, that not only features gift boxes, similar to the original, but stuffed Yoshis, Koopa Clown Car jack-in-the-boxes, toy versions of karts used in Mario Kart 8, Mini Toads and a Mario Kart 8 poster on the bedroom's wall as well. The track surface now has different colors of ribbons with the series logo printed on it, instead of just red as in the original.
The course now features a start/finish banner, which is made of coral pink and lavender colored ribbon arches, with the course's name featured on the front star details on the sides of the banner and on the tips of the arches, as well as a wooden ornament made of a ribbon and Super Bell on top. Also, much like GCN Yoshi Circuit and GBA Cheese Land, the modern Mario Kart logo is used instead of the classic logo that the course had in its original appearance. Template:Right
The course contains three colored sections with castle walls of different colors. Out of the start-finish line, racers travel through the first section, which has red ribbons on pink carpet with castle walls, mini Toads, and Super Bell icons - this section is based on Princess Peach. After doing a three-quarter turn, the racers go through a jump over the track and enter the second section of castle, where the track is now a green ribbon with light green carpet, with Bowser-colored castle walls with his icon on them and wind-up Mechakoopas posing as hazards - this section is based on Bowser. After another three-quarter turn, the racers go through another jump and enter an anti-gravity segment, with floating blue ribbons, blue-white castle walls, with Luma symbols and stars on the spires - this section is based on Rosalina and her power of levitation. The anti-gravity segment ends in a gliding segment, with racers having to dodge Jack-in-the-Box Koopa Clown Cars before returning to the red ribbon portion of the track. After another U-turn, the track returns to the start-finish line.
The music has also been remastered, now with a surf-rock rendition of the previous theme.
Shortcuts
- Two exist on the anti-gravity portion:
- The player can make a sharp drift onto a ramp next to the Teddy Buggy statue.
- Before the main gliding area with the two Jack-in-the-Box Koopa Clown Cars, the player can drift onto a hidden gliding ramp.
- Upon returning to the red ribbon portion of the track, after gliding, players can take a sharp right turn through the ribbon arches using a Mushroom or Star to cut off the wide curve.
- The shortcut used in Mario Kart: Super Circuit to make a jump to skip a large portion of the track using the first ramp is removed here.
Easter eggs
The Mario Kart 8 version of the course contains several Easter eggs which can be seen in the background:
- The blue wallpaper seen on the walls of the room the track is set in has a pattern of the Super Bell item, reflecting the cup that the track is in.
- Mini Toads from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series appear at the beginning of the track.
- Multiple large knitted Yoshis resembling both their appearance in Yoshi's Woolly World and the Yarn Yoshi series of amiibo.
- A theatrical poster of a fictional film starring a Lakitu called "Kung Fu Lakitu", which is a reference to the DreamWorks animated film Kung Fu Panda. The Lakitu is even doing a pose similar to Po's from a poster. The tagline also reads "Dragon Driftway The Movie", a reference to another DLC course.
- After the first ramp, there is a boomerang in the background resembling the one from a Boomerang Flower in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World (when used by Toad). This can only be seen midair and is directly to the right of "Yoshi's Dice Game".
- A games box with a Toad Toy Superstore logo on it, which refers to the superstore seen in Toad Harbor.
- The track itself has the Toad Toy Superstore logo sewn onto the fabric on the green portion of the track, implying that the track was purchased from this store.
- A board game called "Yoshi's Dice Game" has a board map similar to Yoshi Circuit's track layout on the box.
- A poster featuring the box art of the game itself.
- Toy kits can be seen for various Mario Kart 8 karts. They display the stats for the karts as well as in-game businesses Mario Motors and Lemmy's Tire Service.
- A Ribbon Road toy kit box with Baby Mario on the box that references the Mario Kart track sets from K'NEX.
- There are also sized-up versions of karts seen in-game, such as the Standard Kart and Biddybuggy.
- Toad's character icon artwork from Super Mario 3D World can be seen on two gift boxes.
Gallery
GBA appearance
- RibbonLand.png
The track icon, depicting Wario driving on Ribbon Road.
Wii U appearance
- MK8-DLC-Course-icon-GBA RibbonRoad.png
The track's icon.
- B Dasher In Game (Mario Kart 8).jpg
Mario at the starting line, ready to race.