Mario Kart Wii / Mario Kart 7 / Mario Kart Tour Asuka Ohta, Ryo Nagamatsu
Mario Kart 7 (frontrunning)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (frontrunning)
Course map
Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart 7 Mario Kart Tour Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Staff ghost(s)
Wii
Nin★Murak
2:16.110
Wii Expert
Nin★Miki
2:01.011
7
Nin★Kataok
2:02.292
7 Expert
Ret★Jay
1:50.526
8DX 150cc
Nin★Massim
1:50.666
8DX 200cc
Nin★Chris
1:21.194
Mushroom Gorge is the third course of the Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart Wii. It is located on a mountainous zone with tall Mushroom Platforms rising over cloudy pits. Racers travel the course mainly on land; however, on a part of the course, they enter a cave where they find a pit full of Mushroom Trampolines, which are mushrooms the racers use as platforms. Players can drive two different ways over these mushrooms to cross the cave. Red Mushroom Trampolines cause drivers to bounce, so players can do a trick while they are in the air to get a small boost of speed later. The green-capped Mushroom Trampolines, however, do not cause vehicles to bounce. Some Goombas appear serving as obstacles on the track.
The course begins on a dirt road with mushroom trampolines and mushroom platforms in the background. After a brief straightaway there is a slight turn to the right and a turn to the left, where racers encounter the first set of Item Boxes. To the left of the first two turns is a pair of mushroom trampolines that acts as a shortcut and is not on the minimap. Racers then drive onto a wooden bridge that curves right, followed by a ramp that leads to a single mushroom trampoline, hanging over an abyss. The ramps on this course are notable because they visually resemble dash panel ramps, but their actual effect is much closer to that of mushroom trampolines.
After the first mushroom trampoline, there is a left turn which brings racers to a fork in the road: If racers turn left, the road will then curve right and racers encounter several moving Item Boxes and dash panels. This route is the longer and slower of the two. If racers go straight ahead, there is a ramp followed by a mushroom platform in between two mushroom trampolines, once again hanging over an abyss. A set of Item Boxes floats in midair between the first mushroom trampoline and the mushroom platform. This route is usually taken by CPUs.
The two routes then join and racers enter a cave, taking a gradual left turn before reaching a ramp and another split path. This time, both routes are composed of mushroom trampolines and mushroom platforms, leaving no other road for racers to drive on. If racers take the left route, they use three mushroom trampolines to gain height and reach a mushroom platform that is very high up. They then use two more mushroom trampolines before falling down to the height they were at before, where one more mushroom trampoline will bring them to the end of the section. If racers take the right route, they use two mushroom trampolines followed by a pair of mushroom platforms and then three mushroom trampolines, bringing them to the end of the section. All mushrooms on the right route are about the same height. While the right route is once again faster, it only has a single pair of Item Boxes, found between the first two mushroom trampolines, while the left route has two sets of Item Boxes, making it much easier for racers to acquire items. Both routes are also relatively straight but require racers to make small turns to correct their trajectory.
After the long cave section, racers exit the cave and return to the dirt road, where there is a slight right turn and then a left U-turn around an abyss. There are three Goombas along this U-turn. Afterwards, racers reach the finish line.
The first notable shortcut can be achieved by turning to the left at the beginning of the track and using a Mushroom (or jumping over the grass) to drive off the cliff and bounce off of the mushroom trampolines below, landing on the wooden bridge. This shortcut is utilized in a glitch where the player can turn around and bounce off of the first mushroom trampoline and lean back to climb on the cliff, moving left for a while before being dropped onto the track before the finish line. The pair of mushroom trampolines was removed in the Mario Kart 7 version of the course, possibly because of this glitch. The mushroom trampolines return in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but if the player attempts this glitch, Lakitu will simply pull them back to where they last were on the track.
The second notable shortcut can be found by the U-turn at the end of the track. By cutting through the grass on the U-turn without falling into the abyss, a second or two of time can be saved. However, with a Mushroom it is also possible to jump across the gap entirely to save more time. It is also possible to bounce off of the final mushroom trampoline on the left side of the cave and climb on the left wall and get onto the other side of the gap; a Mushroom is required for this.
Lastly, there is a glitch on this course that allows racers to cut through the grass without items: If the player uses one of the course's ramps without touching a mushroom trampoline afterwards, the off-road collision is changed to not slow the player down anymore. The easiest way to achieve this is by using a Mushroom at the first ramp to jump over the first mushroom trampoline. The player can then cut through the grass on the following turn, take the left route at the fork in the road, and then cut through a bit of off-road along the gradual left turn in the cave. The other way is by using a Bullet Bill: The player can either use it at the second or third ramp, depending on whether it will end early or not. If done correctly, the player will be dropped off just after the cave's exit and can then cut through the grass on the U-turn, as well as a bit of grass on the left turn near the first item set.
Tournaments
The second tournament of June 2008
June 2008's second tournament required players to complete a Time Trial in reverse on Mushroom Gorge. There are several ramps added and the positions of mushroom trampolines and mushroom platforms are changed to make this possible. Players start the Time Trial with a set of Triple Mushrooms. The tournament was later repeated as the second tournament of June 2010, the first tournament of December 2011, the second tournament of February 2013, and finally the only tournament of May 2014, the final tournament before the discontinuation of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service.
Mario Kart 7
Mushroom Gorge makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the third race of the Shell Cup. Due to graphical limitations, the Mushroom Trampolines are flat and larger in this version than in the original Wii version, and most of the ones in the background have been removed. The arrows at the first split paths have been changed from brown to red. Some of the Dash Panels have been shifted around, with an extra one being added to the first split track section, and the one on the right at the split paths has been moved forward.
The most significant changes to the course are that the shortcut near the start of the track with the Mushroom Trampolines has been removed, five of the red Mushroom Trampolines inside the cave have been removed, and the Mushroom Platform on the left route is now a blue Mushroom Trampoline that acts as a Glide Ramp.
Mario Kart Tour
Mushroom Gorge returns in Mario Kart Tour as a classic course starting from the 2022 Mii Tour. It is the third Wii course to be included in the game and the first since Wii DK Summit in the Snow Tour twenty-seven tours prior. The course has received a graphical update. The starting line has been redesigned into a stone archway with the modern Mario Kart logo. Most Mushroom Trampolines have been restored to the background. Certain elements, like the elevation of the Mushroom Trampolines and the types of ramps used in some locations, had to be changed to accommodate for Mario Kart Tour's physics; there is also an additional Mushroom Trampoline in the cave section compared to the Mario Kart 7 incarnation of the track. Players can also now perform Jump Boosts by dropping off Mushroom Platforms. There is no longer a Dash Panel on the first or second ramp of the course. One of the three Goombas near the end of the course has also been removed.
The course also appears as Mushroom Gorge R (reversed), Mushroom Gorge T (with ramps), and Mushroom Gorge R/T (reversed with ramps). The first two debuted alongside the normal variant in the 2022 Mii Tour, while Mushroom Gorge R/T debuted in the 2023 Mii Tour. In all three variants, the number of mushrooms is significantly reduced; in the R variant, the only mushrooms remaining in the cave are blue mushroom trampolines. In the R/T variant, a glide ramp is placed at the left path after the cave, and the mushrooms from the shortcut after the starting line in Mario Kart Wii return, now larger in size.
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3. ** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6. *** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items.
Mushroom Gorge reappears in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the second wave of the Booster Course Pass. It is the third course of the Propeller Cup. It uses its appearance from Mario Kart Tour, albeit with graphical updates, such as the road now being orange colored instead of yellow. Several features of the original Mario Kart Wii version of the course that were not in the Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour versions return in this game, such as the shortcut at the beginning with two lower Mushroom Trampolines appearing leading up to the bridge (though the first mushroom now requires the aid of a Mushroom or a Super Star to reach it), along with the ability to jump across the gap at the last U-turn of the track using a speed boost. The mushrooms in the cave section are placed at different elevations again, like the versions prior to Tour, and the layout of the mushrooms in the cave section is now based on the original version, albeit with the green Mushroom Platform on the left path being replaced by another Mushroom Trampoline, as well as replacing one of the mushrooms with Mario Kart 7's glider mushroom. One of the red mushrooms on the right side of the split path before the cave was removed. Several Toads and Koopa Paratroopas have been added as spectators on the course, and the eagles from Shy Guy Falls are visible flying above the track. Some Toad spectators are seen sitting, standing, jumping and waving on top of some Mushroom Platforms. The mushroom shortcut at the beginning of the course is now shown on the minimap.
In a similar vein to Wii Grumble Volcano, 3DS Neo Bowser City, and 3DS DK Jungle, the music is almost the same as the original Wii version, save for the addition of a reverb effect and different mixing, which notably makes the backing guitar louder and adjusts the volume of certain sections of the song. It is one of two courses in the Booster Course Pass to have music tracks left relatively unchanged from their original versions, the other being Tour Madrid Drive (which has a new rendition of its main song, but near-identical versions of its stadium and museum song variants). Additionally, the final lap version of the music is much faster compared to the normal version (as well as the final lap version of the Wii, 3DS and Tour renditions) than other retro courses.
Mushroom Gorge is the only classic course from a past game's Shell Cup to reappear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
"Bouncing and pulling tricks off the red mushrooms is crazy fun, but it's tricky to keep your car out of the chasms."
"Bounce your way through an underground cavern on top of giant mushrooms that double as trampolines. Whatever route you take, just make sure you land safely!"
Prima Guide: "This is the first course to offer a multitude of tricks, as well as precarious edges and bottomless drops to avoid-or jostle your opponents into! The trick here is to figure out the quickest route when the course branches into two different paths, all the while avoiding the roaming Goombas, staying on the dirt track, and using the famous giant mushrooms as trampolines!"[1]
Trading Card bio:"Get ready for some precision mushroom-bouncing action on this track! Upon entering the cavern, staying to the right seems to be the path most racers will travel. However, taking the path to the left will surely allow you to get a better shot at scoring a useful Item from the plentiful Item Boxes."
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Nintendo Switch News app (US):
This course first appeared in the Mario Kart™ Wii game.
The course is a mountainous area with lots of mushrooms sprinkled throughout the landscape.
There are many Trampoline Mushrooms along the track. The key is to use your Jump Boost on these to get a small mid-air speed boost.
Nintendo Switch News app (UK): Bounce your way to victory - introducing Mushroom Gorge! Now, we'd like to present to you a course released as part of the second wave, which is available now: Mushroom Gorge. This course first appeared in the Wii title Mario Kart Wii and takes place in mountainous terrain sprouting with all sorts of fabulous fungi. It even features lots of mushrooms that work like trampolines, bouncing you into the air when you drive over them and giving you ample opportunity to utilise Jump Boosts for an extra kick of speed. That's a little tip for you - be sure to use it to your advantage!
Excluding Mario Kart Tour, Mushroom Gorge is one of two courses in the Mario Kart series to have returned more than once to occupy the same slot in a cup each time it has appeared (in this case, the third one). The other is DS Peach Gardens.
References
^Hogson, David. 2008. Mario Kart (Wii): Prima Official Game Guide, pg 44.
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"Bouncing and pulling tricks off the red mushrooms is crazy fun, but it's tricky to keep your car out of the chasms."
"Bounce your way through an underground cavern on top of giant mushrooms that double as trampolines. Whatever route you take, just make sure you land safely!"
