DS Airship Fortress
| Airship Fortress | |||||||||||||||
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 Mario Kart DS  Mario Kart 7  Mario Kart Tour | |||||||||||||||
| Information | |||||||||||||||
| Appears in | Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart 7 (2011) Mario Kart Tour (2020) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Star Cup (DS) Lightning Cup (7) | ||||||||||||||
| Tour(s) |
Pirate Tour
Summer Festival Tour 1st Anniversary Tour Halloween Tour (2020) New Year's 2021 Tour Berlin Tour Mario Tour (2021) Yoshi Tour (2021) Bowser vs. DK Tour Trick Tour (2021) Summer Tour (2021) Los Angeles Tour (2021) Kamek Tour Space Tour (2021) Holiday Tour (2021) Mii Tour (2022) Yoshi Tour (2022) Amsterdam Tour Halloween Tour (2022) Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) Bowser Tour (2023) | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Super Mario Bros. 3's Airships | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | Was never available (DS) No longer available (3DS) | ||||||||||||||
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Airship Fortress is the fourth and final course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart DS. The course takes place both on a floating fortress in disrepair and on an airship. The course is inspired by the environment of boss levels seen in Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World. Other airships can be seen flying in the background. Airship Fortress returns as a classic course in Mario Kart 7, as the third race of the Lightning Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour, debuting in the Pirate Tour.
Mario Kart DS
The race starts with a straightaway, where a barrage of Bullet Bills are shot from a Bill Blaster of the airship and cause players to flip over if they touch them. Passing this section of the track, players turn left with a right turn shortly after and get a boost by running over a Dash Panel, entering the deck of the airship, where Rocky Wrenches pop out from their trenches, hitting racers who drive over them. Proceeding inside the airship, players take a tight left turn and reach the cellar where some crates are spread throughout the room. They may contain a Mushroom or a Banana Peel if broken. The next room features a pair of burners moving sideways that cause players to spin out if they touch the fire. Players exit the airship by being launched by the airship's Pipe Cannon with a Dash Panel, similar to DK Mountain, aimed at a hole in the fortress tower. Following the corkscrew inside the tower, there's one last turn to finish the race. Just before the last turn, players can knock other racers off the course.
Mario Kart 7
Immediately following the starting line (which has the grid recolored from black and yellow to red and white while the banner was changed from the one seen in Figure-8 Circuit, Yoshi Falls, Desert Hills, and Wario Stadium to a steel-framed wooden panel displaying the classic orange Mario Kart logo), both drop-offs can be used to perform a trick and gain a small boost. The Bullet Bills have become Banzai Bills, are now shot out from the Banzai Bill Cannon at faster intervals, and are no longer visible on the bottom screen map. Some of the Banzai Bills are larger in scale compared to others. The interior of the airship has some minor changes, most notably the presence of a slight curve within the cellar, while the exterior of it has a Warp Pipe added near the Pipe Cannon (similar to Super Mario Bros. 3's) and the fortress section has additional towers. The burner room now has a ventilated floor exposing the sky underneath the airship, and the Rocky Wrenches now make sounds similar to Monty Moles. Hitting a Banzai Bill has the similar effect as getting struck by a Bob-omb, a Bullet Bill, or a Spiny Shell, causing the player to tumble and roll over sideways.
Launching out of the Pipe Cannon now encompasses a Glide Ramp. Players cannot aim their flight and they are also no longer immune to items while in the Pipe Cannon, and being hit by anything (or intentionally stowing their glider) results in having to be rescued by Lakitu.
Shortcuts
- Dropping onto the rail between the Banzai Bill section and first boost panel in order to take the turn tighter saves a minimal amount of time.
- Dropping onto the longer rail at the start of the lap is useful during races as, while not necessarily saving time, it allows the player to dodge items and Banzai Bills.
- A difficult shortcut can be performed by leaning off the curve on the second, smaller rail to gain an upwards angle and using a Mushroom. If the player goes far enough, Lakitu will place them just before the cannon. If done quickly, it saves around ten seconds.[1]
Mario Kart Tour
Airship Fortress is one of the courses to have received many notable aesthetic changes. The main tower is now part of a larger fortress, with other towers in the background. The location of the course changes from the sky to a lava-filled ocean, as well as the time of day from sunset to sunrise (the latter also applies to N64 Yoshi Valley and GBA Yoshi Desert). Several lit torches were added to the sides of the track before the main airship and on each column of the main tower and hanging lanterns on the main airship's deck. The starting banner is now made of stone that is held up by two small towers, and the Mario Kart logo on the starting banner is the modern logo (colored cyan) as opposed to the classic logo. The main airship and several others are a more lighter brown in color, with their masts now possessing propellers instead of sails. Hitting a Rocky Wrench now gives points to the player instead of making them spin-out, and players can now trick on top of Rocky Wrenches that poke their heads out of the ground. The tunnel leading to the main airship's cabin has also been given a redesign, with the doors being replaced by multiple portholes, lights, and groups of barrels and crates, while the wall separating the two rooms now resembling the type of wall seen inside a wine cellar. Additionally, the main airship's cabin has been redesigned to resemble a drinking bar, with Shy Guys sitting on stools, bottles on shelves, a dartboard, and several tables.
The course also appears as Airship Fortress R (reversed), Airship Fortress T (with ramps), and Airship Fortress R/T (reversed with ramps). The first two debuted in the Pirate Tour, while the third debuted in the 2021 Trick Tour. In the R and R/T variants, the Banzai Bills are gone. In the T variant, the cannon is removed, and racers use Kanaami Road to cross the gap. In the R/T variant, there is a row of Rocky Wrenches just before the finish line.
Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, see List of DS Airship Fortress tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which DS Airship Fortress and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of DS Airship Fortress tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
| Course | Three-item drivers | Bonus points ×2 karts | Combo bonus ×3 gliders | Two-item drivers | Bonus points ×1.5 karts | Combo bonus ×2 gliders |
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 Normal variant |
                
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 **  **    *     
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 *   ** *      * **    **  
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 ** **   *         **
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 R variant |
       
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 ***   **
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*  ** **   *    
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*     ***
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 T variant |
 
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 *****
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** **********  
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** ********
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 R/T variant |
      
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  ** * **   * **
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 ** ** **** ***   ** * **    **
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***   * ** ** 
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* 
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| * 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. | ||||||
Bonus challenges
| Ring Race | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Baby Daisy |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
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Pirate Tour |  Toadette Cup |
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Yoshi Tour (2022) |  Peachette Cup | |||||
| Do Jump Boosts | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Morton |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
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1st Anniversary Tour |  Baby Peach Cup |
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Bowser vs. DK Tour |  Birdo Cup | |||||
| Halloween Tour (2022) |  Metal Mario Cup | ||||||
| Big Reverse Race | ||||||||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Opponents | Tour appearances | Cup | ||||||||
| 7th | 6th | 5th | 4th | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Extra | |||||
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Regular | Driver |  [2]
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Halloween Tour (2020) |  Ice Mario Cup |
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| Goomba Takedown | |||||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Item Box type found |
Number of item slots | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Waluigi |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
 Bob-omb  Mega Mushroom |
1 |
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Pirate Tour |  Daisy Cup |
| Los Angeles Tour (2021) | Toadette Cup | ||||||||
| Halloween Tour (2022) | Baby Peach Cup | ||||||||
| Steer Clear of Obstacles | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Obstacles | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Rosalina |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
 Banzai Bill  Barrel Bomb  Burner |
Summer Festival Tour | Birdo Cup |
| Kamek Tour |  Baby Luigi Cup | ||||||
| Amsterdam Tour |  Bowser Cup | ||||||
| Bowser Tour (2023) |  Ludwig Cup | ||||||
| vs. Mega Bowser Jr. | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Mega opponent information | Tour appearances | Cup | |||
| Driver | Kart | Glider | Items used | ||||
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Regular |  Bowser Jr. (Pirate) |
 Landship |
 Great Sail[4] |
Bob-ombs[4]  Bob-omb Cannons[4] |
Pirate Tour |  Koopa Troopa Cup |
| Trick Tour (2021) |  Diddy Kong Cup | ||||||
| Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) |  Dry Bowser Cup | ||||||
| Smash Small Dry Bones | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Birdo (Yellow) |
Pipe Frame |
Super Glider |
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Mario Tour (2021) | Metal Mario Cup |
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Space Tour (2021) |  Mario Cup | |||||
| Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) | Bowser Cup | ||||||
| Time Trial | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
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Regular |  Luigi |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
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Halloween Tour (2020) |  Toad Cup |
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Bowser vs. DK Tour | ||||||
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R |  Pink Shy Guy |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
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New Year's 2021 Tour |  Pauline Cup |
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Summer Tour (2021) |  Baby Rosalina Cup | |||||
| Combo Attack | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver |
Chosen kart |
Chosen glider |
Highest combo counts | Tour appearances | Cup |
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T |  Red Yoshi |
 Pipe Frame |
 Super Glider |
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Yoshi Tour (2022) |  Donkey Kong Cup |
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Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) |  Yoshi Cup | |||||
Profiles
- Website description:
- English (British):
Bowser should be right at home in these ships in the sky. Race across the decks of these floating wrecks, get blasted from cannons and dodge oncoming missile fire, as you fight to stay in one piece long enough to take the pole position.
- English (British):
Mario Kart Tour
- Mario Kart Tour Twitter: It's time for the Pirate Tour! The DS Airship Fortress course makes its debut in Mario Kart Tour. It's a long way down from this floating fortress, so make sure you stay on course![5]
Gallery
Mario Kart DS
Rocky Wrench section
The crate room
Peach being shot away by the Pipe Cannon
Mario Kart 7
Bowser starts the race with a Rocket Start.
Luigi and Bowser race on the track.
Metal Mario racing on the course
Metal Mario approaching a Rocky Wrench
The burner room
Bowser approaching the Pipe Cannon
Mario Kart Tour
Course icons
- For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (DS courses) § Airship Fortress.
The course icon
The course icon of the R variant
The course icon of the T variant
The course icon of the R/T variant
Screenshots
View of the cabin area of the main airship
Dry Bowser, Dry Bones, Pauline, King Boo (Luigi's Mansion), and Bowser Jr. (Pirate) on the course
Bowser, Dry Bowser, King Boo (Luigi's Mansion), and Dry Bones (Gold) tricking on the course
King Bob-omb throwing a Green Shell at Mario on the course
King Bob-omb, Dry Bowser, and Bowser Jr. (Pirate) tricking
Funky Kong and Dry Bowser gliding on the course
Bowser in the Bullet Blaster with a Bullet Bill
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
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|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart DS | airship_course | Airship course |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | キラーシップ[?] Kirā Shippu |
Bullet Bill Ship | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 弹头杀手飞船[?] Dàntóu Shāshǒu Fēichuán |
Bullet Bill Airship | |
| 炮弹刺客飞船 (Mario Kart Tour)[?] Pàodàn cìkè fēichuán |
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| Chinese (traditional) | 砲彈刺客飛船[?] Pàodàn Cìkè Fēichuán |
Bullet Bill Airship | |
| Dutch | Vliegende Vesting[?] | Flying Fortress | |
| French | Bateau Volant[?] | Flying Ship | |
| German | Fliegende Festung[?] | Flying Fortress | |
| Italian | Fortezza Volante[?] | Flying Fortress | |
| Korean | 킬러 해적선[?] Killeo Haejeokseon |
Bullet Bill Pirate Ship | |
| Portuguese (NOA) | Fortaleza Aérea[?] | Aerial Fortress | |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Fortaleza Voadora[?] | Flying Fortress | |
| Russian | Воздушная крепость[?] Vozdushnaya krepost |
Aerial Fortress | |
| Spanish | Fortaleza Aérea[?] | Aerial Fortress |
Trivia
- Airship Fortress is one of two courses in the Mario Kart series that has had three different starting line logos, it used the same design as Figure-8 Circuit, Yoshi Falls, Desert Hills, and Wario Stadium in Mario Kart DS with the 5 Nintendo logo-styled Mario Kart logos in a row, the classic Mario Kart logo in Mario Kart 7, and the modern Mario Kart logo in Mario Kart Tour. Coincidentially, both are from Mario Kart DS, with the other one being Waluigi Pinball.
References
- ^ MOMIジ (June 15, 2020). 【マリオカート7】全バグショートカット集 #マリオカート7 (4:01). YouTube (Japanese). Retrieved August 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g Game8 International (October 26, 2020). Ice Mario Cup (Halloween Tour) - Big Reverse Race Walkthrough | Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ Beto Prisco (October 26, 2020). Halloween Tour - Ice Mario Cup. YouTube. Retrieved January 31, 2021.
- ^ a b c DarkyKitty (October 21, 2020). Mario Kart Tour - Koopa Troopa Cup (Pirate Tour) - #120. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
- ^ mariokarttourEN (August 12, 2020). Post from X. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
