Half-pipe (object)

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This article is about the Mario Kart object. For the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games Event, see Halfpipe.
Half-pipe
A half-pipe in Mario Kart Tour.
A half-pipe in Mario Kart Tour
First appearance Mario Kart Wii (2008)
Latest appearance Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass (2022)

A half-pipe[1][2] (also known as a halfpipe-style boost ramp)[3] is a structure signaled by vertical dash panels[4] (also known as half-pipe boost pads)[5] that appears in the Mario Kart series, first appearing in Mario Kart Wii. It allows players to jump off the side of a course and perform a Jump Boost to gain a speed boost upon landing. Its panels are cyan, blue, and purple with scrolling white arrows on them and stripes across them, resembling those of a Glide Ramp; despite their former North American name, half-pipes have only a signaling function, not giving any speed boost when touched. Said speed boost rather happens when the player lands after the jump, regardless of whether the vehicle landed on the half-pipe or not. Half-pipes may sometimes cause the player to be sent backwards.

Although they are referred to as "half-pipes," most of them are technically quarter-pipes as they appear on only one side of the track. A true half-pipe would be two ramps on opposite sides of the track, like on DK Summit or in Waluigi Stadium.

History

Mario Kart Wii

GCN Waluigi Stadium
A half-pipe in GCN Waluigi Stadium in Mario Kart Wii

In Mario Kart Wii, half-pipes are known in North America as halfpipe-style boost ramps.[3] When a player jumps off one of these ramps, it is possible to perform a trick to receive a longer speed boost. The trick performed is the same one that is performed when the player jumps off a Dash Panel.

Mario Kart Tour

Larry tricking off a half-pipe in Mario Kart Tour.
Larry performing a Jump Boost off a half-pipe on Wii Maple Treeway in Mario Kart Tour

After being absent from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, half-pipes return in Mario Kart Tour, first appearing on Wii Maple Treeway. In this game, their mechanics are slightly altered in that the Jump Boost is automatically performed as soon as the vertical jump starts, but if the jump is high enough, a second trick, called a special trick, is performed. When this happens, the speed boost received upon landing is longer.

A different type of half-pipe, known as a super half-pipe, is introduced in this game and appears only on Merry Mountain. It visually differs from a regular half-pipe with its magenta color. Compared to a regular half-pipe, a super half-pipe leads to a longer boost upon a player landing without the need of a special trick, which cannot be performed when a player jumps from a super half-pipe. The super half-pipe also has a unique sound effect.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, half-pipes appear exclusively in courses added in the Booster Course Pass DLC. They appear as curved Antigravity Panels and briefly enable anti-gravity while the player is airborne. On Merry Mountain, normal half-pipes replace the super half-pipe present in the Mario Kart Tour version.

Courses with half-pipes

Courses with required half-pipes are marked with an asterisk (*), and battle courses are marked with a caret (^). A dash (–) indicates that the course cannot appear as a classic course in a previous game, due to it being present as a new course in its respective game. A shaded cell indicates that the course uses a super half-pipe.

Course Original game Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart Tour Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass
Yoshi Valley Mario Kart 64 Check mark.svg
Waluigi Stadium Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
DK Mountain Mario Kart: Double Dash!! Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
DK Summit Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Wario's Gold Mine Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg
Koopa Cape Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Maple Treeway Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Dry Dry Ruins Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Bowser's Castle Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg
Rainbow Road* Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Funky Stadium^ Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg
Chain Chomp Wheel^ Mario Kart Wii Check mark.svg
Rosalina's Ice World Mario Kart 7 Check mark.svg
Los Angeles Laps Mario Kart Tour Check mark.svg
Merry Mountain Mario Kart Tour Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Athens Dash Mario Kart Tour Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Squeaky Clean Sprint Mario Kart 8 Deluxe / Mario Kart Tour Check mark.svg Check mark.svg
Piranha Plant Pipeline Mario Kart Tour Check mark.svg

Gallery

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ハーフパイプ[?]
Hāfupaipu
Half-pipe
Chinese 半管[?]
Bàn Guǎn
Half-pipe
超級半管[?]
Chāojí Bàn Guǎn
Super Half-pipe
U池技巧[?]
U Chí Jìqiǎo
U Pool Skills
超級U池技巧[?]
Chāojí U Chí Jìqiǎo
Super U Pool Skills
French Rampe en U[?] U shaped ramp
Half-pipe[6] -
German Halfpipe[1] Half-pipe
Italian Rampa a U[1] U shaped ramp
Super rampa a U[?] Super half-pipe
Korean 하프파이프[?]
Hapeupaipeu
Half-pipe
Portuguese Rampa em U[1] U shaped ramp
Spanish Rampa en U[1] U shaped ramp

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Mario Kart Tour in-game name
  2. ^ "The giant cannon that fires you to the mountaintop is just the first part of an incredible trip on this snow-covered track. Avoid the deepest drifts and look out for snowboarders as you pull off stunts on the half-pipe!" – Official Mario Kart Wii European website, DK Summit description.
  3. ^ a b "A challenging downhill course with a long series of halfpipe-style boost ramps for tricking over heavy snow banks." – Official Mario Kart Wii North American website, DK Summit description.
  4. ^ Hodgson, David S. J. (April 27, 2008). Mario Kart Wii PRIMA Official Game Guide. Prima Games (American English). ISBN 978-0-7615-5970-2. Page 60, 64, 72, 76, 84, 92, 96, 128, and 156.
  5. ^ "The plentiful bumps and hills - plus new half-pipe boost pads - make this the best track for tricks." – GCN Waluigi Stadium description. Official Mario Kart Wii North American website (American English).
  6. ^ NintendoFrance (March 6, 2023). Foncez à travers la neige et lancez-vous sur les half-pipes du Pic DK, qui fait son arrivée dans la vague 4 du Pass circuits additionnels de #MarioKart 8 Deluxe !. Twitter. Retrieved March 7, 2023.