Wii Maple Treeway
Template:Racecourse Maple Treeway is the third race course in the Star Cup in Mario Kart Wii. It takes place in a large forest during autumn, making it greatly resemble the Gold Leaf Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy. The track consists of racing on tree branches, on the treetops and even within the trees themselves. Wigglers make their home on the treetops, and driving into them will hinder any racer. Piles of leaves flank various parts of the track, and driving through them reveals Mushrooms and Bananas, or the even rarer Stars.
Description
The race takes place in an autumn setting, with orange leaves and the sun a little low in the sky. The players race on gigantic trees. Interesting elements of this track are the cannon at the beginning, the thin branches during the middle of the course, and the bouncy netting towards the end. Wigglers act as the only obstacles, unless one counts the bananas that get released from leaf piles. It is very easy to fall off when racing on the branches if the player drifts incorrectly, either too tightly or too loosely, or doesn't drift at all.
Course Layout
The course starts out with a slight downhill curve with the very first set of item boxes. After the set of item boxes, there is a curve to the left which leads to a Barrel Cannon, that will blast the player into an incoming treetop, directly through the leaves and branches of the tree.
After the player lands, the player turns right and through some leaf piles, which may reveal a simple banana flying from it, but it could be possible that a mushroom or a star flies from the scattered leaf pile. The player will then exit the insides of the tree and see a large branch, making a left U turn toward a large circular arena with 2 Wigglers on it. The turn on the branch is very tight and the player can fall off both sides if he/she happens to drift incorrectly.
In the large circular arena, there are 2 Wigglers who trot about on their own and some more leaf piles for the player to drive through. The Wiggler will bounce back the player if the player touches the Wigglers, but no other effect will take place.
After the Wiggler area, there is a slight dropping right turn on a branch, which has two Boost Pads on them. The player may also fall off both sides in this area, so the player must be careful where to use the boost panels. Also, if the player is very slow, he/she will fall off before the curve with a half-pipe ramp, since there is a small gap in between the boost pad sections and the section with half-pipe ramp in it. In the section with the half-pipe ramp in it, there is a curve that leads right with a small crevice that it is possible to fall into. On the ramp is item boxes that the player can use. After that area the track is very straight, with some more leaf piles in it. After the player drives for a very little bit, the player will drive across a narrow bridge, which makes it easy for heavier players to knock lighter players off.
After the bridge is a ramp with a boost pad on it. The player may do a trick on that ramp and land on one more thick branch. After a very slight turn to the left, there is a wavy bridge (actually a net), where the player may perform tricks on. The A.I. tends to fall off in this area of the course and the wavy bridge may also throw the player off course when performing stunts and into the land far below the bridge. After the bridge is a very straight path, with two tree roots obscuring the path. The player may perform a trick if he/she manages to drive off them like a ramp. After the roots is nothing more than the finish line to start to the course again on lap two.
Shortcuts
In Maple Treeway, there is a shortcut that will both speed the player up and get him/her an Item Box. After speeding off the net described above, the player has to swerve to the far right or left of the track. The player should see a large ramp carved into the trees on either side, then the player has to go up this ramp to get an Item Box, and then a Dash Panel.
There is also another shortcut, although it requires a Mushroom so that the racer won't be slowed down. After the racer starts the race, they will see a small opening to the right (or to the left, if the player is playing Mirror Mode) of the track. Once the player swerves into the opening, they will need to use a Mushroom to boost over the slow mud, and then they will drive across a small wooden bridge. On the bridge is a Dash Panel and 2 item boxes. After they exit the bridge, the driver will be a short distance away from the large Cannon.
Competitions
The November 2008 Competition 1 took place on Maple Treeway. The player had to collect all fifteen coins that were hidden in the leaves in the least time possible. Four Wigglers were roaming the area for this Competition.
Mario Kart 7
Maple Treeway is scheduled to appear in an upcoming game, Mario Kart 7.
