Dash Panel
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Boost Pads (also called Dash Panels, Zippers, Rainbow Boosts, Rainbow Ramps or Turbo Tiles) are special zones that appear in the Mario Kart series. The appearance of these panels have changed throughout the game's history. Boost Pads are used to increase speed of the player's Kart, especially to be used to achieve maximum speed on big jumps and slopes. If the player uses a Mushroom on any of these pads, nothing will happen; however, the player will go faster if the player slipstreams on it.
Appearances
Mario Kart series
Boost Pads are one of the main road elements in Mario Kart games, appearing in almost every title in the series. However, their design vary from game to game:
- Super Mario Kart: In Super Mario Kart, Boost Pads appear as yellow arrows and are very rare.
- Mario Kart 64: In the Nintendo 64 title, Boost Pads are set in 2 courses, Royal Raceway and DK's Jungle Parkway and appear as yellow and red pads, used to launch karts over large gaps.
- Mario Kart: Super Circuit: In Mario Kart: Super Circuit, they again appear as yellow and red pads.
- Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: In this game, they are flashing rainbow panels.
- Mario Kart DS: In Mario Kart DS, Boost Pads keep the rainbow coloration.
- Mario Kart Wii: In Mario Kart Wii they once again have flashy rainbow coloration. Retro courses keep the original design.
- Mario Kart 7: In Mario Kart 7, Boost Pads are color-coded:
- Orange Boost Pads simply increase the speed of the karts.
- Blue Boost Pads are placed at the edge of ramps, and activate the gliders, allowing them to soar through the next area.
- Mario Kart 8: In the Wii U game, they are distinguishable by their colors and style:
- Orange Boost Pads increase the speed of the kart or bike.
- Blue Boost Pads with arrows activate the glider feature, and are placed on ramps or edges.
- Blue Boost Pads with circles, when found before an anti-gravity section, activate the anti-gravity wheels. If placed at the end of an anti-gravity section, activate regular wheels.
Diddy Kong Racing
Objects that behave similarly to a boost pad in the Mario Kart series appear in Diddy Kong Racing, where they are known as Zippers.
Mario Party series
Mario Party 9
Boost Pads (known in this game as Dash Zones) appear in Mario Party 9 in the minigame, Speeding Bullets. They are used to accelerate the character's speed when they are used. These Boost Pads are orange in colour and are arrow-shaped. In Time Attack, a bonus challenge for Speeding Bullets is to not miss a single Dash Zone.
A Boost Pad also appears in Snow Go to help the players crossing thick snow. In Time Attack mode, the bonus challenge is to use it in all five laps.
Mario Party: Island Tour
In Mario Party: Island Tour, Boost Pads are present in two minigames: Gyro for the Gold and Mr. Blizzard's Snow Slalom. In the former, they are used to cross gaps between the platforms of the obstacle course. In the latter, it has the same look from recent Mario Kart Boost Pads, and is used to launch the character's snowball at Mr. Blizzard.
Super Mario 3D World
These objects make their debut in the Super Mario series in Super Mario 3D World, for the Wii U. This time, they are square-shaped, and feature a pixelated diamond animation. Once a character runs on it, it will blink and give them a boost. Boosted characters cannot stop running or crouch (and so cannot long jump), and have problems making sharp direction changes. All characters run at the same speed when boosted.
