DS Delfino Square
- Not to be confused with Bianco Square.
| Delfino Square | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart Wii (2008) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Flower Cup (DS) Banana Cup (Wii) | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Delfino Plaza | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | No longer available (DS, Wii) | ||||||||||||||
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Delfino Square is the second race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. It is inspired by Delfino Plaza from Super Mario Sunshine.
The race takes place in part of a plaza and the pier. The major feature of the track is the drawbridge before the end of the course connecting the pier and the plaza. The bridge rises and lowers periodically during the race. Piantas cheer the racers in many sites along the track, and in Mario Kart DS, they make noises that add to the music when the player is nearby.
Delfino Square reappears as a classic course in Mario Kart Wii as the third course of the Banana Cup.
Mario Kart DS
Course layout
The track starts with a straight road, leading racers to a turn around a fountain. The track then runs along a narrow and bifurcated alley with some Item Boxes. Once past the alley, players cross a stone bridge and reach a pier with some crates serving as obstacles. If a racer crashes into one at high speed, it will break up, often revealing a Mushroom or a Banana peel. After the players drive along the pier and around a sharp corner, there is a short straight section of road, before a lifting bridge, covered in Dash Panels, which allows players to gain more speed, even in midair. The track then leads the racers back to the straight street, where the finish line is found after driving through a small wooded green zone of the town.
Shortcuts
Delfino Square contains two main shortcuts the player can perform. The first shortcut is located right before crossing the stone bridge. Turning off to the lawn and the tree, a racer can jump and land to a wooden dock near the pier, shaving off a few seconds. It can be done more easily with the help of a Mushroom or a Star. The second shortcut is found in the pier ahead the corner. Hidden by a pair of crates, a narrow alley covered in dirt grants racers a slight advantage over their opponent. This shortcut requires a speed booster to run efficiently over the mud. However, if careless, players may end up falling into the water awaiting on the other side.
Missions
There are two missions that take place on Delfino Square:
- Mission 2-1: The player controls Wario, who must crash into and destroy 10 wooden crates scattered along the pier area within 55 seconds.
- Mission 3-2: The player controls Bowser, who must pass through 5 gates in the alley area within 50 seconds while driving in reverse.
Mario Kart Wii
Delfino Square makes its classic course debut as the third course of the Banana Cup in Mario Kart Wii. The course has received slight visual upgrades, though otherwise it has mostly remained unchanged. Buildings now have 3D textures, the shortcut that skips the stone bridge can now be accomplished without the use of an item, and the area the shortcut is located no longer appears on the map of the course. There are also more Pianta spectators. Depending on the items a player has, they can chain the jump from the first shortcut into the muddy alley of the second one. It is also now possible to perform a trick on the draw bridge as it is rising.
Tournaments
August 2010's first tournament required players to complete a Time Trial on a version of Delfino Square with more obstacles: Many Goombas and unbreakable crates appeared on the track. Additionally, barriers blocked off the left route in the middle of the track as well as the dirt shortcut near the dock. Players started the Time Trial with a set of Triple Mushrooms. The tournament would be the only new tournament made by Nintendo since they started repeating tournaments in May 2010, and the tournament itself was later repeated as the first tournament of January 2012 and the second tournament of March 2013.
Profiles
Mario Kart DS
- Website description:
- English (American):
Take a lightning-fast tour through the back streets of Delfino Square. Steer clear of loose crates, and be prepared for harrowing hair-pin turns. - English (British):
The Mario Kart equivalent of Monaco, the Delfino Square race takes place in the picturesque streets of Isle Delfino - Mario's favourite holiday getaway. Wave to the crowds of locals lining the track and keep an eye out for sneaky shortcut, if you're daring enough to take a leap of faith.
- English (American):
Mario Kart Wii
- Website description:
- English (American):
Drifting around the fountain quickly charges a stage 2 Mini-Turbo, and the drawbridge is great for big-air tricks. - English (British):
The locals have turned out to lend their support as you race through their narrow streets and over a rather dangerous drawbridge. Now where was that shortcut...?
- English (American):
Sponsors
- Delfino Fruits (Signs)
- Koopa Shop (Signs)
- Mario Kart (Trackside banners) (Mario Kart DS only)
- Nintendo (Trackside banners)
- Princess Daisy (Signs)
- Sunshine Parts (Trackside banners)
- Super Wario (Trackside banners)
- Yoshi Kart (Trackside banners)
Gallery
Mario Kart DS
The course icon
Players race through the alley.
The statue and roundabout
The shortcut before the moving bridge
Mario Kart Wii
The course banner
A preview of the course
Panoramic view of Delfino Square
The Pianta statue, which is displayed at the first turn
The two-way passage
An off-road shortcut exists past the crates.
The bridge acts as a trick ramp when risen.
Reaching the finish line
Additional names
Internal names
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart DS | town_course | Town course | |
| Mario Kart Wii | old_town_ds | Old Town DS |
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | モンテタウン[?] Monte Taun |
Pianta Town | |
| French | Quartier Delfino[?] | Delfino District | |
| German | Piazzale Delfino[?] | Italian for "Delfino Square" | |
| Italian | Borgo Delfino[?] | Delfino Village | |
| Korean | 몬테 타운[?] Monte Taun |
Pianta Town | |
| Spanish | Ciudad Delfino[?] | Delfino City |
Trivia
- An early version of this course is one of the unused courses in the game's kiosk demo prototype. Notably, rather than a Pianta statue, the roundabout goes around a Yoshi-shaped fountain.
