The Tracks
The courses of Mario Kart have always been themed around specific locations in or characters from the Mario universe. Over the years, they've gotten more detailed and ambitious in their designs, but for the most part these themes can still be traced. For this feature, we've picked some of the most iconic of the recurring tracks, though there are plenty more worth looking at, such as the various ice and desert courses.
The haunted houses and valleys of Mario Kart have always been some of the most atmospheric tracks in the game, but they've been absent in several key releases, having been replaced it would seem by Wario's tracks. As great as the rollercoaster-like courses are, it's a real shame that King Boo and his introverted pals are now in hiding.
We can only assume that it was Toad's bright idea to race through heavy traffic, but it's been a keeper ever since his turnpike became a playable track on Mario Kart 64. We had to use Mario Circuit 1 for the Super Mario Kart shot because the SNES racers hadn't yet developed a taste for racing against oncoming traffic.
Always one of the latter courses, Bowser's Castle is most noticeable for the multitude of Thwomps and generous amounts of molten lava. Oh, the lava--Bowser's really obsessed with it. You'd think that being dropped into the stuff again and again while Mario whisks his lady love away would convince him to use something less dangerous, but whatever.
The ultimate challenge, Rainbow Road is a fever dream set in space, where the grand prize is not only a trophy but also an escape from the psychedelic torment. The track bombards you with all the colors of the rainbow and all the forbidden colors of the anti-rainbow before enveloping you in cold blackness after you fall yet again off the largely rail-less road.
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