Sunshine Airport

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This article is about a race course from Mario Kart 8. For the course from Super Mario Sunshine that takes place on a runway, see Delfino Airstrip.
Sunshine Airport
Sunshine Airport
Information
Appears in Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Cup(s) Star Cup
Based on Isle Delfino
Online play Available (Wii U until April 8, 2024, Switch)
Music sample
Atsuko Asahi

Frontrunning
Course map
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Map of Sunshine Airport in Mario Kart 8.Map of Sunshine Airport in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Staff ghost(s)
8 Nin★Leonel
2:24.429 Rosalina's head icon in Mario Kart 8Circuit Special body from Mario Kart 8StandardThumbnail of Rosalina and Baby Rosalina's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.
8DX 150cc Nin★Leonel
2:20.447 Rosalina's head icon in Mario Kart 8Circuit Special body from Mario Kart 8StandardThumbnail of Rosalina and Baby Rosalina's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.
8DX 200cc Nin★Sho
1:45.437 Luigi's head icon in Mario Kart 8Jet Bike body from Mario Kart 8Metal tires from Mario Kart 8Plane Glider from Mario Kart 8

Sunshine Airport is the first course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and is the first airport course in the Mario Kart series. It takes place in an airport on Isle Delfino.[1][dead link] Airplanes can be seen parked and taking off. Sunshine Airport is themed and named after Super Mario Sunshine. Shine Sprites are visible throughout the course. The course physics are altered in 200cc, with the ramps with Dash Panels propelling racers at a shorter distance. The aircraft standing around the airfield are based on a variety of different aircraft, ranging from the Boeing 737 to 747, to 777 or even 787 jets, alongside Airbus A320, A330 and other aircraft.

Course layout[edit]

Sunshine Airport, from Mario Kart 8.
The course as seen from the starting line

The course begins in the terminal. After a hairpin turn, players will exit the terminal by taking a jump onto the apron. After this, there is a small jump over a conveyor belt, after which the track proceeds under a plane. Once passing under it, a ramp leads to a raised track which then turns left. The track then splits into two alternate paths; one where a jump can be taken onto the wing of another plane, proceed through it and come out on the other wing, or one where the jump is not taken, leading the player to drive under the plane. Shortly after, players will take a left turn, and then hit some Dash Panels leading to a Glide Ramp, where a plane flies over the lead racer. This plane changes every lap. The gilding section travels up into an anti-gravity platform suspended in the air, which loops around a three-quarter turn. Several Spin Boost Pillars are present here. Afterwards, racers hit a Glide Ramp and enter another gliding section. Players descend, land on a helicopter pad outside the terminal, then turn left and re-enter the terminal. There is one last right turn to the finish line.

At the finish, a departure board can be seen on the right, including names of various other tracks. Posters of Water Park, Dry Dry Desert and Sweet Sweet Canyon can also be seen.

When under a flying plane, sounds in the game become muffled.

Shortcuts[edit]

  • Under the second plane, there is a large patch of grass to the right that serves as an offroad shortcut.
  • The player can cut off the left turn before the first gliding section by using a speed item and jumping off a small ramp situated in the water.
  • The left turn into the terminal can be cut off if the player boosts through the grass.
  • The player can drive through an area with conveyor belts carrying luggage crates, cutting off the final turn. The crates may contain Mushrooms, Green Shells, or Bananas.

References to the Super Mario franchise[edit]

  • At one point, a couple of Koopa rock formations reminiscent of the one from Koopa Troopa Beach in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 7 can be seen in the background.
  • There are some storage crates in Sunshine Airport with the serial number "55402MS". This serial number is a possible reference to the European release date for Super Mario Sunshine (October 4, 2002; MS, possibly standing for "Mario Sunshine.")[2]
  • There is an intercom in the airport that makes references to Birdo, Sweet Sweet Canyon, and Dolphin Shoals. These are the voice lines that can be heard within the station:
    • "This is the final boarding call for Boomerang Bros. International Airline, Flight 117a to Sweet Sweet Canyon, departing from Gate 3."
      • This is inconsistent with the signboard before the finish line, which says flight "Sweet Sweet Canyon BBIA 4300."
    • "Passengers departing on Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2580, bound for Dolphin Shoals, should proceed to customs and immigration at this time."
    • "Paging Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2218, passenger Ms. Birdo, please proceed to the information counter on Floor 2."
  • Some of the crates on the conveyor belts have panels that resemble ? Blocks, Empty Blocks and Brick Blocks.

Sponsors[edit]

Profiles[edit]

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]

  • Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: "The course takes place at the airport on "Isle Delfino", a tropical paradise. Under the sunny summer skies, you can enjoy a refreshing race making full use of the Spin Turbo. Towards the end of the course, you might just race past a massive airplane."[1][dead link]

Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]

"This was the first track on Mario Kart 8 I was responsible for, and I had a great time working on it. The combination of the gorgeous graphics and the sheer silliness of racing around an airport made it really exciting. I was aiming to create music with a fresh, airy feel, to give you a taste of southern seas and tropical sky."

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese サンシャインくうこう
Sanshain Kūkō
Sunshine Airport

Chinese (simplified) 阳光机场
Yángguāng Jīchǎng
Sunshine Airport

Chinese (traditional) 陽光機場
Yángguāng Jīchǎng
Sunshine Airport

Dutch Sunshine Airport
-
French Aéroport Azur
Azure Airport
German Sonnenflughafen
Sun Airport
Italian Aeroporto del Sole
Sun Airport
Korean 선샤인 공항
Seonsyain Gonghang
Sunshine Airport

Portuguese Aeroporto Alvorada
Sunrise Airport
Russian Солнечный аэропорт
Solnechnyy aeroport
Sunny Airport

Spanish Aeropuerto Soleado
Sunny Airport

Trivia[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer (Digital English edition). nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved August 16, 2022. (Archived July 29, 2022, 08:23:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)[dead link]
  2. ^ Texture of the storage crates in Sunshine Airport with the serial number 55402MS