Bowser's Castle 2
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Tour. For the race course from Super Mario Kart and extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, see Bowser Castle 2 (Super Mario Kart).
| Bowser Castle 2 Bowser's Castle 2 | |||||||
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| Information | |||||||
| Appears in | Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart Tour (2020) | ||||||
| Cups | Flower Cup (Super Circuit) Banana Cup (DS) | ||||||
| Tours |
Hammer Bro Tour
Yoshi Tour (2020) Trick Tour (2020) Jungle Tour Cooking Tour Wild West Tour Los Angeles Tour (2020) Halloween Tour (2020) Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2020) Rosalina Tour New Year's 2021 Tour Peach vs. Daisy Tour Bowser vs. DK Tour Trick Tour (2021) Kamek Tour Toad vs. Toadette Tour Penguin Tour Peach vs. Bowser Tour (May 2022) Bowser Tour (2023) | ||||||
| Based on | Bowser's Castle | ||||||
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Bowser's Castle 2 (known as Bowser Castle 2 prior to Mario Kart Tour) is the fourth and last course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Its obstacles are falling Thwomps and thin rectangular gaps in the floor that make drivers fall into the lava below. The track is also notable for its jumping ramps; similar to those found in newer installments (after Mario Kart DS) which allows racers to perform Tricks. A large statue of Bowser can be seen in the background. The course shares its music with the game's other three Bowser Castles: 1, 3, 4.
Bowser's Castle 2 reappears in Mario Kart DS as the third race of the Banana Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the Hammer Bro Tour.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
Course layout[edit]
As with the other Bowser Castle tracks, Bowser Castle 2 is composed entirely of straightaways and 90° turns. There are also Thwomps as obstacles. The course begins with a U-turn to the right followed by a straightaway; at the beginning of this straightaway is a narrow speed strip on the left side of the road. Racers then encounter the first set of Item Boxes and make two left turns followed by a right turn and the first Thwomp. There is then a left turn followed by a brief section made out of a metal grid; the grid has several holes in it which are preceded by jump pads, and another speed strip lies on the right side of the track. Racers then take a right turn, with a speed strip on the inside of the turn, and pass another Thwomp.
Another right turn then leads into a section where racers must continuously use jump pads to jump over the lava. The section has multiple potential routes, and an individual Item Box can be found at one of the jumps. It ends with a right turn into another, much longer section that is largely made out of a metal grid. Here, the track initially widens and there are many more holes preceded by jump pads, as well as a pair of Item Boxes in the middle of the track. Towards the end of the section, the track returns to its normal width, and racers make one more right turn soon after. There is then a straightaway with two more Thwomps followed by the finish line.
Throughout the course, Lava Bubbles also appear as obstacles. They will regularly hop out of the lava through holes in the track and through the gaps where racers hop over the lava.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Bowser Castle 2 makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart DS as the third course of the Banana Cup. The layout of the course remains unchanged from the previous iteration, except with its enhanced 3D graphics and all the ramps now encompass Dash Panels. These ramps, however, do not actually provide a speed boost, but produces a unique whooshing sound, similar to the Glide Ramp in Mario Kart 7. If a racer is shrunk by a Lightning, they cannot complete the first jump necessary for completing this course and will always fall to the lava. It was one of the courses that could not be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Missions[edit]
There are two missions that take place on Bowser's Castle 2, both of which Bowser is used:
- Mission 4-5: The player must collect 15 coins gathered at the start of the track within 30 seconds. During this mission, there are two large rows of Thwomps present, which the player must avoid getting squished by. All coins are found along these rows.
- Mission 5-4: The player must pass through 10 gates within 65 seconds.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
The course reappears once more in Mario Kart Tour. It was added into the game at the start of the Hammer Bro Tour. Though the standard layout is largely the same, there are now Barrel Bombs that are in certain areas, and some of the lava pits are smaller or absent. The platform directly after the first jump has a slightly different layout. The course now has a starting banner with the classic Mario Kart logo and uses the background of GBA Bowser's Castle 1, as well as the arrangement of its music from Mario Kart 7.
The course also appeared as Bowser's Castle 2R (reversed), Bowser's Castle 2T (with ramps), and Bowser's Castle 2R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two were introduced alongside the normal variant in the Hammer Bro Tour, while the latter was introduced in the 2020 Trick Tour. In the T variant, there is a glide ramp at the beginning of the first section with jumps and Lava Bubbles. In the R/T variant, part of the main road is blocked off by Thwomps and wooden cutouts, and most racers have to take a detour around.
The course's R/T variant had been absent for thirty-nine tours, from the Toad vs. Toadette Tour to the 2023 Bowser Tour, making it the R/T variant with the longest gap of appearances between tours. It is also the only classic course R/T variant to not appear in 2022.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 2 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which GBA Bowser's Castle 2 and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 2 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
