Bowser's Castle 3
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart Tour. For the race course from Super Mario Kart, extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, see Bowser Castle 3 (Super Mario Kart).
| Bowser Castle 3 Bowser's Castle 3 | |||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart Wii (2008) Mario Kart Tour (2022) | ||||||||||
| Cups | Star Cup (Super Circuit) Leaf Cup (Wii) | ||||||||||
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| Based on | Bowser's Castle | ||||||||||
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Bowser's Castle 3 (known as Bowser Castle 3 prior to Mario Kart Tour) is the fourth and final course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Like all other Bowser Castle courses, it features sharp 90° turns and jumps over pits of lava. Kamek can also be seen flying back and forth near the finish line. The course takes place on the exterior of the castle, with storm clouds and lightning visible in the background. The course shares its music with the other three Bowser Castles: 1, 2, and 4.
Bowser's Castle 3 reappears in Mario Kart Wii as the second course of the Leaf Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the 2022 Bowser Tour.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
Course layout[edit]
The track starts with a turn to the left after the starting line, leading to a straight section of track containing the first set of Item Boxes and Coins which narrows after passing a Lava grid. The track then takes another left turn past two Thwomps, and then turns to the right over a pair of lava grids with more coins. The track then takes another right towards some coins and then makes a U-turn to the left over another grid featuring a pair of Thwomps. The track then passes over a number of small Ramps over the lava moving slightly to the right, with Lava Bubbles occasionally jumping up from the lava. The track passes another two Thwomps, with an Item Box behind the first one approached, and makes a U-turn to the left, leading to three more Thwomps and several more coins. The track heads to the right and passes over another grid in the lava, now with holes in it through which Lava Bubbles can occasionally jump, and then follows a zig zag shape to the right featuring more coins and Item Boxes. The track then makes a final turn to the left past another pair of Thwomps and over another lava grid with holes before returning to the starting line.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Bowser Castle 3 makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart Wii as the second course of the Leaf Cup. The track is now a paler gray rather than blue, and the banners of Bowser in the background are now black with red faces, and Kamek has been removed from the course entirely. The track now features patches of mud that slow the player down on most of the corners, and all of the coins have been removed. Each set of Item Boxes now feature a larger number of Item Boxes, with several additional single boxes appearing behind Thwomps, Item Boxes occasionally appearing instead of Lava Bubbles on the jump section, extra sets being added on the corner after the jumps and after the zig zag section, and a moving set on the first grid with holes. A Dash Panel ramp has also been added on the left U-turn after the smaller ramps, with the Thwomps being slightly rearranged to suit the new layout. A shortcut can be performed by aiming left at the last yellow ramp and using a Mushroom. The course now has a starting banner, much like the other SNES and GBA courses.
Tournaments[edit]
February 2009's second tournament required players to pass through 30 gates on Bowser Castle 3. Vehicles were restricted to karts only. The tournament was later repeated as the second tournament of February 2011, the first tournament of June 2012, and the second tournament of August 2013.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Bowser's Castle 3 reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the 2022 Bowser Tour. Instead of having a unique appearance, the course now reuses the visuals of the other three GBA Bowser's Castle courses in this game. More ramps have been added to the course, most notably on the bridge at the end, which was slightly redesigned. All offroad sections and the additional ramp added in Mario Kart Wii have been removed. The U-turn after the series of jumps is noticeably shortened. The diagonal portion of the track has also been reworked to be wider and shorter. The coins have been re-added to the course, and Item Boxes can no longer appear instead of Lava Bubbles. Like the other GBA Bowser's Castle courses in the game and RMX Bowser's Castle 1, this course reuses Mario Kart 7's arrangement for GBA Bowser's Castle 1.
The course also appears as Bowser's Castle 3R (reversed), Bowser's Castle 3T (with ramps), and Bowser's Castle 3R/T (reversed with ramps). The latter first debuted in the 2023 New Year's Tour. In the T variant, there is a glide ramp which only becomes available on lap 2. In the R/T variant, a lot of the ramps are haphazardly placed in a way not seen on other T or R/T variants of tracks.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 3 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 3 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 3 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
