Bowser's Castle 1
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour. For the race course from Super Mario Kart and extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, see Bowser Castle 1 (Super Mario Kart). For the first Bowser's Castle remix course in Mario Kart Tour, see RMX Bowser's Castle 1.
| Bowser Castle 1 Bowser's Castle 1 | |||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart 7 (2011) Mario Kart Tour (2019) | ||||||||||
| Cups | Mushroom Cup (Super Circuit) Shell Cup (7) | ||||||||||
| Tours |
New York Tour
Halloween Tour (2019) Paris Tour (2019) London Tour Ice Tour Valentine's Tour Hammer Bro Tour Trick Tour (2020) Flower Tour Pirate Tour Summer Festival Tour 1st Anniversary Tour Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2020) Mario Tour (2021) Trick Tour (2021) Wedding Tour Paris Tour (2021) Toad vs. Toadette Tour Holiday Tour (2021) Doctor Tour (2022) Bowser Tour (2022) New Year's Tour (2023) Bowser Tour (2023) | ||||||||||
| Based on | Bowser's Castle | ||||||||||
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Bowser's Castle 1 (known as Bowser Castle 1 prior to Mario Kart Tour) is the fourth and last course of the Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It is the first of four Bowser Castle courses raced in each cup except the Lightning Cup. The course is relatively short and contains only five Thwomps, a lot of coins, and a few item boxes. The course takes place inside the castle, as can be seen by the windows and large Bowser-symboled door in the background. It shares its music with the game's other three Bowser Castles: 2, 3, and 4.
Bowser's Castle 1 reappears in Mario Kart 7 as the second course of the Shell Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the New York Tour.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit[edit]
Course layout[edit]
As with the other Bowser Castle tracks, Bowser Castle 1 is composed entirely of straightaways and 90° turns. There are also Thwomps as obstacles. The course begins with two left turns followed by the first set of Item Boxes. Racers then pass a pair of Thwomps and take a right turn before reaching a slight S-bend; immediately before it, the right side of the track is covered in off-road, and immediately after it, there are another three Thwomps. There is then two left turns followed by a long straightaway, where racers must use five consecutive jump pads to jump over the lava while dodging Lava Bubbles. Between the third and fourth jumps, there is another item set. After the straightaway, racers encounter one more left turn followed by another slight S-bend and then the finish line.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Bowser Castle 1 makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the second race of the Shell Cup. It is the game's only classic course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The track is virtually identical to the original course, but has the addition of 3D graphics like the classic course from Super Mario Kart. To make further use of this, there are some stone pillars poking out of the lava. The number of gaps in the jump section were reduced to four, and the platforms were lengthened accordingly. Also, a Glide Ramp appears at the first jump after 36 seconds of the race have elapsed. The glider can also be used to reach a small platform within the lava to the left. There are also some added coins on the track.[1] In addition, the flashing signs that tell which direction to go from Mario Kart: Super Circuit are now billboards attached to the track. The course now has a Mario Kart 64-style starting banner. This is also the only course in the Shell Cup not to be in the same order as its appearance in its original cup.
In version 1.1, a shortcut exploit which allowed players to skip the second 180-degree turn became unusable when playing online. The shortcut is still viable offline, however.
This track and DS Airship Fortress are the only tracks to not appear in the credits.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Bowser's Castle 1 reappears once more in Mario Kart Tour, first appearing in the New York Tour. It generally retains its layout from Mario Kart 7. This course also uses the Mario Kart 7 version of its music, while most other classic courses in the game uses the original versions of their themes. It also shares its music with GBA Bowser's Castle 2, GBA Bowser's Castle 3, GBA Bowser's Castle 4, and RMX Bowser's Castle 1.
The course also appears as Bowser's Castle 1R (reversed), Bowser's Castle 1T (with ramps), and Bowser's Castle 1R/T (reversed with ramps). The first two have also been available since the New York Tour alongside the original, while the R/T variant debuted in the London Tour. In the R variant, a glide ramp is immediately available at the start of the track, and there are many more Thwomps, mostly positioned between the last two turns. In the T variant, there are several ramps that raise and lower in time with the Thwomps, allowing racers to jump over the Thwomps when the ramps are up. In the R/T variant, the number of Thwomps is once again significantly higher, though they are spread out across the course.
Prior to the 2019 Halloween Tour, no kart or glider had Bowser's Castle 1R listed as a favorite course. Instead, its appearance in the Dry Bowser Cup relied on the spotlight bonus to raise the Badwagon and Swooper up one level.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 1 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 1 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 1 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
