Desert Hills
- Not to be confused with Desert Hill, another name for Desert Land, the second world of Super Mario Bros. 3.
| Desert Hills | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart Wii (2008) Mario Kart World (2025) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Flower Cup (DS, World) Leaf Cup (Wii) | ||||||||||||||
| Rally/ies | Golden Rally Cherry Rally | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Desert Land Sarasaland (World) | ||||||||||||||
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Desert Hills is the first race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. Elements of the track are based on Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3. Pokeys roam around the desert and the Angry Sun will drop Fire Snakes on the track, in increasing numbers as the laps go on. The course also has sharper turns and more intense slopes than previous tracks in the game, bringing up the difficulty for the Flower Cup.
Desert Hills reappears as a classic course in Mario Kart Wii as the first race track of the Leaf Cup, and in Mario Kart World as the first track of the Flower Cup. In Mario Kart World, Desert Hills replaces most of the Super Mario Bros. 3 elements with elements of Sarasaland from Super Mario Land, with Tokotokos that move in increasing numbers with each lap and Batadons replacing the previous enemies.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Course layout[edit]
The track starts near an oasis with a small lake where one can sink in the water. The first Pokey can be seen in front of the starting line here as well. To the right of the first turn, the track partially surrounds a pyramid made out of Brick Blocks. One of the other Pokeys is on this turn. There is then a field of dunes, with many more Pokeys roaming within it. The course has a few sharp turns at the end of each lap before approaching the finish line. The dark sand portion of the track is an out-of-bounds area, so if the player touches it, Lakitu will bring them back to the track. There are two shortcuts in this course. The first shortcut is taken by going straight across the hairpin turn, instead of going around. In 150cc, this shortcut requires only one mushroom, if the player jumps at the right time. The second is a dash-through behind the pyramid, right before the Pokeys start appearing. Two mushrooms will be required for this.
The Pipes, Angry Sun, and block designs are taken from aspects of Desert Land in Super Mario Bros. 3.
If the player hits the left dark terrain before they touch the water, they will fall through it with no splash animation.
It was one of the courses that could be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
The following sponsors appear on the course, all of which are trackside banners:
Missions[edit]
There are two missions that take place on Desert Hills, both of which the player controls Wario:
- Mission 2-6: The player must use Bob-ombs to take out all 5 Pokeys within 55 seconds.
- Mission 4-4: The player must pass through 7 gates within 45 seconds. Along the way, each Item Box contains Triple Mushrooms.
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
Desert Hills makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Leaf Cup. The course received improved graphics, and the starting banner was recolored to blue and now displays the classic Mario Kart logo. Few other changes have been made in the this version of this track, aside from the visual improvements; karts now spin out instead of flipping when making contact with Pokeys and the course map has been rotated 180° in contrast to its predecessor. If players use Dash Mushrooms, they can go over many of this course's walls, skipping sections entirely.
December 2009's first tournament required players to take out 10 Pokeys on Desert Hills. The whole track has more Pokeys than before, and players can make use of Item Boxes that either contain a Star or contain Triple Green Shells.
Mario Kart World[edit]
Desert Hills returns in Mario Kart World, appearing as the first course of the Flower Cup. It is the first classic course in the series' history to be in the Flower Cup. The course is also the starting point of the Golden Rally and the final destination of the Cherry Rally. The course has been drastically redesigned, removing elements from Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3 in favor of elements of Sarasaland from Super Mario Land. The pyramid at the start has been replaced with a ramp shortcut. The middle of the course has been significantly widened, featuring steep sand dunes to trick off of and Batadons. The off-road of this area has also been widened, with pillars added to the right where a new off-road shortcut is located. The slopes at the end have been significantly flattened and replaced with two ramps on the left, one of which is a Glide Ramp. A stone arch over the finish line features carvings of the Angry Sun and Batadons on either side.[1] A new Glide Ramp shortcut was added near the end of the course. There are also two ramp shortcuts in the water near the starting line, one located on the right and a backwards one on the left that can only be taken when Desert Hills is driven in reverse. It is located in the southwestern desert region, and is the westernmost course in the game's map.[2]
The Angry Sun, Fire Snakes and Pokeys have been replaced with Batadons and Tokotokos appearing as obstacles on the track.[3] The Tokotokos dynamically move with each lap; on lap one, three Tokotokos are simply sitting in the off-road; on lap two, one Tokotoko starts moving; on lap three, the other two begin moving. All three Tokotokos begin moving if Desert Hills is driven on backwards from most of its routes, while only one Tokotoko moves if Desert Hills is driven forwards from a route. Unlike other courses that end a rally in Knockout Tour, Desert Hills is driven backwards for the final race, though the minimap is not flipped upside-down unlike when going in reverse in VS Race.
Routes[edit]
Like Mario Bros. Circuit, the route from Shy Guy Bazaar is the only one that enters Desert Hills so that the track is driven in the forwards direction. Pokeys, Fire Snakes, and a Sandmaargh/Charvaargh hybrid are located near a cave used on the route between Desert Hills and Shy Guy Bazaar. Conkdors are located on the routes leading from Crown City, DK Spaceport, and Mario Bros. Circuit.
Although DK Spaceport has a route leading to Desert Hills, and Desert Hills has a route leading to Koopa Troopa Beach, the reverse is not true for either; Desert Hills does not have a route leading to DK Spaceport, and Koopa Troopa Beach does not have a route leading to Desert Hills. The former trait is shared with DK Spaceport's routes to Peach Stadium and Mario Bros. Circuit, while the latter trait is shared with Koopa Troopa Beach's routes from Whistlestop Summit and Great ? Block Ruins.
From Mario Bros. Circuit
From Crown City
From Whistlestop Summit
From DK Spaceport
From Shy Guy Bazaar
A composite map of all routes leading to Desert Hills
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
- Instruction booklet description:
- English (United States):
This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy.[4]
- English (United States):
- Website description:
- English (United States):
This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy. Watch out for fireballs and stray Pokeys! - English (United Kingdom):
Bring plenty of sunscreen and seat cushions for this race because the baking desert heat and bumpy terrain can give unprepared drivers serious sunburn and saddle sores. Watch out for the Pokeys too - walking cacti that can stop a speeding kart in its tracks and cost you precious seconds.
- English (United States):
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
- Website description:
- English (United Kingdom):
If you can't stand the heat, then stay away from the desert hills! Fireballs falling from the sun make it even tougher to negotiate the high turns snaking through the dunes.
- English (United Kingdom):
- Trading Card bio: "Desert Hills is not a very difficult course to get around, but it provides a perfect canvas for you to paint a racing masterpiece upon. Spend time on this track dialing your cornering techniques. Be sure to use Mushrooms (if you've got them) to blast over the tall dunes before the start/finish line."
Gallery[edit]
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Course select icon
The pyramid shortcut
Luigi racing on Desert Hills
Mario Kart Wii[edit]
The course banner
A preview of the course
Intro for the course
The first turn on the track
A trick can be performed on one of the jumps.
Corkscrew
After a set amount of time (usually after the start of the second lap), the Angry Sun releases Fire Snakes onto the track.
Mario Kart World[edit]
Course icon
Icon in the Golden Rally
Icon in the Cherry Rally
World map icon
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart DS | desert_course | Desert course | |
| Mario Kart Wii | old_desert_ds | Old Desert DS | |
| Mario Kart World | DesertHills[5] | - |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サンサンさばく[?] Sansan Sabaku |
Sun Sun Desert | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 阳光沙漠[6] Yángguāng Shāmò |
Sunshine Desert | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 陽光沙漠[6] Yángguāng Shāmò |
Sunshine Desert | |
| Dutch | Zonneruïne[6] | Sun Ruin | |
| French | Désert du Soleil[7] | Sun's Desert | |
| German | Glühheiße Wüste[?] | Glowing Hot Desert | |
| Italian | Deserto Picchiasol[?] | Sun Beaten Desert | |
| Korean | 썬썬 사막[?] Sseon-sseon Samak |
Sun Sun Desert | |
| Portuguese | Colinas Desérticas[6] | Desertic Hills | |
| Russian | Песчаный путь[6] Peschanyy put' |
Sandy Path | |
| Spanish | Desierto Sol-Sol[8][9] | Sun-Sun Desert |
Notes[edit]
- Desert Hills is one of three courses in the Mario Kart series to have returned more than once to occupy the same slot in a cup each time it has appeared (in this case, the first one). The others are Wii Mushroom Gorge and DS Peach Gardens.
References[edit]
- ^ Nintendo of America (April 2, 2025). Mario Kart World – Nintendo Direct | Nintendo Switch 2. YouTube. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
- ^ File:MK World map.png
- ^ On a joué à MARIO KART WORLD, on vous dit TOUT !!
- ^ 2005. Mario Kart DS. Nintendo. Page 35.
- ^ File name of the course's sticker on the Japanese Mario Kart World online events website, Sign_DesertHills.png. All course stickers use the prefix "Sign_". Retrieved September 1, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e In-game name from Mario Kart World
- ^ Mario Kart World in-game name from French localization (Uploaded 5 Jun. 2025 on YouTube by Siphano)
- ^ Nintendúo. Jugamos la VERSIÓN FINAL de MARIO KART WORLD (4:40). YouTube (European Spanish). Retrieved June 3, 2025.
- ^ BRCDEvg. Estrenando juntos MARIO KART WORLD (17:24). YouTube (Latin American Spanish). Retrieved June 5, 2025.
