Dolphin Shoals
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart 8. For its musical theme, see Dolphin Shoals (theme).
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 8 (2014) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup | Star Cup | ||||||||||||||
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Dolphin Shoals is the second race course of the Star Cup of Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This course takes place on a beach with dolphins swimming around and an underwater cave with a large Maw-Ray. In addition to the dolphins that swim by the racers in the shallow waters, multiple rock formations shaped like dolphins can be seen in the background.
This is the first course in the series to have its starting line underwater, and would remain the only one until Piranha Plant Cove was introduced in Mario Kart Tour nearly nine years later.
Course layout[edit]
The course starts in a lake. On either side of the start/finish line, Toads wearing scuba diving gear can be seen floating up and down in the water. There is a left turn coming out of the lake and then leading back underwater with three ramps in the section - one is on the left, one is on the right, and one lays straight ahead. There are rings situated in the air past the ramps, which Dolphins also jump through. After that section, still underwater, there is a left turn, at which the point the music switches to its deep sea variant in the first two laps. The turn leads the players to an undersea cave, where two paths split. The left path leads to an area where players float above Jet Pipes keeping the player floating, which they can also perform Jump Boosts on. The right path is a shortcut split with two other paths, one with the Jet Pipes going to a platform with a Dash Panel and one leading to a small cave section with two more Dash Panels.
When the two paths meet, there is a Dash Panel which players jump over along with more Jet Pipes, and a big Maw-Ray. Players can drive over and perform tricks off the Maw-Ray's spine, where coins also appear. If players fall off it, they will fall to a path under it where they will continue driving. After that, players leave the water and go into anti-gravity by jumping off a ramp out of the cave, at which point the music switches to its dry land variant in the first two laps. The ramp leads to a platform held with rocks that are almost tilted sideways. There are then two more ramps, the second of which is a Glide Ramp. Players fly over a water rapid then land back on the track where there are a few more turns, going back underwater and leading to the finish line, with the music cycling back to its shallow water variant for the second lap.
Shortcuts[edit]
- At the end of the course, just before the start/finish line, a Dash Mushroom boost can be used across the sand to bypass the final turn of the lap.
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
- Mario Kart Facebook page (United States): Next stop: Dolphin Shoals – an underwater paradise in Mario Kart 8 where blue Spiny Shells glisten in the sunlight and shortcuts hide behind every reef.[1]
- Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: Aquatic creatures swim around this beautiful, marine track. You can enjoy some underwater encounters with animals like dolphins and manta rays. Be careful, though! You may spot gigantic Maw-Ray in a certain area in the tracks![2]
Gallery[edit]
The course icon
The full course icon
Results screen
The Unagi in the underwater cavern
The anti-gravity portion of the track
Yoshi at the starting line
Yoshi racing on the track
Rosalina approaching the glider ramp
Ludwig approaching the glider ramp
Rosalina and Waluigi perform a trick after passing the glider ramp.
A released screenshot of the course, revealing the name of the course
Postcard image from Facebook
The stamp obtained for beating the staff ghost for this course
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning
|
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Gu_Ocean | Grand Prix U Ocean |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Note(s) | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドルフィンみさき Dorufin Misaki | Dolphin Cape | [3] | |
| Chinese | 海豚海角 Hǎitún Hǎijiǎo (Mandarin) Hóityùhn Hóigok (Cantonese) | Dolphin Cape | [3] | |
| Dutch | Dolfijnenparadijs | Dolphin Paradise | [3] | |
| French | Lagon Tourbillon | Swirl Lagoon | [3] | |
| German | Delfinlagune | Dolphin Lagoon | [3] | |
| Italian | Laguna Delfino | Dolphin Lagoon | [3] | |
| Korean | 돌핀 케이프 Dolpin Keipeu | Dolphin Cape | [3] | |
| Polish | Delfinia Dróżka | Dolphin Lane | [4] | |
| Portuguese | Lagoa do Golfinho | Dolphin's Lagoon | [3] | |
| Russian | Дельфиньи отмели Del'fin'i otmeli | Dolphin Shoals | [3] | |
| Spanish | Cala Delfín | Dolphin Cove | [3] | |
| Thai | สันทรายดอลฟิน Sǎnsaai Dɔɔnfin | Dolphin Sandbar | [4] |
References[edit]
- ^ MarioKartEN (August 11, 2014). Post. Facebook (English). Retrieved June 27, 2023. (Archived June 5, 2023, 22:13:47 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer (Digital English edition). nintendo.co.jp (English). Page 10. Retrieved August 16, 2022. (Archived July 29, 2022, 08:23:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j String 1410 in file UI/<language>/message.sarc/Common.msbt. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017). Nintendo EPD et al.
- ^ a b Mario Kart World Pause Menu (Ver 1.5.0, 1.7.0)
