Neo Bowser City
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart 7. For its musical theme, see Neo Bowser City (theme).
- Not to be confused with Neo Bowser Castle.
| Neo Bowser City Koopa City | |||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 7 (2011) Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 2) (2015) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) Mario Kart Tour (2019) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Cups | Star Cup (7) Bell Cup (8, 8 Deluxe) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| Tours |
Tokyo Tour
Halloween Tour (2019) Winter Tour (2019) London Tour New Year's Tour (2020) Valentine's Tour Vancouver Tour Baby Rosalina Tour Yoshi Tour (2020) Trick Tour (2020) Peach Tour Pirate Tour Los Angeles Tour (2020) Sunset Tour Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2020) Berlin Tour Ninja Tour (2021) Sydney Tour (April–May 2021) Trick Tour (2021) Mario vs. Peach Tour Frost Tour Toad vs. Toadette Tour Singapore Tour Wario vs. Waluigi Tour Bowser Tour (2022) Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) Bowser Tour (2023) | ||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neo Bowser City (known as Koopa City in the British English version) is the third course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 7. It takes place in a rainy, neon-lit, technologically advanced city themed after Bowser; it is the only Bowser-themed course in the Mario Kart series to not be a version of his castle. Neon signs are everywhere and images of Bowser himself and his signature emblem can be seen in various places. It is the second course in the Mario Kart series that takes place entirely in the rain, the first being Luigi Circuit from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The track was one of the courses conceived by Retro Studios.[1]
Neo Bowser City also appears as a classic course in Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Mario Kart Tour. In the former games, it is the first course of the Bell Cup, a cup that comes with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 add-on content pack for the original Mario Kart 8. In the latter game, it was introduced in the Tokyo Tour and last appeared in the 2023 Bowser Tour.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Course layout[edit]
This course takes place in a brightly lit city in the rain that reduces traction. The track begins with a left turn followed by a right U-turn with the first row of Item Boxes. Players then descend into short tunnel with a right turn and air vents. Players exit the tunnel and take a wide left turn onto a semi-enclosed overpass with the second row of Item Boxes at its mouth. The road here is primarily green rather than the dark blue of the rest of the track. The overpass first veers to the right before making a turn to the left. It then veers to the right and back to the left to exit back onto the main road. The following section is made of three S-turns, beginning with a right turn. Here, the neon arrow railings that surround most of the track are absent except for the wide part of the first turn. The track now enters into a second tunnel with the third and final row of Item Boxes before a final large left turn around a tower. This final turn has three puddles to avoid and ends in a Glide Ramp. Players then glide to the finish line.
A billboard can seen near the end of the course with a picture of either Bowser (said picture is his artwork from Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games), the player's view, or an animated "Overtake" ad from Toad Circuit. To the left of this billboard, there is a Koopa Clown Car that will give players enough height to skip the first bend if gliding players veer left from the Glide Ramp. While most of the track is surrounded by neon arrow railings, preventing players from falling off the course, it is possible for players to be pushed through them by a heavier opponent in the section before the first tunnel.[citation needed]
Shortcuts[edit]
- There is an off-road patch at the beginning of the first tunnel that may be taken with a Dash Mushroom or other boosting item.
- The last U-turn of the middle section with no railings can be skipped by drifting off the edge to cut the gap.
- This is not very viable for races as it saves a minimal amount of time whilst also being very risky, due to it being very precise; a sign with Bowser's head on it can also block the way and cause the player to fall out of bounds.
- Near the finish line, if players use a Dash Mushroom or the Koopa Clown Car air current, they can glide through a gap under the red overpass.
- A glitch shortcut can be performed in the space below the overpass. By landing on it, turning around, leaning backwards off the edge of the area (which is heavy off-road) to gain an upwards angle and using a Dash Mushroom, it is possible to go through the bottom of the bridge and land on it. If done quickly, this saves around six to seven seconds.[2]
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Neo Bowser City makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 8 as a classic course in the second DLC pack Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 and as part of the base content of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the first race of the Bell Cup. The city background is more futuristic in design and features more distinctive architecture such as skyscrapers, glass tunnels, elevators, and more LED screens, instead of having mushroom hills in the far background. Some of the buildings are reused from Mute City. The blue sky is now black. The finish line banner has been redesigned, featuring hexagon patterns behind the Mario Kart logo in light blue, and on the two neon pillars (previously one) supporting the banner. The new Bowser insignia that is now used in this course is also modeled around a hexagon. It is now possible to hit the banner when gliding (causing the banner to spin), like in Mario Circuit, DS Wario Stadium, Tour Tokyo Blur, and 3DS Rock Rock Mountain.
The blimp with a screen on it has been removed. Billboards now show an animated picture of the name of the course, along with Bowser in it, instead of displaying an ongoing video of the player's point of view, an animated ad, and a still picture of Bowser. The signs and animated picture display the text "Neo Bowser City," even outside of American versions, where the name of the course is different. A similar discrepancy occurs in 3DS Music Park (called "Melody Motorway" in the British English version). The rails with scrolling neon arrows have been redesigned into neon rails with light arrows on top of them.
The overall course layout follows the same path, but has received a few minor modifications. A trickable drop-off has been added at the entrance to the tunnel in place of a downhill slope. The three-quarter turn into the Glide Ramp at the end has been modified into an anti-gravity section, complete with Spin Boost Pillars, while the water puddles have been removed. The beginning of the turn is also a rounded 90° turn instead of it being circular. The Koopa Clown Car air current found near the finish line has been moved to behind the banner, instead of beside it. The music is also roughly the same, similar to Wii Mushroom Gorge, Wii Grumble Volcano, and 3DS DK Jungle, though electric guitar and a new synth bassline have been added - the original bassline still plays in the background, but it is noticeably quieter due to the track receiving slight high-pass equalization. Bowser's minions - Koopa Paratroopas, Dry Bones, Hammer Bros., Fire Bros., and Boomerang Bros. - are spectators in this course (for unknown reasons, Fire Bros. and Boomerang Bros. do not appear in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe). In addition, like in the rainy courses in Super Mario 3D World, rain drops flow down the screens of both the GamePad and the TV, as a minor visual effect.
Shortcuts[edit]
- New to this rendition of the course, it is now possible to use a Dash Mushroom or other boosting item to cut through the mud on the anti-gravity segment.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Neo Bowser City reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the Tokyo Tour. Appearance-wise, it features elements taken from both its Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 versions, though it contains more cues from the former due to its lack of anti-gravity. The city now has more gray and navy hues than blue, the screen near the starting line now shows four players racing, and the bridge is now a glass tunnel. The skybox has also been updated, with the track taking place during sunset. Some buildings have been redesigned to resemble more traditional Bowser castles, while neon signs with the course name can be seen throughout the track. The rain is only present if the game is not in battery saver mode. In addition, some of the Bowser insignias have reverted back to their standard appearance, while others keep their Mario Kart 8 appearances.
The course also appears as Neo Bowser City R (reversed), Neo Bowser City T (with ramps), and Neo Bowser City R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the regular variant in the Tokyo Tour, while the latter debuted in the 2020 New Year's Tour. In the R and R/T variants, there are no gliding sections. In the T variant, the gliding section is optional.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of 3DS Neo Bowser City tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which 3DS Neo Bowser City 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 3DS Neo Bowser City tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
