Sunshine Airport
| Sunshine Airport | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 8 (2014) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Star Cup | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Super Mario Sunshine | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | Available (Wii U, Switch) | ||||||||||||||
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Sunshine Airport is the first course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and is the first airport course in the Mario Kart series. It takes place in an airport on Isle Delfino.[1] Airplanes can be seen parked and taking off. Sunshine Airport is themed and named after Super Mario Sunshine. Shine Sprites are visible throughout the course. The course physics are altered in 200cc, with the ramps with Dash Panels propelling racers at a shorter distance. The aircraft standing around the airfield are based on a variety of different aircraft, ranging from the Boeing 737 to 747, to 777 or even 787 jets, alongside Airbus A320, A330 and other aircraft.
Course layout[edit]
The course begins in the terminal. After a hairpin turn, players will exit the terminal by taking a jump onto the apron. After this, there is a small jump over a conveyor belt, after which the track proceeds under a plane. Once passing under it, a ramp leads to a raised track which then turns left. The track then splits into two alternate paths; one where a jump can be taken onto the wing of another plane, proceed through it and come out on the other wing, or one where the jump is not taken, leading the player to drive under the plane. Shortly after, players will take a left turn, and then hit some Dash Panels leading to a Glide Ramp, where a plane flies over the lead racer. This plane changes every lap. The gilding section travels up into an anti-gravity platform suspended in the air, which loops around a three-quarter turn. Several Spin Boost Pillars are present here. Afterwards, racers hit a Glide Ramp and enter another gliding section. Players descend, land on a helicopter pad outside the terminal, then turn left and re-enter the terminal. There is one last right turn to the finish line.
At the finish, a departure board can be seen on the right, including names of various other tracks. Posters of Water Park, Dry Dry Desert and Sweet Sweet Canyon can also be seen.
When under a flying plane, sounds in the game become muffled.
Shortcuts[edit]
- One can cut off the left turn before the first gliding section by using a speed item and jumping off a small ramp situated in the water.
- If taking the lower route under the second plane, there is a large patch of grass to the right that serves as an offroad shortcut.
- The left turn into the terminal can be cut off if one boosts through the grass.
- One can drive through an area with conveyors carrying luggage cutting off the final turn. The crates may contain Mushrooms or Green Shells.
References to the Super Mario franchise[edit]
- At one point, a couple of Koopa rock formations reminiscent of the one from Koopa Troopa Beach in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 7 can be seen in the background.
- There are some storage crates in Sunshine Airport with the serial number "55402MS". This serial number is a possible reference to the European release date for Super Mario Sunshine (October 4, 2002; MS, possibly standing for "Mario Sunshine.")[2]
- There is an intercom in the airport that makes references to Birdo, Sweet Sweet Canyon, and Dolphin Shoals. These are the voice lines that can be heard within the station:
- "This is the final boarding call for Boomerang Bros. International Airline, Flight 117a to Sweet Sweet Canyon, departing from Gate 3."
- This is inconsistent with the signboard before the finish line, which says flight "Sweet Sweet Canyon BBIA 4300."
- "Passengers departing on Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2580, bound for Dolphin Shoals, should proceed to customs and immigration at this time."
- "Paging Galaxy Airlines, Flight 2218, passenger Ms. Birdo, please proceed to the information counter on Floor 2."
- "This is the final boarding call for Boomerang Bros. International Airline, Flight 117a to Sweet Sweet Canyon, departing from Gate 3."
- Some of the crates on the conveyor belts have panels that resemble ? Blocks, Empty Blocks and Brick Blocks.
Sponsors[edit]
- Boomerang Bros. International Airlines (Planes, posters, trackside banners, departures boards)
- Galaxy Air (Planes, posters, images on screens, departures boards, trackside banners)
- Mario Kart TV (Vans)
- Mario Motors (Stickers)
- Mushroom Piston (Stickers)
- Paratroopa Airlines (Posters, departures boards)
- Peach & Daisy Royal Patisserie (Stickers, trackside banners)
- Princess Orange (Trackside banners, stickers)
- Propeller Toad Transport (Crates, planes, departures boards, trackside banners)
- Red Shell Strike Equipment (Stickers)
- Star Cup (Banners, ramps, trackside banners)
- Super Marine World (Trackside banners)
- Toad Harbor (Stickers)
- Waluigi Sea Bed (Stickers)
- Wild Yoshi Sanctuary (Stickers)
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
- Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: "The course takes place at the airport on "Isle Delfino", a tropical paradise. Under the sunny summer skies, you can enjoy a refreshing race making full use of the Spin Turbo. Towards the end of the course, you might just race past a massive airplane."[1]
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]
"This was the first track on Mario Kart 8 I was responsible for, and I had a great time working on it. The combination of the gorgeous graphics and the sheer silliness of racing around an airport made it really exciting. I was aiming to create music with a fresh, airy feel, to give you a taste of southern seas and tropical sky."
Gallery[edit]
The course icon
Characters taking off from a Glide Ramp, as a jetliner takes off above them
Luigi, gliding on Sunshine Airport
The starting line
Mario jumping out of the airport terminal and onto the airport apron
Mario on the Propeller Toad Transport airplane
Mario spin boosting on the anti-gravity portion of the track
Mario glides off of the final gliding point in the course. The Koopa Troopa rock formations can be seen in the background.
Rosalina on the anti-gravity section
A released screenshot of the course, revealing the name of the course
The stamp obtained for beating the staff ghost at this course
The front of the flying plane, which has Mario's mustache
The flying plane's left side
The flying plane's right side
Texture of the storage crates
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サンシャインくうこう Sanshain Kūkō |
Sunshine Airport |
| Chinese (Simplified) | 阳光机场 Yángguāng Jīchǎng |
Sunshine Airport |
| Chinese (Traditional) | 陽光機場 Yángguāng Jīchǎng |
Sunshine Airport |
| Dutch | Sunshine Airport | - |
| French | Aéroport Azur | Azure Airport |
| German | Sonnenflughafen | Sun Airport |
| Italian | Aeroporto del Sole | Sun Airport |
| Korean | 선샤인 공항 Seonsyain Gonghang |
Sunshine Airport |
| Portuguese | Aeroporto Alvorada | Sunrise Airport |
| Russian | Солнечный аэропорт Solnechnyy aeroport |
Sunny Airport |
| Spanish | Aeropuerto Soleado | Sunny Airport |
Trivia[edit]
- A Sunshine Airport patch appears on the back of the Racing Outfit in Super Mario Odyssey.
References[edit]
- ^ a b Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer (Digital English edition). nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved August 16, 2022. (Archived July 29, 2022, 08:23:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^ Texture of the storage crates in Sunshine Airport with the serial number 55402MS
