Super Bell Subway

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Super Bell Subway
Super Bell Subway from Mario Kart 8 - Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content.Overview of the subway portion.
Information
Appears in Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 2) (2015)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Cup(s) Bell Cup
Online play Available (Wii U until April 8, 2024, Switch)
Music sample
Atsuko Asahi

Atsuko Asahi (arrangement)
Koji Kondo (Underground Theme composition)

Frontrunning

Underground/frontrunning
Course map
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Map of Super Bell Subway in Mario Kart 8.Map of Super Bell Subway in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Staff ghost(s)
8 Nin★Juliet
2:07.175 Pink Shy GuyA pink City Tripper.SlimThumbnail of Princess Peach, Baby Peach and Pink Mii's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.
8DX 150cc Nin★Juliet
2:06.487 Pink Shy GuyA pink City Tripper.SlimThumbnail of Princess Peach, Baby Peach and Pink Mii's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.
8DX 200cc Nin★Skip
1:23.304 Blue YoshiYoshi Bike body from Mario Kart 8Blue Standard tires from Mario Kart 8Thumbnail of Blue Mii's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.

Super Bell Subway is the third course of the Bell Cup. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 as well as the base content of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course is located in the Golden Bell, a subway station,[1] going through both the station and the tunnels. Similarly to Dolphin Shoals, this course has two music themes that change mid-race depending on whether the highest-placed human player is in the station segment or the subway proper. Highlight Reels instead use an extended version of the station theme for the whole course.

Course layout[edit]

Super Bell Subway, from Mario Kart 8 - Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content.
The course as seen from the starting line.

The track starts in the station with a U-Turn going to the left right after the start. The track leads into a large area with stairs leading down into the subway. Automatic barriers open to let the players through.

The subway has trains running along the tracks and has a winding layout. Throughout the subway, raised platforms can be used to drive on the trains. At the end of the subway, the train track splits and has stairs that lead up back into the large area of the station with another set of stairs taking the players to the last bend before the finish. After the U-Turn is a straightaway to the finish line. There are also various spectators consisting of Yoshis, Toads, Shy Guys, and Piantas sitting, standing, jumping and waving in their positions.

Shortcuts[edit]

  • Throughout the underground sections of the course, a Mushroom or a Star can be used over gravel sections cutting off turns in the track.
  • At the final U-Turn going to the left, a shortcut can be performed through a grass patch next to the Golden Bell Fountain with a Mushroom or a Star.

References to other Super Mario games[edit]

This course features several references to other courses in the game and other games in the Super Mario franchise.

  • Several shops appear along the sides of the raceway that make appearances elsewhere in Mario Kart 8, such as Yoshi's Egg Market.
  • The map at the starting line of the track appears to connect nearly all of the raceways that appear in Mario Kart 8.[1] Several other detailed maps by the subway lines also include the names of playable courses and the in-game business advertisements.[2] Much like an actual subway, there are exits for different stations written on signs above the track stating the names of various courses.[1]
    • On a related note, the city map is the only place in the original Mario Kart 8 where Wendy O. Koopa's company, Wendy's Car Interiors, is mentioned, though in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Wii Coconut Mall features banners advertising the company.
  • When in the subway, this track's music contains pieces of the underground theme from Super Mario Bros., much like 3DS Piranha Plant Slide.
  • World 1-2 from Super Mario Bros. is shown on the graffiti found in the underground section.[3]
  • The Toads in the ticket booth use feather pens designed after Cape Feathers, just like in Sunshine Airport.

Sponsors[edit]

Courses[edit]

Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]

Super Bell Subway[edit]

"The name of this course ('Ring-a-Ling Metro' in Japanese) gave me a really strong image, and I worked to create a song that you could imagine singing that title to. We wanted it to have a European metro feel, and so used vintage-sounding tones."

Super Bell Subway (Underground)[edit]

"When you actually go underground, the music suddenly shifts to a much more frantic pace, and Teppei Kawasaki really lets his slap bass run wild. It's also the first game that has featured that famous Mario underground motif recorded using live instrumentation."

Gallery[edit]

Names in other languages[edit]

Language Name Meaning
Japanese リンリンメトロ
Rinrin Metoro
Ring Ring Metro

Chinese (simplified) 铃铃地铁
Líng Líng Dìtiě
Bell Bell Metro

Chinese (traditional) 鈴鈴地鐵
Líng Líng Dìtiě
Bell Bell Metro

Dutch Mario's Metro
Mario's Metro
French Métro Turbo
Turbo Metro
German Marios Metro
Mario's Metro
Italian Mariopolitana
Portmanteau of Super Mario and metropolitana (subway)
Korean 슈퍼 벨 메트로
Syupeo Bel Meteuro
Super Bell Metro

Portuguese Metro Mario
Mario Metro
Russian Метро Марио
Metro Mario
Mario Metro

Spanish (NOA) Metro Campana
Bell Metro
Spanish (NOE) Estación Tilín-Tolón
Ding-Dong Station

Trivia[edit]

Badge
The badge in Mario Kart Tour that represents the track
  • Similarly to Sunshine Airport, Super Bell Subway features a PA voice in the background that can be heard faintly. The female intercom speaks German and says general things often heard in German train stations; however, there are several grammatical errors in the speech.[4]
  • Super Bell Subway is one of three new courses in Mario Kart 8 to not feature anti-gravity, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Animal Crossing; it is the only one of these to not be based on another franchise.
  • It is revealed in a "Local information" map seen in the course that the subway system is beneath what seems to be the same town as the one seen below N64 Rainbow Road.
  • The sound played when passing through the ticket gate is reused in Mario Kart Tour in Tokyo Blur 3, Tokyo Blur 4, Wii DK Summit, and Wii Moonview Highway.
  • Although Super Bell Subway is not present in Mario Kart Tour, the emblem seen on the banners in the course is used for a badge that was released in the 2nd Anniversary Tour (and was present in the game's internal files beforehand). It was also used as the badge representing the 2022 Cat Tour.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c Signs including the Super Bell Subway Rail Map, showing that the station is called Golden Bell
  2. ^ The City Map found in Super Bell Subway.
  3. ^ a b The graffiti found in Super Bell Subway.
  4. ^ Ray Koopa. (May 10, 2015). Mario Kart 8 - Super Bell Subway Intercom is German (kinda). YouTube. Retrieved: May 11, 2015; After YouTube removed annotations as a feature, a German speaker provided this translation in the comments: "40. Attention. The 5:14 ICE runs through (not understandable). 5 to 10 minutes less delay when the train arrives. We ask for your understanding."