Waluigi Pinball (race course)
Waluigi Pinball is the third race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. As its name implies, this course takes place in a giant pinball machine themed after Waluigi and contains many sharp turns and curves. It shares its music with Wario Stadium.
Waluigi Pinball reappears in Mario Kart 7 as the fourth and last course of the Banana Cup, in Mario Kart Tour starting with the 2019 Halloween Tour and last appearing in the 2023 Ninja Tour. It also appeared in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass as the fourth and last course of the Turnip Cup.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Course layout[edit]
Immediately following the starting line, drivers are launched by a pinball launcher up to the top of the track. While they are in the pinball launcher, they are immune to all items, including Lightning. The rest of the course consists of a descent down a giant pinball machine. The first half of the descent is made up of a single path which curves around itself repeatedly, with large metal tracks above the course delivering various pinballs along the way. Colliding with one of these causes drivers to be knocked backwards and lose any items they may be carrying. The second half of the course is a large pinball table where flippers and bumpers act as obstacles. Pinballs which fall in the area also get knocked in random directions. Bumpers push and speed up drivers, but flippers, when moving, can cause them to get electrocuted and spin out. A giant Waluigi statue holding a slots machine sits above the tunnel to the starting line, periodically spinning its slots. This is the longest Nitro course in the game, despite being in the Flower Cup.
This course is the only non-circuit course to share its Grand Prix introduction fanfare with Figure-8 Circuit, Mario Circuit and GCN Luigi Circuit. It was one of the courses that could not be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
The course has several unique sound effects that evoke pinball machine scoring noises. Most of these sounds are retained in its appearances in future games:
- A "ball ready" sound is heard when in the pinball launcher.
- A unique item roulette sound is heard after breaking an Item Box. This trait is shared with Hyrule Circuit, Animal Crossing, and Urchin Underpass in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
- An additional "rolling" sound is played when traversing a Dash Panel.
- A unique set of sounds plays when the player's position changes. Similar sounds for when the player's position changes are used in Mario Kart Wii onwards.
- A "ball lost" sound is heard when exiting the pinball table.
- A unique jingle plays when the player enters the second lap.
An unused unfinished version of this course exists in the game's files.
Missions[edit]
There are two missions that take place on Waluigi Pinball:
- Mission 3-1: The player controls Wario, who must hit 5 moving Item Boxes within 50 seconds. Each Item Box contains a Star.
- Mission 4-7: The player controls Toad, who must drive through 10 gates within 45 seconds. Unlike all other gate missions, the gates have no numbering, so these can be driven through in any order.
Both missions take place on a version of the pinball table that has extra bumpers.
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Waluigi Pinball makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the fourth and final course of the Banana Cup, despite Waluigi not being a playable character in the game. The layout remained the same, but with enhanced graphics and the Dash Panels recolored to orange. The flashing starting banner now displays the classic Mario Kart logo.
The launch after the starting line now encompasses a Glide Ramp, although like Wii Maple Treeway and DS Airship Fortress, players cannot aim their flight. Players are also no longer immune to items while in the launcher, and being hit by anything (or stowing their glider) results in having to be rescued by Lakitu. Additionally, the glider section is now shown on the minimap. The jumps after turn 1 (with the Waluigi banner repositioned slightly to accommodate it) and after turn 6 can be used to perform a trick and gain a boost. An extra Dash Panel is added in the small drop near the circular turn that comes after the 2nd jump.
The pinballs, bumpers, and flippers on the table behave the same way as in the DS version of the course, with the exception of the bumpers in the center of the lower part of the table rotating clockwise instead of counterclockwise. While playing local or online multiplayer, only one pinball traverses the main table as opposed to two.
The staff ghost for this track is Wario.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Waluigi Pinball returns in Mario Kart Tour beginning in the 2019 Halloween Tour. As of the 2023 Anniversary Tour, the course has appeared in thirty separate tours, the most out of any course in the game (not including courses with multiple routes). It featured a major visual upgrade. The image of Waluigi is now illustrated 2D, and his head now rotates from left to right and is surrounded by several brightly-lit buildings and large stacks of coins, the slots below them now have a Las Vegas theme to them, the bumpers have a brighter color, the flashing starting banner with the Mario Kart logo now uses the modern one albeit without the flashing red lights, and there is a new sign after the pinball launcher with Waluigi's art from Mario Party: Star Rush, the track name, a metal ball, two flippers, and scrolling text below that reads "Waluigi No. 1", while the Waluigi banner at the start of the pinball machine was moved to the entrance of the pinball table. The rotating bumpers now move far more slowly. Due to the second lap being the final lap, the jingle that plays when entering the second lap in previous appearances is no longer present.
The course also appears as Waluigi Pinball R (reversed), Waluigi Pinball T (with ramps), and Waluigi Pinball R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the regular version in the 2019 Halloween Tour, while the latter debuted in the Valentine's Tour. In the T variant, there are many ramps on the pinball table that raise and lower as time passes. In the R/T variant, the two metal balls on the lower section take a different path at the start of the race.
The course icon for the R/T variant has an error within it. It features a trick ramp next to the red bridge despite not appearing in-game.
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of DS Waluigi Pinball tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which DS Waluigi Pinball 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 DS Waluigi Pinball tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
