Yoshi Circuit
- This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! For its musical theme, see Luigi Circuit (Mario Kart: Double Dash!! theme).
Yoshi Circuit (also called Yoshi's Circuit[2]) is the third course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The course is unique in that it is shaped like Yoshi himself, making it the only course in the Mario Kart series to be shaped after a playable character. There are many turns in this course, including a particularly sharp hairpin turn located at Yoshi's "tail". There are also many Piranha Plants at the sides of the road, nipping at racers who get too close. Near the end of the course, the Daisy Cruiser can be seen in the background.
Yoshi Circuit shares its music with Luigi Circuit and Mario Circuit.
Yoshi Circuit reappears in Mario Kart DS as the fourth and final course of the Lightning Cup, in Mario Kart 8 (as part of the Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 DLC) and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the first course of the Egg Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the New York Tour.
Gameplay of Yoshi Circuit was used to tease Mario Kart 8 Deluxe during the Nintendo Switch reveal trailer.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!![edit]
Course layout[edit]
The race first starts at the straight road under Yoshi's "shoe." Players first take a right turn with the first row of Item Boxes, followed by a left turn and a straightaway towards Yoshi's "hand." Players maneuver around Yoshi's "hand" by taking a left turn, followed by a larger right turn (around the actual "hand") and finally a left turn onto a straightaway with the second row of Item Boxes. This straightaway leads to another turn to the left that leads to an overhang, which starts a large turn around Yoshi's "nose".
While going around Yoshi's "nose", the player is protected by walls to the right to prevent them from falling into the water. Players must take a left turn as they exit the tunnel that makes up Yoshi's "nose", which leads to the third row of Item Boxes and a right turn around Yoshi's "eyes". Past Yoshi's "eyes" are his "spines", which are small and short turns around circular flower beds. It is possible to mostly keep a straight driving line through this section, up until the fourth row of Item Boxes and a right turn towards a slight downhill and the crook of Yoshi's "neck."
The crook of Yoshi's "neck" is a sharp U-turn to the left and is followed by a mostly straight up hill towards Yoshi's "tail." Players also drive by a red overhang that would represent Yoshi's saddle when the course is viewed from above. Yoshi's "tail" is a sharp right turn that leads to a a straightaway with the fifth and final row of Item Boxes. The straightaway ends with a left turn followed by a final right turn around Yoshi's "heel" and a final straighaway to the finish line.
The entire course takes place on a Yoshi-shaped island, as such it is surrounded by water that players can fall into and be rescued by Lakitu from.
There are also Piranha Plants throughout the course that bite down at players as they drive by. There are six in total and they are found in the following locations:
- Two are found in the off-road to the right on the first turn
- One is found in the off-road to the left at the fourth row of Item Boxes
- Three are found on the final turn to the right in the off-road.
Shortcuts[edit]
- The "hand" turn may be cut-off by using a Dash Mushroom through the off-road and over a pit. Players land on the straightaway before Yoshi's "nose"
- It is possible to execute this shortcut itemless with a well-timed drift and Mini-Turbo.
- At the end of the turn around Yoshi's "eyes," there is a gap in the fence surrounding the track to the left and an out-cropping of off-road. If players use a Dash Mushroom, they can go off of the out-cropping and land on a short path that leads to a tunnel. There are extra Double Item Boxes in the tunnel and players exit on the straightaway leading to Yoshi's "tail" at the crook of his "neck."
- This tunnel does not return in any subsequent rendition of the course
- Players may use a Dash Mushroom or other boosting item to cut behind the Piranha Plants on the final turn and cut off the final turn at the same time.
Mario Kart DS[edit]
Yoshi Circuit makes its classic course debut as the closing track of Mario Kart DS, serving as the fourth and final race of the Lightning Cup. Some edits have been made to the course for its reappearance in that game. One of the most significant changes is that the Piranha Plants are no longer in Warp Pipes and bite at racers that drive too close, instead being the small, constantly-biting variation that is seen throughout other courses such as Mario Ciruit. Another somewhat significant change is that the number of "spines" on the back of Yoshi's "head" have been reduced from three to two. The tunnel shortcut was also removed. Some minor graphical changes that do not impact gameplay include Yoshi's "fingers" not being there, the windows in the tunnel being larger, Yoshi's "cheek" being made of sand instead of water, the helicopter not being present, and the banners near the finish line being removed. It was one of the courses that could be played over Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
Not counting Mario Kart Tour, this is one of only six classic courses in the series to share its music with another classic course in the same game, sharing its music with GCN Luigi Circuit. The other four are GBA Peach Circuit and GBA Luigi Circuit in the same game, and DS Wario Stadium and DS Waluigi Pinball in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Missions[edit]
There is one mission that takes place on Yoshi Circuit:
- Mission 6-6: The player controls Yoshi, who must perform 14 power-slide mini-turbos before completing one lap and before 60 seconds has passed.
Glitches[edit]
The player must advance until the fence that prevents them from driving into the water ends, then turn 90 degrees to the left and use a mushroom while falling into the water (near the fence). If done correctly, Lakitu will position the player before the goal, and if backtracked, Lakitu will disappear. However, when the player reaches roughly the area of the map that is shaped like Yoshi's nose, Lakitu will appear again. Lakitu may warn the player that they are going backwards even though the player is going down the normal path.[citation needed]
Mario Kart 7[edit]
Both iterations of Yoshi Circuit from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart DS without any objects are present in the files of the E3 2010 demo of Mario Kart 7, named test_YoshiCircuitGC and test_YoshiCircuitDS, respectively.[3]
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
Yoshi Circuit returns for the second time as a classic course included with The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content in Mario Kart 8, and as part of the base game in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the first course of the Egg Cup (and in turn the first course of Mario Kart 8's DLC overall). Many changes have been made in this version of the course. The "shoe" is now a small town near the starting line, with a dock, several small islands and sailboats nearby. The course banner now resembles an archway connected by two street lights, with two sets of flower bouquets on both sides and an ornament of a Gold Yoshi posing on top of a silver and gold Yoshi Egg. Additionally, Yoshis and Toads appear as spectators waving and jumping. A lighthouse appears in the background near the "tail". Some trees appear to have some fruits hanging from them.
The Mario Kart logo on the starting banner is red and uses the modern design instead of the classic one used for most of the classic courses from games before Mario Kart DS. GBA Cheese Land, GBA Ribbon Road and GCN DK Mountain also use this design.
The Piranha Plants before and after the starting line have been removed and replaced by tires similar to the ones on GBA Mario Circuit. There are now three Piranha Plants in the "spines" section, one for each flower patch. The flower patches in the "spines" are no longer blocked off and can be cut through for a shortcut. The Yoshi Helicopter has been replaced by a green Mario Kart TV helicopter, from the view above the course. The second shortcut has been removed entirely similar to the DS version; this time, the path is entirely blocked with guard rails. The first shortcut now has a waterfall which players must drive through. Players can now perform tricks off the grass ramp at the first shortcut if they are fast enough and if players use a Bullet Bill in this shortcut, they will be taken all the way past the "spines." The "saddle" now acts as a place to shade spectators. Also, a sign saying "Yoshi Tunnel" can be seen on both ends of the tunnel around the "nose". The course is more straight, and the dips and inclines at the "spines" and the "saddle" have changed. Red Yoshi on the B Dasher kart with Standard tires and the Super Glider is the Staff Ghost for this course. Light-blue Shy Guy, using the P-Wing with Slick tires and Parachute glider, is the 200cc staff ghost for this course.
It is one of only two courses that does not have any Dash Panels, Glide Ramps, underwater sections, or anti-gravity sections, with the other being SNES Rainbow Road. Coincidentally, both of these courses are part of DLC Pack 1. Also, it is one of only two courses in the original Mario Kart 8 that had already returned in a prior game (not counting the SNES tracks), the other being GCN Baby Park. Coincidentally, both originate from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and returned in Mario Kart DS.
The map of the course is seen on its icon, making it one of five courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to feature its own map within itself, alongside Mario Kart Stadium, Water Park, Rainbow Road, and Merry Mountain.
Mario Kart Tour[edit]
Yoshi Circuit reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the New York Tour. It mostly takes on the appearance of its Mario Kart 8 iteration (the same applies to N64 Royal Raceway, N64 Yoshi Valley, and GCN Baby Park). This is likely due to its lack of anti-gravity sections on the course in Mario Kart 8. The Mario Kart logo on the starting banner has been reverted to its classic one. Most trees have been removed, and the jump near the start of the course is obscured by wooden cutouts of Piranha Plants rather than a waterfall. Otherwise, the track changes little from its appearance in Mario Kart 8. Despite using its Mario Kart 8 appearance, this course uses the original version of its music from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
The course also appears as Yoshi Circuit R (reversed), Yoshi Circuit T (with ramps), and Yoshi Circuit R/T (reversed with ramps). While the former two debuted alongside the normal variant in the New York Tour, the latter debuted in the London Tour. In the R variant, there is a glide ramp in the grass at the beginning of the Piranha Plant section. In the T variant, there is a glide ramp near the same spot but racers are far above the ground when they reach it. In the R/T variant, racers go across the middle of the island using Kanaami Road on two occasions. As a result, it is the first course variant in the game where a large portion of the course is traversed in the "wrong direction".
Appearances[edit]
For this course's tour appearances, see List of GCN Yoshi Circuit tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items[edit]
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which GCN Yoshi Circuit 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 GCN Yoshi Circuit tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.
