GBA Bowser's Castle 1

Bowser Castle 1 is a race course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and it is the first in a series of various Bowser Castles raced at the end of each cup except of the Lightning Cup. The course is relatively short and contains only five Thwomps, a lot of coins, and a few item boxes. The course takes place inside the castle, as can be seen by the windows and large Bowser-symboled door in the background. Bowser Castle 1 also made an appearance as a retro course in Mario Kart 7 in the Shell Cup.

Course layout
After the start, there are two turns to the left. After a long straight piece there is a turn to the right with two Thwomps, with a mud-pool after it on the right. Then there is a swing curve left-right followed with three Thwomps and a bit later two turns to the left. Then there are five gaps with Lava Bubbles jumping out. After that there's a turn to the left and a swing curve right-left to the finish line.

Mario Kart 7
Bowser Castle 1 reappears in Mario Kart 7 as the only GBA retro race course in the game. The track is virtually identical to the original course, with the obvious change to 3D graphics like the other retro courses from Super Mario Kart. To make further use of this, there are some stone pillars poking out of the lava. One of the platforms in the five gap area has been removed. Also, at the first jump, the player can use the glider, however this can only be done past 36 seconds the race has begun, thereby forcing racers to use it on the second and third laps. The glider can also be used to reach a small platform within the lava to the left. There are also some added coins on the track. In addition, the flashing signs that tell which direction to go from Mario Kart: Super Circuit are now billboards attached to the track.

Update history

 * Version 1.1 (May 15, 2012)
 * Removed shortcut exploit which allowed players to skip the second 180-degree turn.

Trivia

 * The music for this course (and subsequent Bowser Castle courses) has a similar bassline to that of Bowser's battle theme in Super Mario 64.