3DS Rainbow Road

Rainbow Road is the last course of the Special Cup in Mario Kart 7. The course has once again increased in length compared to previous renditions, but still shares a similar theme as its predecessor. Instead of floating above the atmosphere, it now takes place around the Moon and consist of few small asteroids in the background. As a result, unlike past Rainbow Roads, this incarnation features the player driving on off-road surfaces such as the Moon itself and rings of a planetoid resembling. It is the first Rainbow Road course to contain one lap divided into three sections, being followed by N64 Rainbow Road in Mario Kart 8. Due to its length, it is the longest Rainbow Road in the Mario Kart series; however, the Mario Kart 64 iteration of Rainbow Road takes longer to complete, as it is three laps long instead of one.

This Rainbow Road returns as a retro course in Mario Kart Tour, being the only course in the game containing three sections instead of being two laps.

Mario Kart 7
Along with Wuhu Loop and Maka Wuhu, Rainbow Road only has one lap instead of three. It is divided into three sections to resemble laps, with banners at the end of each section. It is the only course in the game with three sections to not take place on Wuhu Island.

When performing a trick on this course, it will have a slightly different sound effect than other courses; the same applies to SNES Rainbow Road.

This course has the most Glide Ramps of any course, with five. However, only the Glide Ramps going onto and off of the planet rings are mandatory.

Course layout
The race starts off with a short straightaway, following with a sharp turn to the right, then left, going around a planet. Afterward, there are three platforms that the drivers drive and jump off each one (similar to area before the temple in DK Jungle). Next, players drive around another planet, but this time spiraling down. The track then comes to a rainbow-spotted Mushroom Trampoline, and then a sharp right turn. After the turn, players have the opportunity to snatch some item boxes and coins on a waving road (similar to Mario Kart Wii).

Section two starts off with a another sharp turn with a Glide Ramp, which activates the Glider to ride into of the rings of a Saturn-like planet. Players have to dodge holes, then try to hit some Dash Panels for speed boosts. Players then activate their Glider again after hitting the next Glide Ramp. Once landing, players take three turns, all loaded with Dash Panels. Next, there is another wavy road, but this one has holes in it. Once the drivers make it through the wavy road or fall through, they land on the moon, where they need to dodge rolling Chomps, and they can trick off of craters for little boosts. Though there's no water in the moon portion, its low gravity works exactly the same way as driving under water, so sometimes players can fly far with just one trick.

Section three starts with some conveyor belts that give little boosts, then leads into a turning tunnel with Dash Panels and Glide Ramps at the end. The track splits into two parts, three, then two, then fuses back into one. This part is filled with ramps that can be used to go through rings for extra speed. If players hit a Glide Ramp, they have to dodge asteroids, but try to pass through rings at the same time. The track ends with a part that increases in altitude, then decrease which leads to one small jump, and to the finish line.

Shortcuts

 * The first turn of the second section can be skipped or taken tightly by drifting off the red and white striped side of the road.
 * Time can be gained by repeatedly swooping far down below the planetoid’s ring and up again after the first Glider ramp.
 * Another Glider shortcut can be performed with the second Glider ramp by gliding off to the left back over the planet’s ring and landing after or on the second set of Dash Panels, skipping the turn.
 * The last turn of the course can be skipped by drifting off the red and white striped side of the road and landing on the final straightaway.

Staff ghost
The staff ghost is Honey Queen with the Birthday Girl, Slim tires, and Peach Parasol, and the expert staff ghost is Honey Queen with the Bumble V, Standard tires, and Flower Glider.

Mario Kart Tour
This version of Rainbow Road returns in Mario Kart Tour. Various changes have been made to the track - it is noticeably flatter overall, with several turns being far less banked. The series of jumps following the first few turns have been aligned. The stars now have disco balls at the edges like the star on the spinning tunnel in the final section. The starting line now resembles a rainbow and has a star surrounding it, and the moon near the first turn is now a blue planet. Earth is also now visible in the background of the track. This course is a favorite of Lemmy, Birdo (Light Blue), Mario (Happi), Rosalina (Aurora), and Daisy (Fairy). This course is also a favorite of Rosalina (Swimwear) if she is at level 3 and Baby Peach if she is at level 6.

The T and R/T variants are two of three tracks in Mario Kart Tour that do not start in the same place as the original, the other one being 3DS Rock Rock Mountain T. For both variants, the starting line is now just after the spinning tunnel.

Holiday Tour
In the Holiday Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the third course in the Rosalina Cup, the first course in the Baby Peach Cup, and the location of the bonus challenges in the Luigi Cup, the Dry Bones Cup and the Dry Bowser Cup. Its R variant appeared as the third course in the Waluigi Cup and the first course in the Pauline Cup, and its T variant appeared as the second course in the Wendy Cup and the third course in the Peachette Cup.



New Year's Tour
In the New Year's Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the third course in the Baby Rosalina Cup, the first course in the Rosalina Cup and the location of the bonus challenge in the Metal Mario Cup. Its R variant appeared as the third course in the Luigi Cup, and its T variant appeared as the second course in the Birdo Cup.



Mario Bros. Tour
In the Mario Bros. Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the third course in the Rosalina Cup, the second course in the Morton Cup, and the location of the bonus challenge in the Larry Cup. Its R variant appeared as the second course in the Shy Guy Cup and the third course in the Daisy Cup, and its T variant appeared as the third course in the Ludwig Cup.



Baby Rosalina Tour
In the Baby Rosalina Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the location of the bonus challenge in the Peachette Cup. Its R/T variant appeared as the second course in the Rosalina Cup.



Trick Tour
In the Trick Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the location of the bonus challenge in the Rosalina Cup. Its R/T variant appeared as the third course in the Waluigi Cup.



Flower Tour
In the Flower Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the third course in the Peach Cup. Its R variant appeared as the third course in the Mario Cup, and its T variant appeared as the first course in the Hammer Bro Cup and the location of the bonus challenge in the Lakitu Cup.



Marine Tour
In the Marine Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the second course in the Yoshi Cup and the location of the bonus challenge in the Toad Cup. Its R variant appeared as the third course in the Rosalina Cup, and its T variant appeared as the second course in the Bowser Cup.



Summer Festival Tour
In the Summer Festival Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the location of the bonus challenge in the Bowser Jr. Cup. Its R/T variant appeared as the third course in the Birdo Cup.



1st Anniversary Tour
In the 1st Anniversary Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the second course in the Koopa Troopa Cup. Its R variant appeared as the third course in the Bowser Jr. Cup, and its T variant appeared as the second course in the Dry Bones Cup.



Halloween Tour (2020)
In the 2020 Halloween Tour, Rainbow Road's R/T variant appeared as the second course in the Birdo Cup.



Mario vs. Luigi Tour
In the Mario vs. Luigi Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the location of the bonus challenge in the Luigi Cup. Its R/T variant appeared as the third course in the Shy Guy Cup.



Winter Tour (2020)
In the 2020 Winter Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the second course in the Baby Peach Cup. Its R variant appeared as the second course in the Bowser Cup, and its T variant appeared as the third course in the Hammer Bro Cup.



Snow Tour
In the Snow Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the location of the bonus challenge in the Fire Bro Cup. Its R/T variant appeared as the second course in the Bowser Jr. Cup.



Mario Tour
In the Mario Tour, Rainbow Road appeared as the second course in the Birdo Cup and the location of the bonus challenges in the Mario Cup. Its T variant appeared as the third course in the Wendy Cup, and its R variant appeared as the first course in the Metal Mario Cup.

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
This Rainbow Road appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as a stage. The match takes place on flat platform and is a cruise-type stage similar to Port Town Aero Dive. Shy Guys also appear as stage hazards similar to the F-Zero Racers from Port Town Aero Dive and the Shy Guys from Figure-8 Circuit. It also has a trophy in this game.

Music
Like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, the music for the course contains an arrangement of Mario Kart 64 ' s Rainbow Road's music. (Kenta Nagata was a composer for all three games.) There are two different variations of this theme. The first variation plays while driving on the rainbow tiles, and the second variation plays during the second section when the player is driving on the moon. When the third section is reached, the end of the music, which is the arrangement of the end of Mario Kart 64 ' s Rainbow Road, plays first, instead of the start of the music. In Mario Kart 7, if the player turns around and goes back to the moon section after crossing the entrance to the third section, the music will change to the final lap version of the second variation of the theme, but only if the player enters it after hearing the final lap theme after moving onto the third section. The player will not hear the final lap version of the second variation of the theme if they reenter the moon before hearing the final lap version of the original variation, even if they already moved on to the third section. It is possible to hear the final lap version of the second variant in Mario Kart Tour during the Trick variant, since the moon is in the final segment in this version of the track.

This course's music also appears in the Super Smash Bros. series as a selectable music track, both in its original arrangement and as a part of "Rainbow Road Medley". Both are playable on the Rainbow Road stage in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS as well as the Mario Circuit stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, as well as any Mario Kart stage in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate

Mario Kart Tour

 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "3DS Rainbow Road delivers on exactly what the name promises: a rainbow-colored track that twists and turns through outer space! Race past planets and ride the rings of Saturn, but don't fall off into the abyss! Blast off across the stars like a comet!"

Trivia

 * There are three Item Boxes floating under the rings of the Saturn-like planetoid. It is possible to get one of these Item Boxes by gliding, but the player must get back on the track after getting it in order to use their item. However, it is quite difficult to do so without a mushroom.