Ninja Hideaway

Ninja Hideaway is a race course in Mario Kart Tour that was introduced in the Ninja Tour. The course takes place at a Japanese dojo called Ninja Manor and features two routes that drivers can alternate between: one main, ground-level route and one elevated route usually accessible through regular ramps or Glide Ramps. The course is strewn with obstacles such as ninja Shy Guys and lowering spiked ceilings. characters on the front of the manor mean "way of the ninja".

Wario-related iconography can be seen throughout Ninja Hideaway, such as depictions of his mustache and nose on the front of one of the buildings, as well as garlic motifs seen on windows, banners, and fences, referencing Wario's love for garlic. This course is a favorite of Pink Yoshi, Nabbit, Fire Rosalina, Cat Toad, Penguin Toad, Tanooki Mario, Wario (Cowboy), and Shy Guy (Ninja). It can also be a favorite of Mario (Samurai) if he reaches level 3, and King Bob-omb (Gold) if he reaches level 6.

Ninja Hideaway also appears in the Booster Course Pass DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the fourth and final course of the Lucky Cat Cup.

Course layout
In the standard layout, the course begins atop part of the manor rooftop before moving onto an arched bridge. A right turn appears at a Chain Chomp motif, followed by a wooden deck with two left turns. At the second left turn, there is a wooden staircase leading up to an upper level. If this route is not taken, the player then moves into multiple rooms inside the manor with a few shoji doors and falling shuriken ceilings, the last of which serves as a platform on the upper route and can lead to another upper area filled with coins. After another left turn, the player will encounter a few ninja Shy Guys before taking a Glide Ramp across Shy Guys on kites and air-blowing bamboo stalks to a pagoda - this applies to the upper route as well. The pagoda's upper path features a few floorboards the player can traverse, while the lower path features a sewer system with running water. Both paths curve left and lead to a side roof with a grated path above, along with a few upwards wind currents produced by pinwheels. The course then makes an S-curve to the finish line, along with a Glide Ramp on the left that the player can use to access the upper floor of the manor.

Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, see List of Ninja Hideaway tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Ninja Hideaway makes its console debut in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via the Booster Course Pass. It is the fourth and final course of the Lucky Cat Cup, and as such was added in the first wave of the DLC. The track's design is mostly identical to its appearance in Mario Kart Tour, albeit upscaled and with updated visuals. The course has a shamisen and shakuhachi added to its intro theme, similar to Dragon Driftway. The trickable slanted wooden surface that appeared in Tour right before the shuriken rooms has been removed. The pond nestled before the entrance into the manor can now be tricked off of and a light near it was moved. Depending on the item settings in play, the Ninja Shy Guys may be replaced with items other than Bananas, or no items at all.

Ninja Hideaway is one of three courses to originate from Mario Kart Tour to appear in the first wave of the DLC, alongside Paris Promenade and Tokyo Blur, making it the only course to not be based on a real-world city. It also has the shortest gap between its debut and its first appearance as a retro track, having been introduced 11 months prior to being added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Even though the track is from Mario Kart Tour, and the official website and eShop page classify it as a "Tour" track, the game does not assign it the "Tour" prefix. Because of this, it is currently the only course in the pass to not have a prefix, and is also currently the only classic course in the series to lack a prefix in general, not including the Extra courses in Mario Kart: Super Circuit.

Profiles

 * Mario Kart Tour Twitter:
 * The Yoshi Tour is wrapping up in blue. Next up is the Ninja Tour! Beware the traps in the new course Ninja Hideaway!
 * Race under cover of darkness, illuminated just by the light of an ominous moon. The new Ninja Hideaway course debuts in blue! Dodge the falling ceiling and keep an eye out for stray ninja... It'll take a keen eye to get 1st place!