Animal Crossing

Animal Crossing is the fourth and final course in the Crossing Cup in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course is included with the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content package for Mario Kart 8. The course is located in an unnamed town from Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Similar to how Excitebike Arena changes layout every time it is played, Animal Crossing changes season every time it is played, which slightly changes some areas of the course.

In offline play, except for Time Trials (which uses summer as the only theme for the sake of consistency among Time Trial records), it is possible to select the season by holding down a shoulder button before the race starts if the player is using the Wii U GamePad, the Classic Controller (Pro), or the Wii U Pro Controller. Holding selects spring, holding  selects summer, holding  selects autumn, and holding  selects winter. This code returns using the same button combinations in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. When playing in Mirror Mode, the code is inversed: holding selects spring, holding  selects summer, holding  selects autumn and holding  selects winter.

Course layout
The course starts out next to the Town Tree, Town Hall, and Able Sisters' shop before crossing over a bridge and into a forest area with many trees; crashing into a tree if the season is summer causes a fruit to fall to the ground, which functions like a Mushroom, giving a speed boost to the first racer to drive over it. After this, a right turn comes up leading to a left turn and then a Glide Ramp, which goes over a small river and into another part of the town with a fountain whose water can be tricked off of and floating balloons with Item Boxes attached to them. Many houses can be seen in the background here.

The track then goes straight while descending, until it turns left and onto the beach with shells that can be knocked aside. The track then curves left and back up a hill which goes past Nook's Cranny, and onto a bridge with a Dash Panel on it which crosses over the hill that was descended earlier. At this point, players may fall to the lower section of the track; if they do, then they will get picked up by Lakitu and brought to the next section of the track. In this section, the track curves right, the museum can be seen in the background, and Mr. Resetti occasionally pops out of the ground, acting as a hazard, unless the season is winter, in which case Snowboys instead appear as obstacles, functioning like Snowmen. After this corner, there is a left turn to the finish line.

When Lakitu is holding the start signal, he is shown on the left side of the player. When crossing the finish line to begin the next lap, he’s also shown on the left side of the player, holding the lap count signs.

Differences between seasons
There are subtle differences in the track between seasons.


 * Spring: A number of ramps are placed along the track from Mr. Resetti's place to the Glide Ramp, and the race takes place in the morning.
 * Summer: A pair of ramps are placed on the beach, and the race happens at high noon. The trees release fruits that act as Mushrooms. In Time Trials, this is the only version of the track used.
 * Autumn: The race takes place in the late afternoon or evening, and there are leaf piles that release items on the track, similar to Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii.
 * Winter: The race takes place at night (and on Toy Day). The track is far more slippery than in other versions, reducing the traction of all vehicles. There are also a number of Snowboys placed around the course which act as destructible walls, similar to the Snowmen on, and Mr. Resetti is absent.

The music also changes depending on the season.

Shortcuts

 * Just as the beach section starts, the player can use a Mushroom boost behind a tree and darker sand to cut the corner.
 * The final corner can be skipped with a Mushroom boost.

Staff ghost
The staff ghost for this track is Isabelle on the City Tripper, with a time of 1:58.273. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's 200cc mode, the staff ghost uses the Male Villager with a time of 1:23.417.

References to the Animal Crossing franchise
As this course is based upon the Animal Crossing franchise, it also features various references to those games. They are listed below:
 * Coins are replaced by Bells, and have a different sound effect when being collected to match.
 * The Start/Finish line has the Animal Crossing logo on it.
 * Several villagers and buildings, like the Town Hall or Able Sisters, can be seen around the track.
 * A train can be seen driving near the course.
 * Some Item Boxes are suspended from balloons, like the ones that float by in the Animal Crossing games.
 * When a player runs into an Item Box, the sound it plays is a sped-up version of the save/load jingle from the Animal Crossing series.
 * In summer, trees may drop fruit when driven into or hit with items, which act like Mushrooms, giving the player a speed boost.
 * Mr. Resetti appears as a stage hazard (except in winter).
 * Driving into a rock causes a Bell to come out, referencing how the player in the Animal Crossing series can hit a rock for Bells by using a shovel.
 * Shells appear on the beach.
 * A lighthouse can be seen from the beach.
 * The first half of the music is a cover version of the first half of the main theme from Animal Crossing: New Leaf, played with different instruments to correspond to the season. The second half changes depending on the season and incorporates music from the Animal Crossing series:
 * Spring - The main theme for Animal Crossing.
 * Summer - A medley of the second half of the main theme and the third Main Street theme from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * Autumn - The main theme for Animal Crossing: Wild World and Animal Crossing: City Folk.
 * Winter - A medley of the music that plays on Toy Day and the 7 PM theme from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
 * The results music is an arrangement of the music that plays in Brewster's Roost café that first appears in Animal Crossing: Wild World.
 * Nook's Cranny appears, even though it was replaced by Nookling Junction in New Leaf. When passing by, it plays the same song heard in the Animal Crossing games. It is difficult to hear during a race, but when viewed in Mario Kart TV with the music off, it is easier to hear.
 * K.K. Slider sits in different predetermined spots on the course depending on the season; in addition, he performs a song when the player drives close to him, each corresponding with a different song mood:
 * Spring - K.K. will be across from the museum, and will perform "Bubblegum K.K." ("Good!" mood).
 * Summer - K.K. will be poised atop a cliff adjacent to the beach, and will perform "Go K.K. Rider!" ("Grumpy" mood).
 * Autumn - K.K. will be sitting right near the starting line, and will perform "K.K. Bossa" ("Lazy" mood).
 * Winter - K.K. will be sitting on the steps to Brewster's café, and will perform "Stale Cupcakes" ("A little sad" mood).

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 * Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: "This course will completely change its looks depending on the randomly selected season. If you race in the summer track, you can enjoy a vacation feeling with the ocean in the background."

Spring
"We received orders to come up with something bright and cheerful that would suit looking at cherry blossom in the spring. I think we've achieved it with that winding electric guitar line, wouldn't you agree? The playful trombone part is something you can only hope to capture in a live performance."

Summer
"This is a title I have an emotional connection with, so I really put my heart and soul into working on this arrangement. I started with the summer version of the Animal Crossing background music and found that it was rather like a puzzle, working out which instruments and motifs would suit each season. For this track, I went with a gypsy folk swing feel to give that sense of energy you get in the summer."

Autumn
"I thought the slightly melancholy feeling of an autumn sunset would suit Animal Crossing perfectly. I hope you'll enjoy the warm tones of the accordion and guitar combining."

Winter
"I was really stumped as to what kind of motifs to use in the night sequence. I decided to vary the type of drumsticks and the playing method for each season, and also used different types of bass. I really hope you're able to notice this variation of tones here."

Trivia

 * This is the only race course from the Mario Kart games to have kanji in its Japanese name.
 * In the Able Sister's Shop, helmets from the amiibo costumes can be seen in the window.
 * This is one of the three new courses in Mario Kart 8 without any anti-gravity sections, the other two being Excitebike Arena and Super Bell Subway. Coincidentally, all three are DLC courses.
 * This is one of the four courses in the Mario Kart series in which the Item Box roulette sounds different, the others being Waluigi Pinball, Hyrule Circuit, and the Urchin Underpass battle course.