Piranha Plant Cove

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Not to be confused with Piranha Creeper Cove, 3DS Piranha Plant Slide, or Piranha Plant Pipeline.
Piranha Plant Cove
Piranha Plant Cove in Mario Kart Tour
Information
Appears in Mario Kart Tour (2023)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, Wave 6) (2023)
Cup(s) Acorn Cup
Tour(s)
Online play Available (Switch)
Music sample
Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (frontrunning)
Course map
Mario Kart Tour
Piranha Plant Cove
The map of Piranha Plant Cove from Mario Kart Tour
Piranha Plant Cove 2
The map of Piranha Plant Cove 2 from Mario Kart Tour
Piranha Plant Cove 3
Map of Piranha Plant Cove 3 in Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Map of Piranha Plant Cove in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Staff ghost(s)
8DX 150cc Nin★Sophia
2:17.775 Petey Piranha's head icon in Mario Kart 8 DeluxeFlame Rider body from Mario Kart 8Picture of the kart part Off-Road in Mario Kart 8.A Flower Glider from Mario Kart 8
8DX 200cc Nin★Alice
1:41.315 Koopa Troopa's head icon in Mario Kart 8Steel Driver from Mario Kart 8Metal tires from Mario Kart 8Thumbnail of Koopa Troopa's Super Glider (with 8 icon), in Mario Kart 8.

Piranha Plant Cove is a race course from Mario Kart Tour. It debuted in the 2023 Exploration Tour as its featured course. It is set on an archipelago containing underwater ruins with a Piranha Plant motif. Along the course are various hieroglyphs depicting 8-bit Piranha Plant sprites from Super Mario Bros., and various engravings on Falling Pillars are seen glowing bright turquoise. Thwomps, Maw-Rays, Clampys, Cheep Cheeps, Jellybeams, and Bulbers are featured as course and background elements. The underwater ruins of this course bear similarities to the Temple of the Feathered Serpent of Teotihuacan, while also seemingly being based on Atlantis. The music for this course is in a 6/4 time signature.

It has three routes: Piranha Plant Cove, Piranha Plant Cove 2, and Piranha Plant Cove 3, making it the second course in Mario Kart Tour to have numbered re-routes without being a city course, after N64 Kalimari Desert; it is the only new course with this distinction. The first two routes debuted together in the 2023 Exploration Tour, while the third route debuted later in the 2023 Mii Tour. All three routes are vastly different regarding the environments racers drive through; the first route focuses on the ruins, the second route takes racers on a nearby island, and the third route takes racers into a cave, passing shipwrecks. It is the third new course in Mario Kart Tour to have a re-route with a different starting line placement, after Los Angeles Laps and Berlin Byways, although unlike said courses, the starting line has a completely different appearance between variants. Piranha Plant Cove 3 is the first course in the Mario Kart series to take place entirely underwater.

Piranha Plant Cove reappears as a classic course in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass as the fourth and last course of the Acorn Cup.

Mario Kart Tour

The course's routes in relation to each other

Piranha Plant Cove

Similar to Dolphin Shoals from Mario Kart 8, this course's starting line is located underwater. When the race begins, racers are immediately met with a brief fork in the road; here, there are pillars that, throughout the race, may fall on to the road, similar to Dry Dry Ruins from Mario Kart Wii and GCN Dry Dry Desert in Mario Kart 8. When the two branches are connected again, racers drive up a large staircase with currents, decorated with stone Petey Piranha heads, that takes them up to the surface. Afterwards, racers drive along the ruins, beneath stone arches with the option to drive on top of one of them, taking 90-degree bends before diving back into the water, and driving down a straightaway and into a cavern featuring Thwomps to be avoided, with dash panels placed in front of them. This section has raised portions of the road with slanted sides, allowing for multiple tricks to be performed depending on the lines being taken. Racers take a few more turns before reaching the finishing line.

The course also appears as Piranha Plant Cove R (reversed), Piranha Plant Cove T (with ramps), and Piranha Plant Cove R/T (reversed with ramps). In the R variant, the first Thwomp is gone. In the T and R/T variants, racers drive on Kanaami Road outside of the ruins for a while, with both Thwomps having been moved to this section; in the T variant, racers use a glide ramp to return to the ruins.

This route is the first instance of a course starting completely underwater in Mario Kart Tour, and the second course in the Mario Kart series overall after Mario Kart 8's Dolphin Shoals.

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of Piranha Plant Cove tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour § Piranha Plant Cove.

Top-tier and middle-tier items

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which Piranha Plant Cove 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 Piranha Plant Cove tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Course Three-item drivers Bonus points ×2 karts Combo bonus ×3 gliders Two-item drivers Bonus points ×1.5 karts Combo bonus ×2 gliders
 
Normal variant
                                             **   **                      ***       
       
 
R variant
                                                                                           
       
 
T variant
                                                ***      **   **                        
      
 
R/T variant
                                                    ***  **          ***                       
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3.
** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items.

Bonus challenges

Time Trial
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Dry Bones
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 1:35.00
  • 1:28.00
  • 1:23.00
Exploration Tour (2023)  
Baby Daisy Cup
Do Jump Boosts
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Larry
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 10
  • 13
  • 16
Exploration Tour (2023)  
Nabbit Cup
  • 10
  • 14
  • 18
Pipe Tour  
Pauline Cup
Smash Small Dry Bones
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Roy
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 6
  • 9
  • 12
Pipe Tour  
Tanooki Mario Cup

Piranha Plant Cove 2

The second variant begins in a part of the course completely separate from the first variant, at the edge of an island overlooking the ruins. Racers are promptly launched off a glider ramp into the water below, which features Jellybeams that can be hit for points, before making a tight turn followed by a slight S-bend towards the starting area of the first variant, where racers encounter two Clampys and the currents now appear before the split path. After driving along a brief portion of the ruins from the first variant, which now has water geysers and an Unagi, racers keep heading straight and then make a gradual right up the bank of the island. Here, the path splits into two wooden paths around a small pier, before meeting up and making another sandy S-bend to the finish line past a biting Piranha Plant.

The course also appears as Piranha Plant Cove 2R (reversed), Piranha Plant Cove 2T (with ramps), and Piranha Plant Cove 2R/T (reversed with ramps). In all three variants, the Piranha Plant that can bite racers on the island is gone. In the R variant, there are Sidesteppers where racers first enter the water. In the T and R/T variants, the gliding section and Unagi are gone. In the R/T variant, there are several Piranha Plants in pipes that bite at players as they drive on Kanaami Road over the water.

Piranha Plant Cove 2's map includes a road only accessible in the course's R and R/T variants, making it the third course to include a road from an alternate variant on its map, after Berlin Byways 2 and GBA Boo Lake.

In Piranha Plant Cove 2, the Clampys can contain Item Boxes, as is the case with 3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon.

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of Piranha Plant Cove tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour § Piranha Plant Cove 2.

Top-tier and middle-tier items

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which Piranha Plant Cove 2 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 Piranha Plant Cove 2 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Course Three-item drivers Bonus points ×2 karts Combo bonus ×3 gliders Two-item drivers Bonus points ×1.5 karts Combo bonus ×2 gliders
 
Normal variant
                                                 ***                                   ***
      
 
R variant
                                        **           ***            ***                  
     
 
 
T variant
                                            ***                                       
 
 
R/T variant
                                                     **                               
 
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3.
** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items.

Bonus challenges

Time Trial
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Birdo (Light Blue)
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 2:05.00
  • 1:55.00
  • 1:48.00
Exploration Tour (2023)  
Mario Cup
  R  
Pink Shy Guy
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 2:00.00
  • 1:55.00
  • 1:50.00
Pipe Tour  
Iggy Cup

Piranha Plant Cove 3

Racers start at the exact same place they start in the first route. When the race begins, racers follow a group of Fish Bones and take a sudden sharp left turn to enter a crystal cave before serpentining round numerous shipwrecks. A large left turn is taken following the wreckages, taking racers through a rocky section decorated with numerous glowing corals. Here, racers can drive over water geysers and avoid Clampys containing coins. Taking another left turn, racers go underground beneath Piranha Plant Cove 2 to enter a sunken ruin filled with dilapidated sculptures of Petey Piranha after avoiding a giant Unagi that lunges out and attempts to bite any nearby racers. Underground, there are many ramps players may use for jump boosts; however, it isn't long until a final right turn is taken, taking racers back to the finish line. On the first lap, racers are accompanied by a giant, fast Maw-Ray when they reach the starting line again. Racers follow this Maw-Ray into the cave during the opening of the second lap.

The course also appears as Piranha Plant Cove 3R (reversed), Piranha Plant Cove 3T (with ramps), and Piranha Plant Cove 3R/T (reversed with ramps). In the R and R/T variants, the Unagi that lunges at racers is gone. In the R/T variant, racers drive along numerous conveyor belts.

This is the only course in the Mario Kart series (not counting Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit) to take place entirely underwater, although players can briefly jump above the water in the T variant.

Unlike in Piranha Plant Cove 2, the Clampys in Piranha Plant Cove 3 exclusively contain coins like in GCN Daisy Cruiser, with none containing Item Boxes.

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of Piranha Plant Cove tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour § Piranha Plant Cove 3.

Top-tier and middle-tier items

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which Piranha Plant Cove 3 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 Piranha Plant Cove 3 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Course Three-item drivers Bonus points ×2 karts Combo bonus ×3 gliders Two-item drivers Bonus points ×1.5 karts Combo bonus ×2 gliders
 
Normal variant
                                        ***                **    **               **  
               
 
R variant
                                                                       **         
           
 
 
T variant
                                                                       **   **         
       
 
 
R/T variant
                                          *                          ***    **  
         
         
* indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 3.
** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 6.
*** indicates a favored course upgraded to a favorite course after reaching level 8 for High-End items.

Bonus challenges

Time Trial
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Donkey Kong
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 1:55.00
  • 1:45.00
  • 1:35.00
Summer Tour (2023)  
Fire Rosalina Cup

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 
Piranha Plant Cove in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Piranha Plant Cove returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the sixth and final wave of the Booster Course Pass DLC, where it appears as the fourth and final course of the Acorn Cup. Like with the city courses from Mario Kart Tour, this iteration of the course combines the three different routes from Tour together in one course. The course has seen significant visual upgrades compared to its original appearance.

The underwater sections of the course are notably brighter compared to how they appeared in Tour. The logo on the course's starting line is now beige instead of purple. The Dash Panels near the Thwomps have been made smaller, resembling their appearance in a pre-release screenshotMedia:MKT PiranhaPlantCove View3.jpg of the course in Mario Kart Tour. The two large Piranha Plants nestled in the cliff wall below the island path have been removed. A Clampy has been added to the shipwreck section. The sand blocking the Piranha Plant Cove 3 route in Piranha Plant Cove 2 was removed, though a new wooden ramp descends into that section. Due to the underwater physics in the game, players can skip large turns of the track like the first turn after the glide ramp on lap 1. The turn underwater before the pier section in Piranha Plant Cove 2 has been elongated slightly, and the starting gate seen in that route in Mario Kart Tour is absent in this iteration of the course. The minimap has also been rotated 90 degrees clockwise, and the shipwreck shortcut in the Piranha Plant Cove 3 route is now depicted on the map of the course. The pier used for Piranha Plant Cove 2R has been removed from the minimap since racers cannot traverse the Piranha Plant Cove 2 route backward. The pillars at the start of the track now fall during the countdown. This is one of six courses to have an opening animation during the countdown, with the others being Twisted Mansion, Electrodrome, Mount Wario, Bowser's Castle, and Excitebike Arena. Unlike other courses added to the Booster Course Pass that previously appeared in Tour, this course's music has only a small handful of modifications, with most virtual instruments used remaining unchanged, albeit mixed differently. Notably, the synth bass, high flute, and drums have been updated.

Regarding the course's route, the first lap follows the route of Piranha Plant Cove 2. Racers drive past some ruins before leaving the water briefly to drive atop a stone structure. This then takes racers into the water, where they take a right turn before approaching a wooden pier. Driving up the pier lets racers access an island decorated with buildings such as huts and a lighthouse. Racers must avoid Piranha Plants before driving over a glider ramp to return to the water. Two more right turns are taken before racers approach the starting line to begin lap 2. The second lap follows the course's first route, with racers driving straight until they leave the water, before turning left to race along the top of the ruins. Right-angled turns are taken along this path before returning to the water to encounter some Thwomps. After two more turns racers begin the final lap, which follows Piranha Plant Cove 3. Racers drive past shipwrecks and Clampies before driving down a staircase into the underground ruins, avoiding the giant Maw-Ray that lunges at the players. Once leaving the underground ruins, racers take a final right turn to reach the finish line.

Like Ninja Hideaway and Merry Mountain, this course lacks a "Tour" prefix.[1] However, promotional material still identifies it as being from Mario Kart Tour, with some promotional media also giving it a prefix.[2] Piranha Plant Cove is one of three Mario Kart Tour courses present in the sixth wave, alongside Tour Rome Avanti and Tour Madrid Drive.

Profiles

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  • Nintendo Switch News app (UK): A course to sink your teeth into - it's Piranha Plant Cove!
    Today we'd like to present another course released as part of the sixth wave, which is available now: Piranha Plant Cove.
    This course, first introduced in the smart device game Mario Kart Tour, takes you racing through the moonlit, half-sunken ruins of its eponymous lagoon. Not only does each lap chart different routes through the bay, but there's also plenty of stairways and piles of rubble to practice Jump Boosts on, making for a thrilling, high-speed race above and below the waves! Just don't get nibbled by the Piranha Plants or enormous Maw-Rays, and you'll do great.
  • Nintendo Switch News app (US):
    • This course first appeared in the Mario Kart: Tour app.
    • Hop in the driver seat and take a ride in beautiful moonlit ruins…with a good chunk of the course ruins being underwater. It’s quite the experience!
    • You may notice the course changes with each lap. Your best chance at victory may be to utilize stairs and broken rock formations to create jump boosts.
    • You’ll have to keep an eye out for Piranha Plants and Maw-Rays. Uh oh…they look a bit hungry!

Gallery

Mario Kart Tour

Piranha Plant Cove

Course icons
Screenshots

Piranha Plant Cove 2

Course icons
Screenshots

Piranha Plant Cove 3

Course icons
Screenshots

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Additional names

Internal names

Game File Name Meaning

Mario Kart Tour Gmob_OceanRuins1 OceanRuins Ocean Ruins

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese パックンしんでん
Pakkun Shinden
Piranha Temple

Chinese 吞食花神殿
Tūnshí Huā Shéndiàn
Piranha Plant Temple

Dutch Piranha Plant-Lagune
Piranha Plant Lagoon
French Ruines Plante Piranha
Piranha Plant Ruins
German Piranha-Pflanzen-Bucht
Piranha Plant Bay
Italian Cala Pianta Piranha
Piranha Plant Cove
Korean 뻐끔 신전
Ppeokkeum Shinjeon
Piranha Temple

Portuguese Ruínas Planta Piranha
Piranha Plant Ruins
Russian Залив растения-пираньи
Zaliv rasteniya-piran'i
Piranha Plant Bay

Spanish Ruinas Planta Piraña
Piranha Plant Ruins

References