GBA Ribbon Road
| Ribbon Road | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 2) (2015) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Star Cup (Super Circuit) Bell Cup (8, 8 Deluxe) | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | Available (Wii U, Switch) | ||||||||||||||
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Ribbon Road is the second course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The course reappears again in the Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the second track of the Bell Cup. The entire road is made of a giant stretch of ribbon, hence the name.
Course layout
The original course as featured in Mario Kart: Super Circuit is set in a world made entirely of craft materials and presents, and begins in a straight red road that soon leads to a curve to the right. It is a circular curve that leads the player into Dash Panels and makes the player boost past and over the section of the road they were in. Here a shortcut may be performed if the player takes all the Dash Panels and then makes a sharp turn to the right after jumping. It is risky and may land the racer off the track, but it is useful for getting ahead of other racers. Past the ramp is a short straight road that turns left into a straight road, and another curve to the left that will also lead the player into Dash Panels and a ramp that will speed the player past a previous section of the course.
After the second and final ramp is a curve to the right that leads the player into a twisty, but one-directional road that has off road and presents to slow the player. After the twisty road is another twisty road past the curve to the right that leads the player southwest the course and two more minor curves to the left, that leads the player into the southernmost part of the course.
There is a slightly straight, but curvy road in the last straight road before the finish line. The first section of this road is straight, but there is a very minor curve to the left that leads the player even further down the course until they meet a curve to the right that leads into the road with the finish line. It is straight and it leads the player back into the finish/starting line.
Shortcuts
This course has only one shortcut that can be used without a Mushroom. From the first large ramp, the player must drive over all of the Dash Panels and take a sharp right turn. This allows them to skip the part of the course that leads to the second ramp.
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Ribbon Road makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 8 as a classic course in the add-on pack, Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8, as well as in the base content of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the second race of the Bell Cup. The course is now set in a bedroom at toy size, that not only features gift boxes, similar to the original, but stuffed Yoshis, Koopa Clown Car jack-in-the-boxes, toy versions of karts used in Mario Kart 8, Mini Toads and a Mario Kart 8 poster on the bedroom's wall as well. The track surface now has three different colors of ribbons with the series logo printed on it, instead of just red as in the original.
The course now features a starting banner, which is made of coral pink and lavender colored ribbon arches, with the course's name featured on the front star details on the sides of the banner and on the tips of the arches, as well as a wooden ornament made of a ribbon and a Super Bell on top. Also, much like GCN Yoshi Circuit and GBA Cheese Land, the modern Mario Kart logo is used instead of the classic logo that the course had in its original appearance.
The course contains three colored sections with castle walls of different colors. Out of the start/finish line, racers travel through the first section, which has red ribbons on pink carpet with castle walls, mini Toads, and Super Bell icons - this section is based on Princess Peach. After doing a three-quarter turn, the racers go through the first jump and enter the second section of castle, where the track is now a green ribbon with light green carpet, with Bowser-colored castle walls with his icon on them and wind-up Mechakoopas posing as hazards - this section is based on Bowser. After another three-quarter turn, the racers go through the second jump and enter an anti-gravity segment, with floating blue ribbons, blue-white castle walls, with Luma symbols and stars on the spires - this section is based on Rosalina and her power of levitation. The anti-gravity segment ends in a gliding segment, with racers having to dodge Jack-in-the-Box Koopa Clown Cars before returning to the red ribbon portion of the track. After another U-turn, the track returns to the start/finish line.
The music has also been remade, now with a slowed-down surf-rock rendition of the previous theme, and the key has been changed from B major to C major (C#/D♭ major on the final lap). The final lap version of the music also has a different, shorter intro; this distinction is shared with Toad Harbor, 3DS DK Jungle, and Mute City.
Shortcuts
- Mushrooms or a Star can be used to cut the corners in the green segment of the track.
- The player can make a sharp drift onto a ramp next to the Teddy Buggy statue.
- Before the main gliding area with the two Jack-in-the-Box Koopa Clown Cars, the player can drift onto a hidden glider ramp.
- Upon returning to the red ribbon portion of the track, after gliding, players can take a sharp right turn through the ribbon arches using a Mushroom or Star to cut off the wide curve.
Staff ghost
The staff ghost for this course is the Female Villager on the Teddy Buggy with a time of 2:11.839. The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 200cc staff ghost is Isabelle with a time of 1:31.220.
References to the Super Mario franchise
The Mario Kart 8 version of the course contains several references to the game itself and the Super Mario franchise which can be seen in the background:
- The Super Bell appears on many aspects of the track, reflecting the cup that the track is in.
- Mini Toads from the Mario vs. Donkey Kong series appear at the beginning of the track.
- Multiple large knitted Yoshis resembling both their appearance in Yoshi's Woolly World and the Yarn Yoshi series of amiibo.
- After the first ramp, there is a boomerang in the background resembling the one from a Boomerang Flower in Super Mario 3D Land and Super Mario 3D World (when used by Toad).
- A board game called "Yoshi's Dice Game" has the map of GCN Yoshi Circuit on the box.
- A poster featuring the box art of Mario Kart 8.
- Toy kits can be seen for various Mario Kart 8 karts. They display the stats for the karts, as well as the parts used within the Kart or ATV, including the Gliders. The combinations are Mario and Luigi's Standard Karts with Standard tires and the Super Glider, Toad's Teddy Buggy with Button tires and the Parachute glider, and Baby Daisy's Biddybuggy with Standard tires and the Flower Glider.
- A Ribbon Road toy kit box with Baby Mario on the box that references the Mario Kart track sets from K'NEX.
- There are also sized-up versions Standard Kart, Teddy Buggy and Biddybuggy.
- Toad's character icon artwork from Super Mario 3D World can be seen on two gift boxes, although it is recolored representing his typical red dot, blue vest color scheme. The 2D artworks of Red Shells, Super Stars, Fire Flowers, Coins, Green Shells, Bullet Bills, ? Blocks and Bob-ombs, as well as the Toad Toy Store Logo can be seen on the same wrapping paper as well.
- A Standard Kart structure poster appears on the bedroom wall.
Sponsors
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Kung Fu Lakitu (Poster)
- Lemmy's Tire Service (Logos)
- Mario Motors (Logos)
- Toad Toy Store (Logos)
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes
"This is really different from the original track. We hadn't expected to end up with this kind of steady stomping sound, but it ends up working surprisingly well. I hope you agree!"
Gallery
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The course icon
The course curves around the castle.
Jack-in-the-Box Koopa Clown Cars
Mario at the starting line, ready to race
Dry Bowser races past two Mechakoopas.
Yoshi in the anti-gravity section
Toadette turning a corner in her Mr. Scooty
The stamp for this course
Miscellaneous
Promotional banner from Tencent's Nintendo Switch online store on JD.com during the Double 11 promotion
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | リボンロード[?] Ribon Rōdo |
Ribbon Road | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 缎带之路 Duàndài Zhī Lù 彩带路 (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)[1] Cǎidài Lù |
Ribbon Road | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 緞帶之路[?] Duàndài Zhī Lù |
Ribbon Road | |
| Dutch | Sprintlint[?] | Dash Ribbon | |
| German | Party-Straße[?] | Party Road | |
| Italian | Strada del Fiocco[?] | Bow Road | |
| Korean | 리본 로드[?] Ribon Rodeu |
Ribbon Road | |
| Portuguese | Estrada de Fita[?] | Ribbon Road | |
| Russian | Серпантин[?] Serpantin |
Serpentine or Streamer | |
| Spanish (NOA) | Ruta Listón[?] | Ribbon Route | |
| Spanish (NOE) | Ruta del Lazo Calle de los regalos (Mario Kart: Super Circuit instruction booklet)[2] |
Ribbon Route Presents' Street |
Trivia
- As of the 2023 Yoshi Tour, it is the only course from the Star Cup of Super Circuit to not be remade in Mario Kart Tour.
References
- ^ From the iQue localization prototype.
- ^ Mario Kart: Super Circuit Instruction Booklet (EU), page 93
