Bowser, near the new anti-gravity booster (blue, with arrows) at Mario Circuit.
Bowser approaching an Antigravity Panel in Mario Circuit

Antigravity Panels[1] are objects that appear in courses in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. They are blue panels bearing a circle pattern that appear on the track to mark the beginning of an anti-gravity section, causing any racers that drive over them to enter anti-gravity mode. Mechanically, whether or not anti-gravity is activated depends on where the racer is on the course, so the Antigravity Panels only serve as visual indicators of when anti-gravity sections begin. They do not appear in courses that take place entirely in anti-gravity such as GCN Baby Park, but otherwise always appear at the start of an anti-gravity section (except in 3DS Rainbow Road and Wii Koopa Cape, in which anti-gravity is activated as the racers fall onto the moon and into the tunnel respectively). An Antigravity Panel is also used to mark the end of the anti-gravity section in GBA Boo Lake, but not in any other race courses, in which anti-gravity will activate if a racer goes backwards into an anti-gravity section without the need of an Antigravity Panel. The battle course Battle Stadium features Antigravity Panels at both ends of its anti-gravity section. Some characters can audibly react to the activation of anti-gravity upon driving over an Antigravity Panel.

In the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, half-pipes take after the design of Antigravity Panels, as they briefly put racers in anti-gravity.

An Antigravity Panel can be seen in the background of the Mario Circuit stage in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, with the same position as in the original Mario Circuit course.

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ Musa, Alexander (May 30, 2014). Mario Kart 8 PRIMA Official Game Guide. Page 9. Prima Games. Retrieved January 29, 2018.