GBA Bowser's Castle 1

This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Tour. For the race course from Super Mario Kart and extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, see Bowser Castle 1.
Bowser Castle 1
Bowser's Castle 1
MKSC Bowser Castle 1 Starting Line.png
Information
Appears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001)
Mario Kart 7 (2011)
Mario Kart Tour (2019)
Cup(s) Mushroom Cup (Super Circuit)
Shell Cup (7)
Tour(s)
Online play No longer available (3DS)
Music sample
Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario Kart 7 / Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart 7 (frontrunning)
Course map
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
MKSC Bowser Castle 1 Map.png
MKSC Bowser Castle 1 Mini Map.png
Mario Kart 7
GBA Bowser Castle 1 bottom screen mapThe Mini Map for GBA Bowser Castle 1
Mario Kart Tour
Map of GBA Bowser's Castle 1 from Mario Kart Tour.
Staff ghost(s)
7 Nin★Hayata
1:31.030 Sprite of BowserOrange Pipe Frame from Mario Kart 7MK7 Standard.pngBeast Glider, also known as Ghastly Glider.
7 Expert Nin★hokwai
1:22.221 Sprite of BowserKoopa ClownMK7 Roller.pngBowser's Super Glider in Mario Kart 7

Bowser's Castle 1 (previously known as Bowser Castle 1) is the fourth and last course of the Mushroom Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. It is the first of four Bowser Castle courses raced in each cup except the Lightning Cup. The course is relatively short and contains only five Thwomps, a lot of coins, and a few item boxes. The course takes place inside the castle, as can be seen by the windows and large Bowser-symboled door in the background. It shares its music with the game's other three Bowser Castles: 2, 3, 4.

Bowser's Castle 1 reappears in Mario Kart 7 as the second course of the Shell Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the New York Tour.

Mario Kart: Super CircuitEdit

Course layoutEdit

 
The course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit

As with the other Bowser Castle tracks, Bowser Castle 1 is composed entirely of straightaways and 90° turns. There are also Thwomps as obstacles. The course begins with two left turns followed by the first set of Item Boxes. Racers then pass a pair of Thwomps and take a right turn before reaching a slight S-bend; immediately before it, the right side of the track is covered in off-road, and immediately after it, there are another three Thwomps. There is then two left turns followed by a long straightaway, where racers must use five consecutive jump pads to jump over the lava while dodging Lava Bubbles. Between the third and fourth jumps, there is another item set. After the straightaway, racers encounter one more left turn followed by another slight S-bend and then the finish line.

Mario Kart 7Edit

 
Bowser Castle 1 in Mario Kart 7

Bowser Castle 1 makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the second race of the Shell Cup. It is the game's only retro course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit. The track is virtually identical to the original course, but has the addition of 3D graphics like the retro courses from Super Mario Kart. To make further use of this, there are some stone pillars poking out of the lava. The number of gaps in the jump section were reduced to four, and the platforms were lengthened accordingly. Also, a Glide Ramp appears at the first jump after 36 seconds of the race have elapsed. The glider can also be used to reach a small platform within the lava to the left. There are also some added coins on the track.[1] In addition, the flashing signs that tell which direction to go from Mario Kart: Super Circuit are now billboards attached to the track. The course now has a Mario Kart 64-style starting banner. This is also the only course in the Shell Cup not to be in the same order as its appearance in its original cup.

In version 1.1, a shortcut exploit which allowed players to skip the second 180-degree turn became unusable when playing online. The shortcut is still viable offline, however.

Mario Kart TourEdit

 
The course in Mario Kart Tour

Bowser's Castle 1 reappears once more in Mario Kart Tour, first appearing in the New York Tour. It generally retains its layout from Mario Kart 7. This course also uses the Mario Kart 7 version of its music, while most other classic courses in the game uses the original versions of their themes. It also shares its music with GBA Bowser's Castle 2, GBA Bowser's Castle 3, GBA Bowser's Castle 4, and RMX Bowser's Castle 1.

The course also appeared as Bowser's Castle 1R (reversed), Bowser's Castle 1T (with ramps), and Bowser's Castle 1R/T (reversed with ramps). The latter first debuted in the London Tour. In the R variant, a glide ramp is immediately available at the start of the track, and there are many more Thwomps, mostly positioned between the last two turns. In the T variant, there are several ramps that raise and lower in time with the Thwomps, allowing racers to jump over the Thwomps when the ramps are up. In the R/T variant, the number of Thwomps is once again significantly higher, though they are spread out across the course.

Prior to the 2019 Halloween Tour, no kart or glider had Bowser's Castle 1R listed as a favorite course. Instead, its appearance in the Dry Bowser Cup relied on the spotlight bonus to raise the Badwagon and Swooper up one level.

AppearancesEdit

For this course's tour appearances, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 1 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Top-tier and middle-tier itemsEdit

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which GBA Bowser's Castle 1 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 GBA Bowser's Castle 1 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 challengesEdit

Do Jump Boosts
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Shy Guy
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 5
  • 10
  • 15
Halloween Tour (2019)  
Diddy Kong Cup
  • 5
  • 8
  • 12
Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2020)  
Hammer Bro Cup
  • 5
  • 9
  • 13
New Year's Tour (2023)  
Larry Cup
Big Reverse Race
Icon Course variant Opponents Tour appearances Cup
7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st Extra
  Regular Driver  [2]  [2]  [2]  [2]  [2]  [2]  [2]  [3] London Tour  
Baby Mario Cup
Kart                
Glider                 Wedding Tour  
Toadette Cup
Goomba Takedown
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Item Box
type found
Number of item slots Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Mario
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
 
Bob-omb

 
Mushroom
1
  • 10
  • 25
  • 42
London Tour  
Wario Cup
2
  • 15
  • 25
  • 42
Paris Tour (2021)  
Mario Cup
1
  • 15
  • 25
  • 40
Bowser Tour (2023)  
Dry Bowser Cup
Steer Clear of Obstacles
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Obstacles Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Wario
 
Bolt Buggy
 
Super Glider
 
Thwomp
 
Lava Bubble
 
Star Thwomp
Beta Test  
Wario Cup
   
Dry Bones
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
Flower Tour  
Baby Daisy Cup
vs. Mega Bowser
Icon Course variant Mega opponent information Tour appearances Cup
Driver Kart Glider Items used
  Regular  
Bowser
 
Koopa Clown
TBD  
Green Shells
Beta Test  
Bowser Cup
Vs. Mega Dry Bowser
Icon Course variant Mega opponent information Tour appearances Cup
Driver Kart Glider Items used
 Regular  
Dry Bowser
 
Kabuki Dasher
 
Super Glider[4]
 
Green Shells[4]

 
Bowser's Shells[4]
100cc and higher only
Summer Festival Tour  
Monty Mole Cup
Holiday Tour (2021)  
Yoshi Cup
Bowser Tour (2022)  
Peachette Cup
Bowser Tour (2023)  
King Bob-omb Cup
Smash Small Dry Bones
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Wario
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 5
  • 10
  • 15
Paris Tour (2019)  
Toadette Cup
  • 4
  • 8
  • 11
Toad vs. Toadette Tour  
Donkey Kong Cup
Break Item Boxes
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Item Box
type found
Number of item slots Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Bowser
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
 
Mega Mushroom

 
Coin
2
  • 15
  • 32
  • 55
Valentine's Tour  
Peachette Cup
1st Anniversary Tour  
Bowser Jr. Cup
Time Trial
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Baby Peach
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 1:50.00
  • 1:35.00
  • 1:16.00
Ice Tour  
Baby Peach Cup
  • 1:25.00
  • 1:18.00
  • 1:12.00
Mario Tour (2021)  
Baby Mario Cup
  R  
King Boo
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 1:35.00
  • 1:25.00
  • 1:15.00
Pirate Tour  
Diddy Kong Cup
Combo Attack
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Highest combo counts Tour appearances Cup
  T  
Iggy
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 5
  • 10
  • 15
Pirate Tour  
Bowser Jr. Cup

GalleryEdit

Mario Kart: Super CircuitEdit

Mario Kart 7Edit

Mario Kart TourEdit

Course iconsEdit

ScreenshotsEdit

Names in other languagesEdit

Language Name Meaning
Japanese クッパキャッスル1
Kuppa Kyassuru 1
Bowser Castle 1

Chinese (simplified) 酷霸王城堡1
Kùbàwáng Chéngbǎo 1
Bowser Castle 1

Chinese (traditional) 庫巴城堡1
Kùbā Chéngbǎo 1
Bowser Castle 1

Dutch Bowsers Kasteel 1
Bowser's Castle 1
French Château de Bowser 1
Château Bowser 1 (Mario Kart: Super Circuit)[5]
Bowser's Castle 1
Bowser Castle 1
German Bowsers Festung 1
Bowser´s Fortress 1
Italian Castello di Bowser 1
Bowser's Castle 1
Korean 쿠파 성 1
Kupa Seong 1
Bowser Castle 1

Portuguese (NOA) Castelo do Bowser 1
Bowser's Castle 1
Portuguese (NOE) Castelo 1 do Bowser
Bowser's Castle 1
Russian Замок Боузера 1
Zamok Bouzera 1
Bowser's Castle 1

Spanish Castillo de Bowser 1
Bowser's Castle 1

TriviaEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ マリオカート7 : コース : こうらカップ. GBAクッパキャッスル1. nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved October 9, 2013. (Archived October 9, 2019, 09:12:05 UTC via Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g TheMadWeazel (December 4, 2019). London Tour “Baby Mario Cup” - Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  3. ^ AppCentral (December 7, 2019). Mario Kart Tour - Baby Mario Cup! (London Tour). YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Shena Gameplay (August 29, 2020). Summer Festival Tour | Mario Kart Tour | Monty Mole, Baby Daisy and Bowser Jr Cups 200cc Gameplay. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  5. ^ Mario Kart: Super Circuit instruction booklet (EU). Page 53. nintendo-europe.com. Retrieved July 18, 2018.