3DS Bowser's Castle
| Bowser's Castle | |||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 7 (2011) Mario Kart Tour (2021) | ||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Special Cup | ||||||||||
| Tour(s) | |||||||||||
| Based on | Bowser's Castle | ||||||||||
| Online play | No longer available (3DS) | ||||||||||
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Bowser's Castle is the third course of theSpecial Cup inMario Kart 7. Unlike previous Bowser's Castle courses, it strongly resembles a haunted mansion inside. It features spiderwebs, lava pillars andgeysers,Thwomps, and stairs. This course later returns as aclassic course inMario Kart Tour, starting with theNew Year's 2022 Tour.
The second portion of this course's music covers theBowser's Castle theme fromMario Kart: Double Dash!!
This is the onlyBowser's Castle course from an entry afterMario Kart: Super Circuit to reappear in a laterMario Kart game. It is also the only track inMario Kart 7's Special Cup to not appear inMario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart 7
Course layout
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This course starts off on a separate platform with a ramp to glide into Bowser's Castle. There are two entrances, an upper level and a lower level if the upper level is missed while gliding. The two levels have a set of stairs with Thwomps and inclining slopes that lead into one room filled with lava pools and sharp turns. Past that room is a wide woodenTurning Floor that leads to alake filled with water, with some pipes pouring lava and lava-filled edges. Afterward, racers return to land along a cliff side, passing by lava waterfalls as the racers drive. At the end of the outdoor section is a sharp wide turn that ends with aGlide Ramp leading to thefinish line, with a giant ring in the air suspended over the one on the ground highlighting this. The ramp allows for side paths to be taken on laps 2 and 3, which split into two to allow both levels of the castle to be reached. 3DS Bowser's Castle is the only Bowser's Castle course in theMario Kart series with an underwater section.
When the player enters the castle,Bowser's laugh can be heard, similar to theBowser's Castle courses fromMario Kart: Double Dash!! andMario Kart Wii.
Mario Kart Tour
This version of Bowser's Castle makes itsclassic course debut inMario Kart Tour, starting from theNew Year's 2022 Tour. The sky is less dark, the castle entrance has been redesigned, and an active volcano has been added into the background. The positions of the pipes pouring lava in the underwater section have been slightly altered, with one being outright removed. The ramp in the underwater section is also extended. The mountainous area has been made more open and lacks the mushroom shortcut on the right side. Additionally, Bowser's laugh no longer plays when the player enters the castle at the beginning of the course.
The course also appears asBowser's Castle R (reversed),Bowser's Castle T (with ramps), andBowser's Castle R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the normal variant in the New Year's 2022 Tour, while the latter debuted in theSamurai Tour. In the T and R/T variants, there is only oneThwomp; in the T variant, it has been moved to the castle entrance on the lower level. Additionally, the underwater section is almost entirely skipped, and racers can drive through a secondTurning Floor at the start of lap 2. In the R/T variant, the first turn is entirely skipped and racers instead drive through three Turning Floors.
Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, seeList of 3DS Bowser's Castle tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which3DS Bowser's Castle and its variants are alwaysfavored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, seeList of3DS Bowser's Castle tour appearances inMario 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 |
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 Normal variant |              |                   |               |   **       ***   * *   |  *      **    **        *** |    ***  *       ** ***  |
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 R variant |             |             |       | ***   *** ***** ** *  |  ***      ****   ******* * |  **  * *  ***  **  * |
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 T variant |    |     |         | ***  ***** *** |   ***  ***** |  *** ***** |
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 R/T variant |       |         |        |    ** *******    ** | **     *****     |  ****  *  **  ** |
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| * 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
| Ring Race | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Bowser |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| New Year's 2022 Tour |  Funky Kong Cup |
| Ocean Tour |  Daisy Cup | |||||
| Goomba Takedown | |||||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Item Box type found | Number of item slots | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Wario |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |  Green Shell  Mega Mushroom | 1 |
| Wario vs. Waluigi Tour |  Waluigi Cup |
| Mario vs. Luigi Tour (2022) |  Luigi Cup | ||||||||
| Bowser Tour (2023) |  Koopa Troopa Cup | |||||||
| Smash Small Dry Bones | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Waluigi |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Singapore Tour |  Baby Luigi Cup |
| Time Trial | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Bowser Jr. |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Wario vs. Waluigi Tour | Daisy Cup |
| Sundae Tour (2022) |  Ice Bro Cup | |||||
 | R | Bowser Jr. | Pipe Frame | Super Glider |
| Yoshi Tour (2022) |  Wario Cup |
| Peach vs. Bowser Tour (November–December 2022) |  Chargin' Chuck Cup | |||||
| Combo Attack | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Highest combo counts | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | T |  Monty Mole |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Samurai Tour |  King Boo Cup |
| Snap a Photo | ||||||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Other driver information | Objectives | Tour appearances | Cup | ||
| Driver | Kart | Glider | ||||||||
 | T |  Meowser |  Tiger Bruiser |  Calico Parafoil |  Cat Peach |  Cat Cruiser |  Toe-Bean Balloons |
| New Year's 2022 Tour |  Kamek Cup |
 Cat Toad |  Black Cat Cruiser |  Black Toe-Bean Balloons | Bowser Tour (2023) |  Roy Cup | ||||||
Gallery
Mario Kart 7
Toad gliding into Bowser's Castle
The large hall at the start of the race
Bowser racing in his own castle
One of theThwomps on the course
Underwater segment of the race
The final gliding ramp of the course, leading to the finish line
Mario Kart Tour
Course icons
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (3DS courses) § Bowser's Castle.
The course icon
The course icon of the R variant
The course icon of the T variant
The course icon of the R/T variant
Screenshots
View of the entrance of the castle
The starting line
The interior of the castle
The underwater section
The lava geysers
The shortcut next to the Thwomp
The T variant of the course
Various characters racing on the course
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
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| Japanese | クッパキャッスル[?] Kuppa Kyassuru | Bowser Castle | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 酷霸王城堡[?] Kùbàwáng Chéngbǎo | Bowser Castle | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 庫巴城堡[?] Kùbā Chéngbǎo | Bowser Castle | |
| Dutch | Bowsers Kasteel[?] | Bowser's Castle | |
| French | Château de Bowser[?] | Bowser's Castle | |
| German | Bowsers Festung[?] | Bowser´s Fortress | |
| Italian | Castello di Bowser[?] | Bowser's Castle | |
| Korean | 쿠파 성[?] Kupa Seong | Bowser Castle | |
| Portuguese | Castelo do Bowser[?] | Bowser's Castle | |
| Russian | Замок Боузера[?] Zamok Bouzera | Bowser's Castle | |
| Spanish | Castillo de Bowser[?] | Bowser's Castle |
Notes
- Despite Bowser being voiced byKenny James inMario Kart 7 andMario Kart Tour, the laugh heard in the castle is actually one of Bowser's laughs from his previous voice actor,Scott Burns.
- InMario Kart 7, the course shares the same skybox asDS Airship Fortress andN64 Big Donut.
