Dragon Driftway
| Dragon Driftway | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 1) (2014) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Egg Cup | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Gobblegut | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | No longer available (Wii U) Available (Switch) | ||||||||||||||
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Dragon Driftway is a race course included withThe Legend of Zelda ×Mario Kart 8 downloadable content inMario Kart 8, as well as the base content ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the third course of theEgg Cup. The course is Chinese-themed, taking place in and around a statue of a dragon that is based onGobblegut, though it has legs. Throughout the course, various statues and murals ofLakitu appear. The dragon structure in this race course never actually ends with its tail, as it loops back to the start. This may be a reference to the ancient cultural symbol of theouroboros, depicting a snake eating its own tail.
Similar toMario Circuit, almost the entirety of the course is played inanti-gravity, with only the beginning and end segments near the start/finish line having normal gravity. The music for this course is included inSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate as a track, and theMario Kart 8 Deluxe battle courseDragon Palace uses a modified version of the music. The second part of the song has a melody that resembles the theme for theChai Kingdom fromSuper Mario Land.
Course layout[edit]
At the beginning of the race, racers drive into the mouth of the dragon and go down a winding hall, modeled after Chinese temples. Throughout the tunnels, images from the originalSuper Mario Bros. can be seen at the top of the walls. After a set of zigzagging turns, players exit the dragon, although they continue to drive on its exterior. Following this is another series of winding turns, though there are shortcuts placed between them (one acting as an offroad ramp and the other serving as a patch of offroad). After this is a bridge twisting racers fully upside-down, before a prolonged left turn followed by a right turn. There are someSpin Boost Pillars found here, which have a unique design resembling hyōtan gourds. Then, racers are faced with a series of descending bumps in the road that function asramps, giving racers an opportunity to performtricks. There is then one final turn with another patch of offroad taking up the track to the right (forcing racers without speed items to go to the left) before a final dropoff ramp, ending the anti-gravity section and leading towards the finish line.
The track features several references to Lakitus and Chinese culture. The starting line is apaifang, a type of gate widely found in Chinese culture, with two goldenCheep Cheeps on top of it. This is also seen in theSuper Mario 3D World stageHands-On Hall. Three Chinese characters ("朱盖木 -Zhūgàimù") referencing Lakitu's name in simplified Chinese can be found on the lanterns above the starting line or on the murals. One of the Lakitu images in the tunnel depicts one holding a staff and riding a cloud. This is similar toSun Wukong, a character who rides a cloud and uses a staff in the Chinese novelJourney to the West. Before a part with multiple Spin Boost Pillars, there are six unique lanterns with the design of theLakitu Card from theClub Nintendo Hanafuda Cards reward.[1]
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]
"We used a Chinese stringed instrument known as an erhu for this track. The contrast between this instrument and the same melody played on an electric guitar works really well. Underpinning this, you have the slap bass and the four-to-the-floor beat. When you add that forceful melody, it somehow sounds like a shamisen."
Gallery[edit]
The course icon
The full course icon
Results screen
Link at the starting line, waiting for the green light
Ananti-gravity section of the track with hanging lanterns
Baby Luigi on a portion of the track
Baby Luigi about to drop abanana before theanti-gravity spinners
Baby Luigi performing atrick above the start/finish line
Baby Luigi performing atrick before crossing the finish line
Baby Luigi about to enter the dragon's mouth
ALakitu in a Kung Fu pose in the background
ALakitu mural in the background
The stamp for this course
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドラゴンロード[?] Doragon Rōdo | Dragon Road | |
| Chinese (simplified) | 龙盘之路[?] Lóngpán Zhī Lù | Dragon Spiral Road | |
| Chinese (traditional) | 龍盤之路[?] Lóngpán Zhī Lù | Dragon Spiral Road | |
| Dutch | Drakendreef[?] | Dragon Road | |
| French | Route du dragon[?] | Dragon Road | |
| German | Große Drachenmauer[?] | Great Dragonwall | |
| Italian | Muraglia del Drago[?] | Dragon Wall | |
| Korean | 드래곤 드리프트 로드[?] Deuraegon Deuripeuteu Rodeu | Dragon Drift Road | |
| Portuguese | Estrada do Dragão[?] | Dragon's Road | |
| Russian | Дорога дракона[?] Doroga drakona | Dragon Road | |
| Spanish | Ruta Dragón[?] | Dragon Route |
Notes[edit]
- The various poses of the Lakitu statues on this course match that on theKung Fu Lakitu poster seen inGBA Ribbon Road, which in turn, is a reference toKung Fu Panda.
- The course has a unique sound effect during the opening sequence; high-pitched Chinese gongs can be heard after the introduction fanfare ends.
- This is one of three courses inMario Kart 8 Deluxe to have a unique fanfare, alongsideNinja Hideaway andDS Waluigi Pinball.
