SNES Donut Plains 3
- This article is about the race course introduced inSuper Mario Kart. For the level inSuper Mario World, seeDonut Plains 3.
| Donut Plains 3 | |||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Super Mario Kart (1992) Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001) Mario Kart 8 (2014) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) Mario Kart Tour (2022) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Special Cup (Super Mario Kart) Extra Star Cup (Super Circuit) Banana Cup (8,8 Deluxe) Battle Mode (8) | ||||||||||||||
| Tour(s) | |||||||||||||||
| Based on | Donut Plains | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | No longer available (Wii U) Available (Switch) | ||||||||||||||
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Donut Plains 3 is the first course of theSpecial Cup inSuper Mario Kart, as well as the fourth and last race of theExtra Star Cup inMario Kart: Super Circuit and the second course of theBanana Cup inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course also makes an appearance inMario Kart Tour starting from the2022 Halloween Tour. It is a dirt course set around a large lake with severalMonty Moles.
Super Mario Kart
Course layout
The course features a giant lake, a peninsula jutting far into the water, and two broken bridges without side-rails. It begins by immediately narrowing and leading racers into a right turn followed by a bridge that is broken on the right side. Racers then reach the only set ofQuestion Blocks and take a U-turn to the right. Here there is a second bridge which has a gap in the middle that racers are required to hop over to avoid falling into the lake. After a sharp U-turn to the left, racers briefly serpentine along the peninsula before reaching a sharp right U-turn; the outside of the turn hasGophers while the inside of the turn has slippery mud. The track then widens again and racers drive through more slippery mud as they take a slight right turn, followed by a left turn. Afterwards there is one more U-turn to the right, with Gophers on the outside and mud on the inside, and racers reach the finish line soon after.
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
The course reappears inMario Kart: Super Circuit, and is the fourth and last track of theExtra Star Cup. It uses the background fromRiverside Park. Ajump pad was placed on the second bridge before the crack, and the small hole before it was filled in, making it easier to cross. TheMonty Moles were removed, and an extra Item Box was added before the final S-curve.
Shortcuts
A shortcut requires a Mushroom at the start of the second bridge. The player must use the item when they get on the bridge so they are still going fast at the ramp and can do a high jump. The player must then aim slightly to the left so they overshoot the barrier separating the bridge from the starting line and land in front of the starting line. If the player then turns and crosses the starting line, it registers that a lap was completed. Using this shortcut, it is possible to complete a lap in under nine seconds.
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Donut Plains 3 reappears inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe as the second race of theBanana Cup and is the only SNES track from among the baseMario Kart 8 content. It now features a starting banner composed ofSuper Mario Bros. 3 styled blocks and the classicMario Kart logo on top. One notable difference is that the graphics do not resemble the original SNES style, unlikeMario Kart DS,Mario Kart Wii, andMario Kart 7, instead featuring bushes,Toad Houses,Brick Blocks, and? Blocks in the background, as well as a fewer number of hills, three of which are brown, more resembling the backdrop of3DS Piranha Plant Slide. ASuper Mario World styledfortress withToads andYoshis is also added, beside the first bridge. The trees are now on the track itself, in the second half of the course. The starting point has theMario Kart logo's letters in four colors (red, green, yellow, and blue) on the top of a series of yellow blocks held up by larger, different-colored blocks.
One of the new features included is the ability torace underwater in the lake below the bridges. The breaks in the bridges are encountered a bit earlier than they originally were, and the end of the second bridge has collapsed. The lake is much smaller than it used to be, and there is no water on the other side after the second bridge; thus, the peninsula no longer exists. The track's width has been evened out; it is also banked at various points. Monty Moles now act as they do inWii Moo Moo Meadows, moving underground before popping out, instead of just hiding inside holes and popping out. The Monty Moles in the lake are now replaced byCheep Cheeps. Thus, there are only two Monty Moles present, rather than nineteen. The mud patches in the last half of the course are now wide puddles. The walls within the course are thinner, and the one near the last S-curve has a gap in it. In this game, the whistles and beeps from the original theme only play when the player is in first place, alongside the normal first-place beats.[1]
The whistles and beeps also play during the second loop of the version from theMario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack, although without the usual first-place beats.
Battle Mode
Mario Kart 8 had its Battle Mode tracks based on existing race tracks; of the eight such tracks, Donut Plains 3 is the shortest and most compact, and the only one without empty spacing on the inside of the track.
Mario Kart Tour
Donut Plains 3 returns inMario Kart Tour starting from the2022 Halloween Tour. Unlike its previous appearance inMario Kart 8, it uses its original layout, although the first bridge is filled in entirely and both bridges have fences on each side. The shape of the course itself largely matches the version fromMario Kart 8, most notably with the wider beginning, though the S-curve after the second bridge is not as sharp. Like inMario Kart: Super Circuit, there is a ramp on the second bridge. Most of the long mud patch before the last S-curve is gone (leaving only the part inside the second U-turn), and a new one at the first turn (replacing some of the grass originally present there) was added. The gap in the wall from theMario Kart 8 version is also present, though the underwater sections and Cheep Cheeps that were previously added in that game are absent. There are only six Monty Moles in the course, with one in the first mud patch, two at the second U-turn, and three at the last S-curve. The walls covering the border of the lake have been removed, while the lake itself has been restored to its original size and shape compared toMario Kart 8. The course retains the visuals ofRMX Donut Plains 1 and the other two Donut Plains courses in the game.
The course also appears asDonut Plains 3R (reversed),Donut Plains 3T (with ramps), andDonut Plains 3R/T (reversed with ramps). In the R and R/T variants, there is aglide ramp in the gap in the wall. In the T variant, there are twoChain Chomps, with one on the first turn and one near the (now blocked off) gap in the wall at the end of the track. In the R/T variant,Cheep Cheeps now jump out of the water. AlongsideGBA Boo Lake, this course is the first classic course inMario Kart Tour to debut alongside its R/T variant.
Appearances
For this course's tour appearances, seeList of SNES Donut Plains 3 tour appearances inMario Kart Tour.
Top-tier and middle-tier items
Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for whichSNES Donut Plains 3 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 ofSNES Donut Plains 3 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Normal variant |            |                |           |           |               **   |                |
 |   |  *  | ||||
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 R variant |           |           |       |         ***  |        ***   |  ***  **     |
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 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 challenges
| Ring Race | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Mario (Hakama) |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| New Year's Tour (2023) |  Mario Cup |
| Do Jump Boosts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Bowser Jr. |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Halloween Tour (2022) |  Baby Rosalina 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 |  Red Yoshi | Pipe Frame | Super Glider |  Mushroom  Mega Mushroom  Coin | 2 |
| New Year's Tour (2023) |  Wario Cup |
| Time Trial | |||||||
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| Icon | Course variant | Chosen driver | Chosen kart | Chosen glider | Grand Star scores | Tour appearances | Cup |
 | Regular |  Birdo (Yellow) |  Pipe Frame |  Super Glider |
| Halloween Tour (2022) |  King Boo Cup |
 | R |  Yoshi | Pipe Frame | Super Glider |
| Mario Tour (2023) |  Ice Mario Cup |
Profiles
Mario Kart 8
- Mario Kart Facebook page (United States):Drive the vast vistas of Donut Plains in Mario Kart 8, a favorite getaway for Toads and Yoshis alike.[2]
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes
This is a track from the original Mario Kart. We've used live instrumentation, but made every effort to retain a familiar feel to the sound.
Gallery
Mario Kart 8 /Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
The course icon
The full course icon
Results screen
View of the starting line
Yoshi using aPiranha Plant
Rosalina and Lakitu approach the track's finish line
The course in battle mode
Postcard image from Facebook
Thestamp obtained for beating the staff ghost at this course
A released screenshot of the course, revealing the name of the track
Mario Kart Tour
Course icons
- For this subject's image gallery, seeGallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (SNES courses) § Donut Plains 3.
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
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | ドーナツへいやコース ３[?] Dōnatsu Heiya Kōsu 3 | Donut Plains Course 3 | Super Mario Kart |
| ドーナツへいや３[?] Dōnatsu Heiya 3 | Donut Plains 3 | ||
| Chinese | 甜圈平原3[?] Tiánquān Píngyuán Sān | Donut Plains 3 | |
| Dutch | Donutvlakte 3[?] | Donut Plains 3 | |
| French (NOA) | Plaines Beigne 3[?] | Donut Plains 3 | |
| French (NOE) | Plaine Donut 3[?] | Donut Plain 3 | |
| German | Donut-Ebene 3[?] | Donut Plain 3 | |
| Italian | Pianura Ciambella 3[?] | Donut Plain 3 | |
| Korean | 도넛 평야 3[?] Doneot Pyeongya 3 | Donut Plains 3 | |
| Portuguese (NOA) | Planície Rosquinha 3[?] | Donut Plain 3 | |
| Portuguese (NOE) | Planície Donut 3[?] | Donut Plain 3 | |
| Russian | Бубликовые поля 3[?] Bublikovye polya 3 | Bagel Field 3 | |
| Spanish | Prado Rosquilla 3[?] | Doughnut Meadow 3 |
Notes
- This track andGCN Dry Dry Desert are the only non-DLC classic courses inMario Kart 8 to not involve air gliding. Coincidentally, both take place in the Banana Cup and are run back-to-back.
- InMario Kart 8, one of the Yoshis in the audience will occasionally humTotaka's Song.[3] This also occurs in other courses featuring Yoshis in the audience.
