Animal Crossing
- This article is about the race course fromMario Kart 8. For other uses, seeAnimal Crossing (disambiguation).
| Animal Crossing | |||||||||||||||||||
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 View of the course in the summer | |||||||||||||||||||
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| Appears in | Mario Kart 8 (DLC Pack 2) (2015) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Cup | Crossing Cup | ||||||||||||||||||
| Based on | Animal Crossing: New Leaf | ||||||||||||||||||
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Animal Crossing is the fourth and final course of theCrossing Cup inMario Kart 8 andMario Kart 8 Deluxe. The course is included with theAnimal Crossing ×Mario Kart 8 downloadable content package forMario Kart 8. The course is located in an unnamed town fromAnimal Crossing: New Leaf and features many elements from theAnimal Crossing series. Similar to howExcitebike Arena changes layout every time it is played, Animal Crossing changes season every time it is played, which slightly alters some areas of the course.
In offline play, except in Time Trials (which uses summer as the only theme for the sake of consistency among Time Trial records), it is possible to select the season by holding down a shoulder button before the race starts if the player is using the Wii U GamePad, the Classic Controller (Pro), or the Wii U Pro Controller. Holding
selects spring, holding
selects summer, holding
selects autumn, and holding
selects winter.[4] This code returns using the same button combinations inMario Kart 8 Deluxe. When playing in Mirror Mode, the code is inverted: holding
selects spring, holding
selects summer, holding
selects autumn and holding
selects winter.[5]
This is one of the four courses in theMario Kart series in which theItem Box roulette sounds different, the others beingWaluigi Pinball,Hyrule Circuit, and theUrchin Underpass battle course. It is also the only race course to have more than one course select icon, as well as the only one to have multiple at the same time.
Course layout[edit]
The course starts out next to theTown Tree,Town Hall, andAble Sisters' shop (where helmets from theamiibo costumes can be seen in the window) before crossing over abridge and into a forest area with manytrees; crashing into a tree causes afruit to fall to the ground, which functions like aMushroom, giving a speed boost to the first racer to drive over it. After this, a right turn comes up leading to a left turn and then aGlide Ramp, which goes over a smallriver and into another part of thetown with afountain whose water can betricked off of and floatingballoons withItem Boxes attached to them. Manyhouses andRe-Tail can be seen in the background here.
The track then goes straight while descending, until it turns left and onto thebeach withshells that can be knocked aside. The track then curves left and back up a hill which goes pastNook's Cranny, and onto a bridge with aDash Panel on it which crosses over the hill that was descended earlier. At this point, players may fall to the lower section of the track; if they do, then they will get picked up byLakitu and brought to the next section of the track. In this section, the track curves right, themuseum can be seen in the background, andMr. Resetti occasionally pops out of the ground, acting as a hazard, unless the season is winter, in which caseSnowboys instead appear as obstacles, functioning likeSnowmen. After this corner, there is a left turn to thefinish line.
This is the only race course not to feature any spectators from theSuper Mario franchise, as well as one of the three new courses inMario Kart 8 without anyanti-gravity sections, the other two beingExcitebike Arena andSuper Bell Subway, which are also DLC courses.
Differences between seasons[edit]
There are subtle differences in the track between seasons.
- Spring: A number of ramps are placed along the track from Mr. Resetti's place to the Glide Ramp, and the race takes place in the morning.
- Summer: A pair of ramps are placed on the beach, and the race happens at high noon. In Time Trials, this is the only version of the track used, likely to keep record consistency.
- Autumn: The race takes place in the late afternoon or evening, and there areleaf piles that release items on the track, similar toWii Maple Treeway.
- Winter: The race takes place at night (and on Toy Day). The track is far more slippery than in other versions, reducing the traction of all vehicles. There are also a number of Snowboys placed around the course which act as destructible walls, similar to the Snowmen onGCN Sherbet Land, and Mr. Resetti is absent.
The music also changes depending on the season.
Shortcuts[edit]
- Just as the beach section starts, the player can use aMushroom boost behind a tree and darker sand to cut the corner.
- The final corner can be skipped with a Mushroom boost.
References to theAnimal Crossing franchise[edit]
As this course is based upon theAnimal Crossing franchise, it also features various references to those games. They are listed below:
- Coins are replaced byBells, and have a different sound effect when being collected to match.
- The Start/Finish line has theAnimal Crossing logo on it.
- Several villagers and buildings, like the Town Hall or Able Sisters, can be seen around the track.
- A train can be seen driving near the course.
- SomeItem Boxes are suspended from balloons, like the ones that float by in theAnimal Crossing games.
- When a player runs into an Item Box, the sound it plays is a sped-up version of the save/load jingle from theAnimal Crossing series.
- Trees may drop fruit when driven into or hit with items, which act like Mushrooms, giving the player a speed boost.
- Mr. Resetti appears as a stage hazard (except in winter).
- Driving into a rock causes a Bell to come out, referencing how the player in theAnimal Crossing series can hita rock for Bells by using a shovel.
- Shells appear on the beach.
- A lighthouse can be seen from the beach.
- The first half of the music is a cover version of the first half of the main theme fromAnimal Crossing: New Leaf, played with different instruments to correspond to the season. The second half changes depending on the season and incorporates music from theAnimal Crossing series:
- Spring - The main theme forAnimal Crossing.
- Summer - A medley of the second half of the main theme and the third Main Street theme fromAnimal Crossing: New Leaf.
- Autumn - The main theme forAnimal Crossing: Wild World andAnimal Crossing: City Folk.
- Winter - A medley of the music that plays on Toy Day and the 7 PM theme fromAnimal Crossing: New Leaf.
- The results music is an arrangement of the music that plays inthe Roost café that first appears inAnimal Crossing: Wild World.
- Nook's Cranny appears, even though it was replaced by Nookling Junction inNew Leaf. When passing by, it plays the same song heard in theAnimal Crossing games. It is difficult to hear during a race, but when viewed inMario Kart TV with the music off, it is easier to hear.
- K.K. Slider sits in different predetermined spots on the course depending on the season; in addition, he performs a song when the player drives close to him, each corresponding with a different song mood:
- Spring - K.K. will be across from the museum, and will perform "Bubblegum K.K." ("Good!" mood).
- Summer - K.K. will be poised atop a cliff adjacent to the beach, and will perform"Go K.K. Rider!" ("Grumpy" mood).
- Autumn - K.K. will be sitting right near the starting line, and will perform"K.K. Bossa" ("Lazy" mood).
- Winter - K.K. will be sitting on the steps to Brewster's café, and will perform"Stale Cupcakes" ("A little sad" mood).
Animal Crossing characters[edit]
Profiles[edit]
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe[edit]
- Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer: "This course will completely change its looks depending on the randomly selected season. If you race in the summer track, you can enjoy a vacation feeling with the ocean in the background."[6]
Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes[edit]
Spring[edit]
"We received orders to come up with something bright and cheerful that would suit looking at cherry blossom in the spring. I think we've achieved it with that winding electric guitar line, wouldn't you agree? The playful trombone part is something you can only hope to capture in a live performance."
Summer[edit]
"This is a title I have an emotional connection with, so I really put my heart and soul into working on this arrangement. I started with the summer version of the Animal Crossing background music and found that it was rather like a puzzle, working out which instruments and motifs would suit each season. For this track, I went with a gypsy folk swing feel to give that sense of energy you get in the summer."
Autumn[edit]
"I thought the slightly melancholy feeling of an autumn sunset would suit Animal Crossing perfectly. I hope you'll enjoy the warm tones of the accordion and guitar combining."
Winter[edit]
"I was really stumped as to what kind of motifs to use in the night sequence. I decided to vary the type of drumsticks and the playing method for each season, and also used different types of bass. I really hope you're able to notice this variation of tones here."
Gallery[edit]
The course icon
The full course icon
House stamp
Tree stamp
Spring[edit]
Results screen
Near the end of the track
The end of the track
Isabelle, driving on the track
Dry Bowser races past a set of trees
Koopa Troopa races at the beach
Summer[edit]
Autumn[edit]
Results screen
The forest in autumn
The section before the beach
The ending section
Winter[edit]
Results screen
The starting section
The gliding section before the beach
Isabelle and the two Villagers at the starting line in winter
Rosalina, racing at the village portion of the track, before the beach area
Naming[edit]
Internal names[edit]
| Game | File | Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe | Du_Animal_Autumn Du_Animal_Spring Du_Animal_Summer Du_Animal_Winter | DLCU Animal Autumn (autumn season variant) DLC U Animal Spring (spring season variant) DLC U Animal Summer (summer season variant) DLC U Animal Winter (winter season variant) |
Names in other languages[edit]
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | どうぶつの森[a][7] Dōbutsu no Mori | Animal Crossing | |
| Chinese(Simplified) | 动物森友会[7] Dòngwù Sēnyǒu Huì(Mandarin) | Animal Crossing | |
| Chinese(Traditional) | 動物森友會[7] Dòngwù Sēnyǒu Huì(Mandarin) | Animal Crossing | |
| Dutch | Animal Crossing[7] | - | |
| French | Animal Crossing[7] | - | |
| German | Animal Crossing-Dorf[7] | Animal Crossing Village | |
| Italian | Animal Crossing[7] | - | |
| Korean | 동물의 숲[7] Dongmul-ui Sup | Animal Crossing | |
| Portuguese | Animal Crossing[7] | - | |
| Russian | Animal Crossing[7] | - | |
| Spanish | Animal Crossing[7] | - |
- ^This is the only race course from theMario Kart games to have kanji in its Japanese name.
References[edit]
- ^Nintendo Sound Selection vol.1 Peach <Healing Music>.VGMdb. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^Touch! Generations SOUND TRACK.VGMdb. Retrieved July 10, 2022.
- ^@zachruff (May 22, 2022)."So it turns out that there are 4 staff ghosts in the Tencent Chinese version of MK8D that are actually different to the global version. It seems that they really did not like the Mercedes car parts so any ghost that used them had to be redone."Twitter. Retrieved May 24, 2022.
- ^GameXplain (August 19, 2015).Mario Kart 8 - Season Code in Animal Crossing Track. YouTube. Retrieved August 21, 2015.
- ^https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XkOzCim52cI
- ^Nintendo Magazine 2022 Summer (Digital English edition).nintendo.co.jp. Retrieved August 16, 2022. (Archived July 29, 2022, 08:23:52 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
- ^abcdefghijkString1492 in fileUI/<language>/message.sarc/Common.msbt.Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017). Nintendo EPD et al.
