Tour Athens Dash: Difference between revisions

|appears_in=''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' (2023)<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' ([[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]], Wave 5) (2023)

|sample='''''Mario Kart Tour'''''<br>[[File:MKT Athens Dash Theme.oga]]<br><br>'''''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'''''<br>Normal<br>[[File:Switch Tour AthensDash BCP.oga]]<br>Frontrunning<br>[[File:Switch_Tour_Athens_Dash_Frontrunning_BCP.mp3]]

There are currently three routes for this course named Athens Dash, '''Athens Dash 2''', and '''Athens Dash 3'''. The first two routes debuted together while the third route debuted in the [[Anniversary Tour (2023)|2023 Anniversary Tour]]. The first route takes racers to the {{wp|Theatre of Dionysus}} and [[Hadrian's Arch]], the second route takes racers off the Acropolis, while the third route features the {{wp|Odeon of Herodes Atticus}} and a large drop onto the Theatre of Dionysus. It is the first city course in ''Mario Kart Tour'' to debut in 2023; additionally, the period of time between its introduction and the introduction of the previous city course is longer than any other city course, with twenty-one tours between [[Tour Bangkok Rush|Bangkok Rush]]'s debut in the [[Bangkok Tour]] and Athens Dash's debut in the Spring Tour. Athens Dash is also the first city course to feature [[Half-pipe (object)|half-pipes]] and the second city course to lack any [[Lists of sponsors|sponsor]] advertisements, the first being Singapore Speedway. Prior to the official reveal of Athens Dash, references to assets for this course such as pillars and doorways were left within the game's internal data, all of which were appended with the course's internal abbreviation (<tt>mobat</tt>).

Athens Dash returns in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as the first course of the [[Feather Cup]] in the [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]].

Racers start inside the [[Parthenon]]. Upon leaving the Parthenon, racers soon take a left turn before going down hill to approach some ruins. Racers can choose to jump off of a ramp and drive along the floor, or jump up on some arches and collect a few coins. After avoiding some ruins that create a fork in the road, racers drive up a ramp before landing on the {{wp|Theatre of Dionysus}}. After curving along the seats, racers drive off a boost panel, and take two left turns to enter a cannon located beneath the [[Hadrian's Arch]], taking them back up to the Acropolis via a tunnel. After exiting the tunnel and taking a left turn, racers make their way back to the Parthenon to reach the finish line.

This route also appears as '''Athens Dash R''' (reversed), '''Athens Dash T''' (with ramps), and '''Athens Dash R/T''' (reversed with ramps). In the R variant, a road connecting to the Theatre of Dionysus that is not present on the minimap is used.  

 

Additionally, Athens Dash R/T starts in a different location compared to the other variants, and is one of five courses in ''Mario Kart Tour'' that do not start in the same place as the original, the others being [[3DS Rock Rock Mountain|3DS Rock Rock Mountain T]], [[3DS Rainbow Road|3DS Rainbow Road T, 3DS Rainbow Road R/T]], and [[Tour Singapore Speedway|Singapore Speedway R/T]]. In this case, the starting line is instead located in the middle of the Gliding section by Hadrian's Arch.

This route starts in the opposite direction of the first route. After leaving the [[Parthenon]], racers take a left turn and approach the {{wp|Erechtheion}} briefly before taking a glider ramp into a street resembling {{wp|Monastiraki}}, driving down many sets of staircases as they approach a wide U-bend. After the U-bend, racers approach the {{wp|Roman Agora}}, avoiding [[Thwomp]]s. Racers then begin driving uphill, avoiding boulders that fall down the Acropolis. Here, there is a shortcut in a narrow tunnel that can be reached with a boost. Once up the Acropolis, players drive beneath the {{wp|Beulé Gate}} and the {{wp|Propylaea}}. After a brief straightaway, they approach the finish line.

This route also appears as '''Athens Dash 2R''' (reversed), '''Athens Dash 2T''' (with ramps), and '''Athens Dash 2R/T''' (reversed with ramps).

This route starts in the same direction as the second route. After exiting the [[Parthenon]], racers immediately take a right turn to drive on a [[Dash Panel]] ramp, sending them on a long fall onto the {{wp|Theatre of Dionysus}}. Upon landing, racers drive on a road connecting to the stage of the theatre, turning right to approach the ruins. After taking a split path around a ruin in the middle of the road and tricking off fallen pillars, racers take a left into an entrance to the {{wp|Odeon of Herodes Atticus}}. Racers drive across the Odeon's stage before ascending a section of seats covered in dirt to leave the Odeon. Racers then take a right next to the {{wp|Beulé Gate}} to climb up some stairs and drive beneath the {{wp|Propylaea}}, avoiding some [[Thwomp]]s, before taking one last straightaway to the finish line.

This route also appears as '''Athens Dash 3R''' (reversed), '''Athens Dash 3T''' (with ramps), and '''Athens Dash 3R/T''' (reversed with ramps).

Athens Dash returns in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as part of Wave 5 of the [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]] DLC. It appears as the first course of the [[Feather Cup]]. It has received significant visual upgrades compared to its appearance in ''Mario Kart Tour''. The cannon from the first route has been replaced with a normal Glide Ramp. As Athens Dash 3 had yet to be released when this course was added to the Booster Course Pass, Athens Dash is one of the two ''Tour'' city courses alongside [[Tour Sydney Sprint|Sydney Sprint]] to be added to the pass before all three variants were released. The course features a second starting line (along the Athens Dash 3 route), making it the second course in the ''Mario Kart'' series to open a cup and use sections (after [[Wuhu Loop]] in ''[[Mario Kart 7]]'') and the third course in the series to feature both laps and sections, the first two being {{classic-link|N64|Kalimari Desert}} and {{classic-link|Tour|Singapore Speedway}} (though unlike those tracks, the section replaces the second lap rather than the third). It is used to begin lap 2, while lap 3 starts in reverse along the Athens Dash 2 route.<ref>@NintendoAmerica (July 7, 2023). "[https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/status/1677435870075572224 ''The Feather Cup arrives in Wave 5 of the #MarioKart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass! Enjoy two classic courses in Daisy Cruiser and Moonview Highway, a historical tour with Athens Dash, and the brand new course, Squeaky Clean Sprint!'']" ''Twitter''. Retrieved July 9, 2023.</ref> The beginning ramp was changed to a wooden one, leading to the raised pillar route being adjusted and the split path at the bottom is removed. The pillars take after their functionality from Athens Dash 3, rather than being short and static like in Athens Dash 1 and 2. The large drop on the Athens Dash 3 route now has several consecutive trackable green ramps on the way down, leading racers to more consistently land on the {{wp|Theatre of Dionysus}}'s stage. The Thwomps have been removed. The minimap has also been rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise.

Internally, the course is referred to as "Cnsw_65", implying it may have originally been intended to be the first course of the [[Spiny Cup]].