3DS Rainbow Road: Difference between revisions

|appears_in=''[[Mario Kart 7]]'' ([[List of games by date#2011|2011]])<br>''[[Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS]]'' ([[List of games by date#2014|2014]])<br>''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'' ([[List of games by date#2019|2019]])<br>''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' (''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'', Wave 3) (2022)

|online_play=No longer available ([[Nintendo 3DS|3DS]])<br>Available ([[Nintendo Switch|Switch]])

|sample='''''Mario Kart 7''''' / '''''Mario Kart Tour'''''<br>Normal<br>[[File:MK7 Rainbow Road Theme.oga]]<br>Moon<br>[[File:MK7 Rainbow Road Planet Theme.oga]]<br>'''''Mario Kart 7'''''<br>Frontrunning<br>[[File:3DS_RainbowRoad_Frontrunning.oga]]<br>Moon/frontrunning<br>[[File:3DS_RainbowRoadPlanet_Frontrunning.oga]]<br>'''''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'''''<br>Normal[[File:Switch 3DS RainbowRoad BCP.oga]]<br>Moon<br>[[File:Switch 3DS RainbowRoad Moon BCP.oga]]<br>Frontrunning<br>[[File:Switch 3DS RainbowRoad Frontrunning BCP.oga]]<br>Moon/frontrunning<br>[[File:Switch 3DS RainbowRoad Moon Frontrunning BCP.oga]]

This Rainbow Road returns as a [[classic course]] in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', debuting in the [[Holiday Tour (2019)|2019 Holiday Tour]]. It is one of only two courses in the game to have three laps or sections (the other being [[GCN Baby Park|GCN Baby Park T]]). It also returns in ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]'' as the fourth and final course of the [[Moon Cup]] in the ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]''.

Section two starts off with another sharp turn followed by a [[Glide Ramp|glide ramp]] which leads racers onto the rings of a Saturn-like planet. Players have to dodge holes in the rings before they then come to a section where they can hit some [[Dash Panel|dash panels]] for speed boosts. Players then activate their glider again after hitting the next glide ramp at the end of the rings. Once landing, players take three turns, all loaded with dash panels. Next, there is another wavy road, but this one has holes in it. Once the drivers make it through the wavy road or fall through, they land on the moon, where they need to dodge rolling [[Chain Chomp]]s, and they can trick off of craters. Though there's no water in the moon portion, its low gravity works identically to the physics of driving underwater, so sometimes players can fly far with just one trick.

Section three starts with some conveyor belts that give little boosts, then leads into a [[Turning Floor]] with dash panels and glide ramps at the end. The track splits into two parts, then three, then two, before fusing back into one. This part is filled with ramps that can be used to go through rings for extra speed. If players hit a glide ramp, they have to dodge asteroids, but try to pass through rings at the same time. The track ends with a part that increases in altitude, then decreases again, leading to one small jump facing the [[Finish Line (object)|finish line]].

This version of Rainbow Road makes its classic course debut in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', starting with the [[Holiday Tour (2019)|2019 Holiday Tour]]. Various changes have been made to the track - it is noticeably flatter overall, with several turns being far less banked. The start-and-finish truss is now formed by a rainbow arch with a gold half star surrounding it and displays the ''Mario Kart'' logo in cyan. The checkered line is now black and white, instead of magenta, yellow, cyan, and black. The other two trusses for the start of the second and third sections are also formed by a rainbow arch and display three golden stars. The rails on the race track are now formed by golden stars while the rails on the moon are now formed by cyan neon lights. The star-shaped rings are now silver and have disco balls at the corners pointing outwards, like the golden star-shaped ring on the rotating tunnel. The launch rings are now cyan, resembling the dash ring items. The curbs, located on the turn after the start of the second section and at the descending section before the jump to the stretch to the start-and-finish line, have been removed. The series of jumps following the first few turns have been aligned. The part between the mushroom trampoline and the start of the second section is now entirely wavy. At the turn after the start of the second section, the rails are placed on the left side of the track, instead of the right side. The series of turns following the second Glide Ramp have also been made tamer. The boost panel on the wavy section before the moon area has been replaced with a trick ramp. [[Toad (species)|Toads]] in space suits now appear as spectators next to the spaceships and the moon near the first turn is now a blue planet that resembles {{wp|Uranus}}, while {{wp|Jupiter}} replaces the second moon. After the start of the third section, the golden arches are replaced with star-shaped rings. When driving on the boost conveyors, the acceleration sound effect has been removed. The rail at the descending section before the jump to the stretch to the start-and-finish line has been removed. Plus, the jump ramp at the jump has been removed. [[Earth]] is also now visible in the background of the track, and the galaxy has been replaced by the {{wp|Andromeda Galaxy}}. The sun has also been moved to a spot that is visible from the Moon section.  

The course also appears as '''Rainbow Road R''' (reversed), '''Rainbow Road T''' (with ramps), and '''Rainbow Road R/T''' (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the original in the 2019 Holiday Tour, while the latter debuted in the [[Baby Rosalina Tour]]. In all three variants, the rolling [[Chain Chomp]]s are gone. In the R and R/T variants, the gaps between paths where the path splits are now filled in by [[Kanaami Road]]. In the R variant, the moon section is cut short as racers use a cannon to glide up to the road, and racers can glide over the three platforms towards the end of the track. In the T and R/T variants, the starting line is now located in the split path section, making them two of five courses in ''Mario Kart Tour'' to not start in the same location as the original, the others being [[3DS Rock Rock Mountain|3DS Rock Rock Mountain T]], [[Singapore Speedway|Singapore Speedway R/T]] and [[Athens Dash|Athens Dash R/T]]. Additionally, the Turning Floor and both wavy parts of the road are completely gone. In the T variant, there are several more [[Mushroom Trampoline|mushroom trampolines]], and all three former gliding sections are also gone, but racers instead glide over the moon. In the R/T variant, racers glide over where the Turning Floor was.

This version of Rainbow Road returns as the fourth and last course of the [[Moon Cup]] in the third wave of the ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass|Booster Course Pass]]'' DLC for ''[[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]''. It is based on its appearance and layout in ''[[Mario Kart Tour]]'', albeit with a graphical overhaul, giving the course a neon aesthetic. The rainbow arches on the start-and-finish truss and the truss at the start of the second section are now a complete circle. The start-and-finish checkered line is now blue and cyan. The [[Dash Panel]]s on the Saturn-like planet’s rings now have boost [[Ring (Mario Kart series)|rings]] on top of them. The boost rings and the star-shaped rails are now in the form of the ones in {{classic-link|N64|Rainbow Road}}. The Uranus-like planet is now replaced by {{wp|Neptune}}. The moon section is now in [[anti-gravity]], just like the battle course [[Lunar Colony]]. Alongside {{classic-link|Wii|Koopa Cape}}, it is one of two courses in ''Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'' to not entirely be set in anti-gravity, but not feature an [[Antigravity Panel]] or [[half-pipe]] to mark the beginning of an anti-gravity section; this is due to anti-gravity being activated as players fall toward the moon. The rainbow tunnel spins more slowly than in past iterations of the course and the star-shaped ring on it is now yellow. The minimap now lacks the holes in the wavy road prior to the moon section. Like {{classic-link|SNES|Rainbow Road}}, when a player approaches the curve on the planet’s rings and the Moon, two and ten green arrow holograms will appear behind the turn and fence respectively, and indicate the direction in which the player must drive. Once the player has made the turn, the arrows will disappear.

*'''Nintendo Switch News app (UK)''': '''''Race by starlight in Rainbow Road!'''<br>We'd like to present to you a course released as part of the third wave, which is available now: Rainbow Road.<br>This version of Rainbow Road recreates the course's appearance in the Nintendo 3DS game Mario Kart 7. The path you'll take winds its way through the solar system and even includes a brief sprint across the surface of the Moon. It's pretty easy to fall off the track, so mastering the art of drifting may just be the key to finishing first!''

MKT Icon RainbowRoadRT3DS PinkGoldPeach.png|The course icon of the R/T variant with Pink Gold Peach; added to the game's files in the 2022 Los Angeles Tour, this icon would remain unused up until the 2023 New Year's Tour.

MK8D 3DS Rainbow Road Course Icon.png|The course icon

|FreA=Route arc-en-ciel

|FreAM=Rainbow Road

|FreE=Route Arc-en-ciel

|FreEM=Rainbow Road

|SpaM=Rainbow Path