Mario Kart 8

The second Mario Kart 8 course that I’m going to look at is Water Park, a bright, playful racetrack set in a whimsical, partially flooded amusement park. With its lovely blue skies and crystal-clear water bubbling with marine life, this looks and feels like a great summer holiday destination. The background music is a fittingly playful and upbeat melody with some Caribbean-esque instrumentation, which, according to the liner notes in the Mario Kart 8 soundtrack, aims ‘to capture the excitement of a theme park or festival’.

There are certainly plenty of rides on and around this track, including the Sub Coaster, the Aqua Cups, a wooden rollercoaster called the Waluigi Sea Bed, and a large Ferris wheel simply called the ‘W Wheel’. I’m assuming that the ‘W Wheel’ is either owned by Wario or at least based on him, since the ride’s logo (seen in the image above) consists of Wario’s signature ‘W’ emblem in yellow, with a blue version of his moustache just behind it. Interestingly, the individual cars on the ride are themed around the shirts and dungarees of both Wario and Mario (yellow and purple for Wario; blue and red for Mario). In the background, a hotel can be seen, along with various yachts and other boats.

Is the Water Park supposed to be partly flooded? Or has the sea level unexpectedly risen? Looking at the image above, I strongly suspect the former, since the pathways with trees and benches are at the same level as the surrounding water, indicating that’s where the water level should be. Also, you get the distinct impression that the Aqua Cups ride is meant to be submerged.

Water Park may have a bit of a bland name and a simple layout, but it’s a charming track with plenty of little details to spot if you’re inclined to look for them. There are several signs on the walls at the entrance to the Sub Coaster ride that can only be appreciated if you slow down to read them. There’s a ‘Caution: No Pets’ sign featuring a Chain Chomp; another one, featuring a Banana Peel, says ‘Caution: Wet Floor’. As seen to the right, there’s also a height requirement poster for the ride (you must be taller than a Goomba) and a poster showing the structure of a Mecha Cheep (a robotic version of the Cheep Cheep fish). This poster says that the Mecha Cheeps have a built-in artificial intelligence system in their heads and that their mouths serve as inflow ports. The wind-up key at the back provides the Mecha Cheep’s propulsive power, and the dorsal fin acts as a levelling fin. I love that Nintendo has put this level of detail into things that, during normal gameplay, would simply never be noticed.

Perhaps the most interesting poster of all, however, is ‘The Submarine Through History’ – interesting because it has a neat little easter egg. It says the first-generation submarine model was manufactured in 1987, the same year the first racing game featuring Super Mario characters was released: Famicon Grand Prix: F1 Race (preceding the first true Mario Kart game by five years). The most recent submarine model, according to the poster, is stated to have been manufactured in 2014, the year Mario Kart 8 was released on the Wii U. At the time, it was indeed the most recent Mario Kart title, although Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Tour have been released since then. The next time you race through Water Park, see if you can spot all of these posters.

Next time, we race around Sweet Sweet Canyon, a charming land made up of candies, chocolate, cookies, cakes, and other confectionery.