Mario Kart Wii / Mario Kart 7 / Mario Kart Tour Asuka Ohta, Ryo Nagamatsu
Mario Kart 7 (frontrunning)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (frontrunning)
Course map
Mario Kart Wii Mario Kart 7 Mario Kart Tour Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Staff ghost(s)
Wii
Nin★pico
2:58.633
Wii Expert
Nin★MUGI★
2:37.812
7
Nin★Asakaw
2:53.560
7 Expert
Ret★Bill
2:34.877
8DX 150cc
Nin★Pavel
2:36.581
8DX 200cc
Nin★Sho
1:58.543
Maple Treeway is the third race course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart Wii. It takes place in a large forest during autumn. The track consists of racing on tree branches, on the treetops and even within the trees themselves. Big Wigglers appear on the treetops, and driving into them will hinder any racer. Leaf piles flank various parts of the track, and driving through them reveals Mushrooms, Bananas, and rarely, Stars. The course's name is a portmanteau of "maple tree" and "freeway."
The course begins with a left turn immediately followed by a right turn and a U-turn to the left. On the first right turn is the first set of Item Boxes. After the U-turn, racers are launched out of a Barrel Cannon across a lake and through the leaves of a giant tree. After landing from the cannon, racers make a right U-turn around the tree's trunk. Along this turn, the sides of the track curve upwards, and there are leaf piles which racers can drive through; the leaf piles will either drop a Mushroom, a Banana, or nothing. Afterwards, racers pass through the first of several wooden structures, where there is another item set. This leads racers out of the tree and onto a giant tree branch, which forms a tight U-turn to the left and allows racers to gain height until they reach the top of the tree.
The top of the tree is a very wide circular area but nonetheless has fences on either side. It has two Big Wigglers that roam around; if racers run into one, they will bounce back but not spin out. The tree top area also has more leaf piles, most of which act the same as before, though the first leaf pile on the left is special: It has a 50% chance to drop a Star and a 50% chance to drop nothing. When racers reach the other side of the tree top, they pass through another wooden structure and onto another giant tree branch. This one makes a right turn followed by a slight left turn before ending at a small gap. There is also a dash panel on the left side of the tree branch followed by a dash panel on the right side.
Racers then reach a section of the track that is made of parts of a hollow tree branch. It has two dash panels that lead into a U-turn. On the outer edge of the U-turn, there is a half-pipe with another set of Item Boxes above it. Afterwards there is another small gap and a straightaway where players pass several more leaf piles, before the track narrows and racers follow the hollow tree branch into the trunk of the tree; the trunk is also hollow, and racers use a narrow bridge to get across the gap. Shortly after this, racers exit the tree, passing through another wooden structure, and go off a dash panel ramp onto a giant tree stump. On the sides of the stump are two more wooden structures that are inaccessible. Racers drive onto one last giant tree branch that makes a slight left turn and has one more item set, then reach a wavy rope bridge that racers can trick off of. After this bridge is one last straightaway with a split path. If racers go straight, they are able to trick off of two large tree roots and/or drive through several more leaf piles. There is a second special leaf pile here, found to the left after the first tree branch, which behaves like the other one. Alternatively, racers can choose a narrow path on the left or right side of the track, both of which take them straight through two trees, have individual Item Boxes, and end with dash panel ramps. After the three paths join, racers reach the finish line.
The first notable shortcut can be found as soon as the race starts. There is a gap in the fence to the right just before the first turn; the player can use a Mushroom to drive across the off-road found in this gap and access an alternate route. The route involves a left turn into a dash panel, where there is a pair of Item Boxes. The player can then use a bridge to cross the main path below them, use another dash panel, and take a slight left turn until they reach the cannon. This shortcut can be especially advantageous because time is not saved until after the player hits the Item Boxes, allowing them to grab an item and immediately bring it into a higher position than expected.
The other notable shortcut can be found at the U-turn with the half-pipes. By driving near the left edge of the tree branch before the U-turn and using a Mushroom while aiming right, the player can skip the turn entirely and land on the subsequent straightaway. This shortcut is much more difficult than the first. It possible to perform without a Mushroom, but becomes even more difficult in the process.[1]
A glitch can be performed on the curve of the final tree branch before the finish line section. If the player falls slowly enough by repeatedly and simultaneously accelerating and braking, instead of being picked up by Lakitu, they will land on the ground beneath the track and be able to explore it, as most of the ground is solid.
The player can use the left Dash Panel at the end and end up out of bounds, where they must use a mushroom or more to get back on track just before the first hairpin. They then must use the cannon and, upon landing, turn around and use another mushroom to get to the branch before the bridge. If the glitch is done correctly, the lap will count.[2]
November 2008's first tournament required players to collect 15 coins hidden in leaf piles on the tree top section. Additionally, there are now five Big Wigglers roaming around the area. This tournament was later repeated as the first tournament of November 2010 and the first tournament of March 2012. It was also repeated as the second tournament of May 2013, but with a vehicle restriction of karts only.
Maple Treeway makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 7 as the fourth and last course of the Leaf Cup.
The launch after the start/finish line (which has the classic Mario Kart logo recolored from lilac/light brown to orange/yellow) now encompasses a Glide Ramp. Players can no longer aim their flight and they are also no longer immune to items while in the launcher, and being hit by anything (or intentionally stowing their glider) will result in having to be rescued by Lakitu.
After the Big Wiggler area, the branch with two Dash Panels is now flat. The half-pipe after the branch with two Dash Panels was also removed. After the final turn of this track, instead of a waving metal net off which racers can perform tricks, a Glide Ramp allows them to cross the large gap. Additionally, the leaf piles may also now release coins and Green Shells. Despite the course being slightly shortened, it is the longest classic course in the game, now being longer than Wii Koopa Cape, unlike in Mario Kart Wii. It also includes a falling leaves effect.
A glitch exists on this course that can be used by taking the path with the bridge to the cannon. By hopping on the right of the tunnel's side, the player will enter the cannon with elevated height and by aiming the glider upward the player will land on the section on top of the tree with the Big Wigglers.[3]
The U-turn before the bridge can be skipped by drifting, using a Mushroom and hopping precisely. This can also be done with a Super Mini-Turbo and 10 coins.
Using the final Glide Ramp, time can be saved by swooping down to pick up speed, near the cliff edge ahead, and returning to a safe height before being counted out of bounds.
Wii Maple Treeway reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the 2020 Halloween Tour. It is the first course originally from Mario Kart Wii to reappear in the game. The track plays akin to its Mario Kart 7 iteration, but with a few subtle changes, such as the removal of the Dash Panel on the bridge at the beginning, the leaves on the course being made a more solid orange, the section after the treetop being widened, and the halfpipe ramp from Mario Kart Wii being reimplemented in the same location. The track was visually overhauled, with a more fantasy-like feel and the section up to the top of the tree being redesigned to be more open, showing the landscape. The Big Wigglers on the treetop now spin racers out instead of pushing them back and they now walk around the treetop clockwise instead of counterclockwise. The Mario Kart logo on the starting banner has also changed to the modern logo and recolored to white/dark brown. It is the first course in Mario Kart Tour to include half-pipe ramps from Mario Kart Wii. Wii Maple Treeway is the third course after DS DK Pass and DS Airship Fortress to be the signature course of two tours (the 2020 Halloween Tour and the 2021 Autumn Tour).
The course also appears as Maple Treeway R (reversed), Maple Treeway T (with ramps), and Maple Treeway R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two debuted alongside the normal variant in the 2020 Halloween Tour, while the latter debuted in the 2021 Autumn Tour. In the T variant, there are hot-air balloons along the sides of the second gliding section, which now begins earlier. In the R/T variant, both gliding sections are gone; racers instead drive across Kanaami Road and several mushroom trampolines.
* 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.
Wii Maple Treeway returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the Booster Course Pass downloadable content. It is the fourth and last course of the Rock Cup, and was added in the third wave of the DLC. It has received significant visual upgrades compared to its appearance in Mario Kart Tour.[4] The halfpipe from the Mario Kart Tour version of the course is maintained, making it one of two courses in the third wave to reintroduce the mechanic to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the other being Merry Mountain. Also like in Merry Mountain, the halfpipe also has the appearance and effect of an Antigravity Panel. The Dash Panels along the shortcut that were removed in Mario Kart Tour were restored. The Big Wigglers also now move around differently and will spin out any player that collides with it at a high rate of speed. Like Mario Kart 7, the mini map now has shaded areas signifying roads normally covered by the large maple tree section, specifically for the road directly after the first gliding section and the bridge leading to the tree's exit.
Excluding Mario Kart 8's Rainbow Road theme, which is used in all trailers for the Booster Course Pass, Wii Maple Treeway was one of two courses whose music was used for the second trailer for Wave 3, alongside 3DS Rainbow Road.
Internally, Wii Maple Treeway is referred to as "Cnsw_62", implying it may have originally been intended to be the second course of the Acorn Cup. A video released by Nintendo of America lists this course as the second course of the Moon Cup, in line with GCN Waluigi Stadium's original position (Cnsw_36).[5]
European website bio:Wind in and out of the trees and dash across huge branches as the autumn leaves fall on this spectacular forest track.
Trading Card bio:Maple Treeway is a track that offers a vast array of terrain. There are tricky turns and a plethora of pesky obstacles and baddies for you and your rivals to navigate and avoid. Watch out for the piles of leaves as they will make your race miserable if you make contact with one of them.
Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii is here! Be extra cautious of the big Wigglers! It's time for the Halloween Tour![6]
The newly added Maple Treeway will feature the reds and oranges of fall, and a bunch of jack-o'-lanterns! You'll even get points for hitting jack-o'-lantern[sic] with items![7]
Nintendo Magazine 2022 Winter: A course set among beautiful autumn foliage. You might find an item if you charge into the piles of fallen leaves.[8]
Nintendo Switch News app (US):
This course first appeared in the Mario Kart™ Wii game.
Take in the scenic surroundings of trees with beautiful foliage. You may even catch a peek at a large Wiggler!
There are many narrow roads and sharp turns, so the key is to utilize your drift throughout the course.
If you see a pile of leaves, you may want to try to steer into them. You may end up finding useful items!
Nintendo Switch News app (UK): Welcome to crunchy leaf paradise - it's Maple Treeway! We'd like to present to you a course released as part of the third wave, which is available now: Maple Treeway. Ever since its first appearance in Mario Kart Wii, this course has been charming racers with its beautiful autumn foliage. The enormous Wigglers that like to walk on the course are pretty memorable, too! The route itself has many narrow points and sharp curves, rewarding contenders with good drifting skills. And finally, if you find yourself wanting to plough straight through the many leaf piles littering the track... Well, no need to fight it - some of them may even be hiding useful items!
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