- This article is about the course from Mario Kart DS and retro course in Mario Kart Wii. For the world from Super Mario Bros. 3 also known as "Desert Hills", see Desert Land.
| Desert Hills | |||||||||||||||
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| Information | |||||||||||||||
| Appears in | Mario Kart DS (2005) Mario Kart Wii (2008) | ||||||||||||||
| Cup(s) | Flower Cup (DS) Leaf Cup (Wii) | ||||||||||||||
| Based on | Desert Land | ||||||||||||||
| Online play | No longer available (DS, Wii) | ||||||||||||||
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Desert Hills is the first race course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. Elements of the track are based on Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3. Pokeys roam around the desert and the Angry Sun will drop Fire Snakes on the track. Both of these elements act as obstacles on the course. The course also has sharper turns and more intense slopes than previous tracks in the game, bringing up the difficulty for the Flower Cup.
Desert Hills reappears in Mario Kart Wii as the first race track of the Leaf Cup.
Mario Kart DS
Course layout
The track starts near an oasis with a small lake where one can sink in the water. The first Pokey can be seen in front of the starting line here as well. To the right of the first turn, the track partially surrounds a pyramid made out of Brick Blocks. One of the other Pokeys is on this turn. There is then a field of dunes, with many more Pokeys roaming within it. The course has a few sharp turns at the end of each lap before approaching the finish line. The dark sand portion of the track is an out-of-bounds area, so if the player touches it, Lakitu will bring them back to the track.
The Pipes, Angry Sun, and block designs are taken from aspects of Desert Land in Super Mario Bros. 3.
Shortcuts
There are two shortcuts in this course. The first shortcut is taken by going straight across the hairpin turn, instead of going around. In 150cc, this shortcut requires only one mushroom, if the player jumps at the right time. The second is a dash-through behind the pyramid, right before the Pokeys start appearing. Two mushrooms will be required for this.
Glitches
If the player hits the left dark terrain before they touch the water, they will fall through it with no splash animation.
Missions
There are two missions that take place on Desert Hills:
- Mission 2-6: The player controls Wario, who must use Bob-ombs to take out all 5 Pokeys within 55 seconds.
- Mission 4-4: The player controls Wario, who must pass through 7 gates within 45 seconds. Along the way, each Item Box contains Triple Mushrooms.
Mario Kart Wii
Desert Hills makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart Wii as the first course of the Leaf Cup. The course received improved graphics, like most other retro courses in Mario Kart Wii. The starting banner was recolored to blue and now displays the classic Mario Kart logo. Few other changes have been made in the this version of this track aside from the visual improvements; Karts now spin out instead of flipping when making contact with Pokeys and the course map has been rotated 180 degrees in contrast to its predecessor.
If players use mushrooms, they can go over many of this course's walls, skipping sections entirely.
Tournaments
December 2009's first tournament required players to take out 10 Pokeys on Desert Hills. The whole track has more Pokeys than before, and players can make use of Item Boxes that either contain a Star or contain Triple Green Shells.
Profiles
Mario Kart DS
- Instruction booklet bio: "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy."
- Website bios:
"This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy. Watch out for fireballs and stray Pokeys!"
"Bring plenty of sunscreen and seat cushions for this race because the baking desert heat and bumpy terrain can give unprepared drivers serious sunburn and saddle sores. Watch out for the Pokeys too - walking cacti that can stop a speeding kart in its tracks and cost you precious seconds."
Mario Kart Wii
- European website bio: "If you can't stand the heat, then stay away from the desert hills! Fireballs falling from the sun make it even tougher to negotiate the high turns snaking through the dunes."
- Trading Card bio: "Desert Hills is not a very difficult course to get around, but it provides a perfect canvas for you to paint a racing masterpiece upon. Spend time on this track dialing your cornering techniques. Be sure to use Mushrooms (if you've got them) to blast over the tall dunes before the start/finish line."
Sponsors
- Luigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners)
- Luigi Tires (Trackside banners)
- Mario Kart (Trackside banners) (Mario Kart DS only)
- Super Mario (Trackside banners)
- Super Mushroom (Trackside banners)
- Waluigi Grand Prix (Trackside banners)
Gallery
Mario Kart DS
The course icon
The pyramid shortcut
Luigi racing on Desert Hills
Mario Kart Wii
The course banner
A preview of the course
Panoramic view of the track
The first turn on the track
A trick can be performed on one of the jumps.
Corkscrew
After a set amount of time (usually after the start of the second lap), the Angry Sun releases Fire Snakes onto the track.
Names in other languages
| Language | Name | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japanese | サンサンさばく[?] Sansan Sabaku |
Sun Sun Desert | |
| French | Désert du Soleil[?] | Sun's Desert | |
| German | Glühheiße Wüste[?] | Glowing Hot Desert | |
| Italian | Deserto Picchiasol[?] | Sun Beaten Desert | |
| Korean | 썬썬 사막[?] Sseon-sseon Samak |
Sun Sun Desert | |
| Spanish | Desierto Sol-Sol[?] | Sun-Sun Desert |