This article is about the race course from Mario Kart: Super Circuit and classic course in Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart Tour. For the race course from Super Mario Kart and extra course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit, see Bowser Castle 2.
Bowser Castle 2
Bowser's Castle 2
MKSC Bowser Castle 2 Starting Line.png
Information
Appears in Mario Kart: Super Circuit (2001)
Mario Kart DS (2005)
Mario Kart Tour (2020)
Cup(s) Flower Cup (Super Circuit)
Banana Cup (DS)
Tour(s)
Online play Was never available (DS)
Music sample
Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart Tour
Course map
Mario Kart: Super Circuit
MKSC Bowser Castle 2 Map.png
MKSC Bowser Castle 2 Mini Map.png

Mario Kart DS
GBA Bowser Castle 2 mapMario Kart DS
Mario Kart Tour
Map of GBA Bowser's Castle 2 from Mario Kart Tour.

Staff ghost(s)
DS Ninten★ジョー
1:52.258 BowserStandard BW

Bowser's Castle 2 is the fourth and last course of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Its obstacles are falling Thwomps and thin rectangular gaps in the floor that make drivers fall into the lava below. The track is also notable for its jumping ramps; similar to those found in newer installments (after Mario Kart DS) which allows racers to perform Tricks. A large statue of Bowser can be seen in the background. The course shares its music with the game's other three Bowser Castles: 1, 3, 4. Prior to its appearance in Mario Kart Tour, it was named Bowser Castle 2.

Bowser's Castle 2 reappears in Mario Kart DS as the third race of the Banana Cup, and in Mario Kart Tour starting with the Hammer Bro Tour.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Course layout

 
The course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit

As with the other Bowser Castle tracks, Bowser Castle 2 is composed entirely of straightaways and 90° turns. There are also Thwomps as obstacles. The course begins with a U-turn to the right followed by a straightaway; at the beginning of this straightaway is a narrow speed strip on the left side of the road. Racers then encounter the first set of Item Boxes and make two left turns followed by a right turn and the first Thwomp. There is then a left turn followed by a brief section made out of a metal grid; the grid has several holes in it which are preceded by jump pads, and another speed strip lies on the right side of the track. Racers then take a right turn, with a speed strip on the inside of the turn, and pass another Thwomp.

Another right turn then leads into a section where racers must continuously use jump pads to jump over the lava. The section has multiple potential routes, and an individual Item Box can be found at one of the jumps. It ends with a right turn into another, much longer section that's largely made out of a metal grid. Here, the track initially widens and there are many more holes preceded by jump pads, as well as a pair of Item Boxes in the middle of the track. Towards the end of the section, the track returns to its normal width, and racers make one more right turn soon after. There is then a straightaway with two more Thwomps followed by the finish line.

Throughout the course, Lava Bubbles also appear as obstacles. They will regularly hop out of the lava through holes in the track and through the gaps where racers hop over the lava.

Mario Kart DS

Bowser Castle 2 makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart DS as the third course of the Banana Cup. The layout of the course remains unchanged from the previous iteration, except with its enhanced 3D graphics and all the ramps now encompass Dash Panels. If a racer is shrunk by a Lightning, they cannot complete the first jump necessary for completing this course and will fall to the lava. The course has never been available in Wi-Fi.

Missions

There are two missions that take place on Bowser's Castle 2, both of which Bowser is used:

  • Mission 4-5: The player must collect 15 coins gathered at the start of the track within 30 seconds. During this mission, there are two large rows of Thwomps present, which the player must avoid getting squished by. All coins are found along these rows.
  • Mission 5-4: The player must pass through 10 gates within 65 seconds.

Mario Kart Tour

 
GBA Bowser's Castle 2 as it appears in Mario Kart Tour.

The course reappears once more in Mario Kart Tour. It was added into the game at the start of the Hammer Bro Tour. Though the standard layout is largely the same, there are now Barrel Bombs that are in certain areas, and some of the lava pits are smaller or absent. The platform directly after the first jump has a slightly different layout. The course now has a starting banner with the classic Mario Kart logo and uses the background of GBA Bowser's Castle 1, as well as the arrangement of its music from Mario Kart 7.

The course also appeared as Bowser's Castle 2R (reversed), Bowser's Castle 2T (with ramps), and Bowser's Castle 2R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two were introduced alongside the normal variant in the Hammer Bro Tour, while the latter was introduced in the 2020 Trick Tour. In the T variant, there is a glide ramp at the beginning of the first section with jumps and Lava Bubbles. In the R/T variant, part of the main road is blocked off by Thwomps and wooden cutouts, and most racers have to take a detour around.

The course's R/T variant had been absent for thirty-nine tours, from the Toad vs. Toadette Tour to the 2023 Bowser Tour, making it the R/T variant with the longest gap of appearances between tours. It is also the only classic course R/T variant to not appear in 2022.

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 2 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Top-tier and middle-tier items

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which GBA Bowser's Castle 2 and its variants are always favored or favorite courses. For instances in which additional drivers, karts, and gliders temporarily had this course and its variants as favored or favorite courses, see List of GBA Bowser's Castle 2 tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Course Three-item drivers Bonus points ×2 karts Combo bonus ×3 gliders Two-item drivers Bonus points ×1.5 karts Combo bonus ×2 gliders
 
Normal variant
                                           ** *          *** *  *  **       ***   *  *    *   *   **    **
              **     
   
 
R variant
                                          **  *    *        * * **    ** *      **   *    **     * *    ** *
                     
 **
 
T variant
                                          * *  * **        *    *** * * *            **   *  ** * *  
                      
 
 
R/T variant
                                                       **  **        *   **  * **       *
           *  **         
          
* 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.

Bonus challenges

Ring Race
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Bowser Jr.
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 10
  • 20
  • 32
Yoshi Tour (2020)  
Bowser Jr. Cup
  • 10
  • 20
  • 30
Bowser Tour (2023)  
Bowser Cup
Do Jump Boosts
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Bowser
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 5
  • 15
  • 25
Hammer Bro Tour  
Yoshi Cup
  • 10
  • 18
  • 25
Kamek Tour  
Pink Gold Peach Cup
Bowser Tour (2023)  
Fire Bro Cup
Big Reverse Race
Icon Course variant Opponents Tour appearances Cup
7th 6th 5th 4th 3rd 2nd 1st Extra
  Regular Driver  [1]  [1]  [1]  [1]  [1]  [1]  [1]   Hammer Bro Tour  
Luigi Cup
Kart                
Glider TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD
Goomba Takedown
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Item Box
type found
Number of item slots Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Bowser
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
 
Bob-omb
2
  • 18
  • 28
  • 40
Cooking Tour  
Koopa Troopa Cup
Peach vs. Daisy Tour  
Monty Mole Cup
Steer Clear of Obstacles
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Obstacles Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Morton
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
 
Barrel Bomb
 
Lava Bubble
Trick Tour (2020)  
Diddy Kong Cup
Rosalina Tour  
Baby Luigi Cup
Vs. Mega Bowser
Icon Course variant Mega opponent information Other opponent information Tour appearances Cup
Driver Kart Glider Items used
  Regular  
Bowser
 
Koopa Clown
TBD  
Bob-omb[2]

 
Mushrooms[2]
Driver Kart Glider Items used
 
Hammer Bro
 
Pipe Frame
TBD   
Mushrooms[2] and Hammers[2]
 
Boomerang Bro
 
Pipe Frame
TBD   
Mushrooms[3] and Boomerang Flowers[2]
 
Ice Bro
 
Pipe Frame
TBD   
Mushrooms[4] and Ice Flowers[2]
 
Fire Bro
 
Pipe Frame
TBD   
Mushrooms[3] and Fire Flowers[2]
Hammer Bro Tour  
Ice Mario Cup
New Year's 2021 Tour  
Toadette Cup
Smash Small Dry Bones
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Donkey Kong
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 5
  • 8
  • 12
Jungle Tour  
Diddy Kong Cup
Break Item Boxes
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Item Box
type found
Number of item slots Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Peach
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
 
Mushroom

 
Coin
2
  • 10
  • 20
  • 30
Wild West Tour  
Larry Cup
  • 10
  • 20
  • 28
Bowser vs. DK Tour  
Peach Cup
Peach vs. Bowser Tour (May 2022)  
Ice Bro Cup
Time Trial
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Grand Star scores Tour appearances Cup
  Regular  
Pauline
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 2:05.00
  • 1:55.00
  • 1:40.00
Wild West Tour  
Wario Cup
  R  
Diddy Kong
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 2:05.00
  • 1:55.00
  • 1:40.00
Halloween Tour (2020)  
Bowser Cup
  • 2:00.00
  • 1:50.00
  • 1:40.00
Penguin Tour  
Donkey Kong Cup
Combo Attack
Icon Course variant Chosen
driver
Chosen
kart
Chosen
glider
Highest combo counts Tour appearances Cup
  T  
Wario
 
Pipe Frame
 
Super Glider
  • 10
  • 25
  • 40
Jungle Tour  
Yoshi Cup
  • 10
  • 20
  • 30
Peach vs. Bowser Tour (May 2022)  
Ludwig Cup

Profiles

Mario Kart DS

  • Instruction booklet bio: "This course appeared in Mario Kart: Super Circuit™ for the Game Boy Advance™. It's a flat course, but the lava trenches all over make it really dangerous."
  • European website bio: "Tight right-angled turns abound on Bowser's turf, as you contend with angry Thwomps threatening to squash your kart into a pancake, make daring boost-assisted leaps over lava pits, and cut corners mere millimetres away from flames hotter than Bowser's breath."

Mario Kart Tour

  • Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "Stay on course or you'll take a dip in the lava in Bowser's Castle 2. You'll want to keep an eye out! The path to victory is lined with Thwomps and Barrel Bombs. Keep your wits sharp as you take on Bowser's most fiendish course yet!"[5]

Gallery

Mario Kart: Super Circuit

Mario Kart DS

Mario Kart Tour

Course icons

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (GBA courses) § Bowser's Castle 2.

Screenshots

Additional names

Internal names

Game File Name Meaning

Mario Kart DS old_koopa_agb Old Bowser GBA

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese クッパキャッスル2[?]
Kuppa Kyassuru 2
Bowser Castle 2
Chinese (simplified) 酷霸王城堡2[6]
Kùbàwáng Chéngbǎo 2
Bowser Castle 2
Chinese (traditional) 庫巴城堡2[?]
Kùbā Chéngbǎo 2
Bowser Castle 2
French Château Bowser 2[7] Bowser Castle 2 Mario Kart: Super Circuit European instruction booklet
Château de Bowser 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2 Mario Kart DS, Mario Kart Tour
German Bowsers Festung 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2
Italian Castello di Bowser 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2
Korean 쿠파 성2[?]
Kupa Seong 2
Bowser Castle 2
Portuguese (NOA) Castelo do Bowser 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2
Spanish (NOA) Castillo de Bowser 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2
Spanish (NOE) Castillo de Bowser 2[?] Bowser's Castle 2
Castillo de Bowser[?] Bowser's Castle Mario Kart DS

Trivia

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g TheMadWeazel (March 25, 2020). Hammer Bro Tour “Luigi Cup” - Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g AppCentral (March 30, 2020). Mario Kart Tour - Ice Mario Cup! (Hammer Bro Tour). YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  3. ^ a b The Mario Kid (March 30, 2020). Hammer Bro Tour - Ice Mario Cup. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  4. ^ TheMadWeazel (March 27, 2020). Hammer Bro Tour “Ice Mario Cup” - Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved December 21, 2020.
  5. ^ mariokarttourEN (March 26, 2020). Twitter. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  6. ^ From the unreleased iQue version.
  7. ^ Mario Kart: Super Circuit instruction booklet (EU) (PDF). Page 53.