N64 Royal Raceway

Revision as of 09:49, March 24, 2025 by Super Mario RPG (talk | contribs) ("easy" doesn't mean the experience goes for everyone.)
This article is about the course in Mario Kart 64 and Mario Kart 8 known as Peach Circuit in the Japanese version. For the course in Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart DS, see GBA Peach Circuit.
Not to be confused with Royal Highway.
Royal Raceway
Royal Raceway MK64.png
Information
Appears in Mario Kart 64 (1996)
Mario Kart 8 (2014)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017)
Mario Kart Tour (2020)
Cup(s) Star Cup (64)
Banana Cup (8, 8 Deluxe)
Tour(s)
Based on Peach's Castle (Super Mario 64)
Distance 1025 m
Online play No longer available (Wii U)
Available (Switch)
Music sample
Mario Kart 64
0:31
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
0:30
Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (frontrunning)
0:30
Mario Kart Tour
0:30
Course map
Mario Kart 64
An aerial view of Royal Raceway.Mini map of Royal Raceway from Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Map of N64 Royal Raceway in Mario Kart 8.Map of N64 Royal Raceway in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Mario Kart Tour
Map of N64 Royal Raceway from Mario Kart Tour.

Staff ghost(s)
64
2:39.99 Princess Peach
8 Nin★Skip
2:21.371 Princess PeachPrancerWoodPeach Parasol (glider)
8DX 150cc Nin★Skip
2:18.307 Princess PeachPrancerWoodPeach Parasol (glider)
8DX 200cc Nin★Dylan
1:43.120 Baby PeachCircuit SpecialCyber SlickParafoil

Royal Raceway (referred to as "the Royal Raceway" in the Mario Kart 64 Player's Guide), alternatively named Peach Circuit[1][2] (which is also its Japanese name), is the third course of the Star Cup in Mario Kart 64. It is the longest of the three raceways and is Peach's home track of the game. The race takes place around a giant lake. Peach's Castle can be found after a big jump over the lake, and it is where the Award Ceremony takes place at the end of each cup in Mario Kart 64. It reappears in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the third course of the Banana Cup, as well as in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the Peach Tour.

Royal Raceway shares its music with Luigi Raceway, Mario Raceway, and Wario Stadium. In Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it is enhanced with live recorded instruments and given a slight jazz-funk feel.

Mario Kart 64

Course layout

The course begins near a grand stand full of cheering audience, and it takes place on a simple asphalt road with grass on both sides under a pink sky. There is first a straightaway followed by a slight left turn and the first set of Item Boxes. After a brief straight there is a U-turn to the left and then a U-turn to the right. Racers then drive along three more brief straights, with slight right turns in between. A slight left turn follows with another item set afterwards, and then there is a straightaway with a right U-turn at the end. Racers then reach another, far longer straightaway that crosses over the beginning of the track.

Along the straightaway, racers drive slightly uphill and guard rails appear along both sides of the track. Two large Dash Zones appear on this straightaway; one is in the middle while one is at the very end. The one at the end curves upwards, acting as a ramp for racers to go off. As racers go off the ramp they cross a large body of water. Where racers land there is another item set followed by a left turn; on the right side of the track next to the left turn, racers can follow a path up to a version of Peach's Castle nearly identical to the version found in Super Mario 64. This castle is also where the awards ceremony takes place at the end of each cup. Afterwards, racers take a slight right turn followed by a left turn, a sharp right turn, and a brief straight with the last item set. A left turn and another brief straight then brings racers to the finish line.

While no obstacles appear on the track itself, trees and stationary Piranha Plants appear along the sides of the track. The course also has no specific notable shortcuts, but racers can use Mushrooms or a Star to drive through the large amount of off-road along the course and cut off turns.

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 
The course as seen from the starting line in Mario Kart 8.

Royal Raceway makes its classic course debut in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as the third course of the Banana Cup, making it the only course out of the four returning N64 courses in the base game that is not the last course of its respective retro cup. The sky is now blue with pink clouds, instead of pink with white clouds, both the starting banner and the bleachers have been redesigned to look more related to Peach's Castle and the iconic crown is now more detailed. The wall, which the racers drive around, retains its red and white checker pattern but its design has been updated to have some elements of Peach's Castle, and subtle heart details have been added. The road markings are also made up of hearts. There are now swan boats in the lake, with Toads riding in them. Other Toad spectators are seen in the stands. At the starting line, the Mario Kart logo is now transparent.

The ramp now has evenly spread out five grass arches with ringing bells, which the player can hear when passing by them, hanging on them and the rails on the ramp are redesigned to make it related to Peach's Castle. The long jump section has been shortened and is also a glider segment, which allows players to glide over the large gap and then land gently at the next section. There are hot-air balloons based on Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina's dresses, similar to the balloons present in Daisy Hills from Mario Kart 7. However, the designs for the balloons alternate every race, most noticeable in the one at the end of the glider section. There are also cherry blossom trees like in Mario Circuit from Mario Kart 7 in place of the striped evergreen trees. At the final turns, the grassland area has been narrowed down to make it less possible for players to slip off the track and end up in the grassland compared to the original.

The road leading to Peach's Castle is now blocked off, meaning it is unable to be driven around compared to the original. Furthermore, the design of Peach's Castle and the area around it have been revised from the original Super Mario 64 version, to look more like a modern interpretation of its design.

Shortcuts

  • With a Mushroom, it is possible to access a Dash Panel and cut off the fifth turn.
  • When using a Mushroom, it is possible to skip the final turn by going through the grass.

Mario Kart Tour

 
View of Peach's Castle on the course

Royal Raceway reappears in Mario Kart Tour, starting with the Peach Tour. Like GCN Yoshi Circuit, N64 Yoshi Valley, and GCN Baby Park, it mostly takes on the appearance of its Mario Kart 8 iteration with elements of 3DS Mario Circuit like the hills in the background, and the castle's design being based on the Mario Kart Tour iteration. The hot-air balloons are no longer princess-themed, instead taking their design from the ones seen in this game's iteration of 3DS Daisy Hills. The starting line banner now uses an opaque Mario Kart logo. It is also the first classic course in the game that has not appeared in any handheld Mario Kart installment. Royal Raceway uses the Mario Kart 7 source quality version of the Mario Kart 64 raceway/circuit music, used in N64 Luigi Raceway.[3] Royal Raceway is the first and only course in Mario Kart Tour to appear in Coin Rush in four tours, being the Peach Tour, the 2021 Yoshi Tour, the 2021 Space Tour, and the Princess Tour, unless the beta test is counted, where SNES Rainbow Road also appears in four tours.

The course also appears as Royal Raceway R (reversed), Royal Raceway T (with ramps), and Royal Raceway R/T (reversed with ramps). The former two were introduced alongside the regular version in the Peach Tour, while the latter was added in the 2021 Yoshi Tour. In all three variants, the glide ramp used to get across the lake is removed; in the R and R/T variants, racers cross on top of Kanaami Road, while in the T variant, racers cross using mushroom trampolines. The R/T variant also has a mushroom trampoline, though racers are likely to jump over it instead of bouncing on it.

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of N64 Royal Raceway tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Top-tier and middle-tier items

Select "show" to reveal the drivers, karts, and gliders for which N64 Royal Raceway 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 N64 Royal Raceway tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Bonus challenges

Profiles

Mario Kart 64

  • Instruction booklet description:
    • English:
      Of the three speedway-type courses, this one covers the greatest distance. The big jump after the dash zone is very dramatic. Without guardrails along the lake, it can be very easy to overshoot the corner and fall in![6]


  • Website description:
    • English:
      The longest circuit type track in Mario Kart 64, Peach's elaborate course will challenge your cornering skills.[7]

Mario Kart 8

  • Mario Kart Facebook page (United States): Princess Peach welcomes you to the blossom-lined roads of Royal Raceway in Mario Kart 8. She has even baked a cake for you![8]

Mario Kart 8 Original Soundtrack liner notes

This is an old favourite. The live drums propel the track forward, and the addition of a brass section makes it more colourful.

Sponsors

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart Tour

Gallery

Mario Kart 64

Mario Kart 8 / Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart Tour

Course icons

For this subject's image gallery, see Gallery:Mario Kart Tour race course icons (N64 courses) § Royal Raceway.

Screenshots

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning Notes
Japanese ピーチサーキット[?]
Pīchi Sākitto
Peach Circuit
Chinese (simplified) 桃花公主赛道[?]
Táohuā Gōngzhǔ Sàidào
Princess Peach Speedway
Chinese (traditional) 碧姬公主賽道[?]
Bìjī Gōngzhǔ Sàidào
Princess Peach Speedway
Dutch Koninklijke Kartbaan[?] Royal Kart Track
French Autodrome Royal[?] Royal Motordrome
German Königliche Rennpiste[?] Royal Race Track
Italian Pista Reale[?] Royal Track
Korean 피치 서킷[?]
Pichi Seokit
Peach Circuit
Portuguese (NOA) Rodovia Real[?] Royal Highway
Portuguese (NOE) Pista Real[?] Royal Track
Russian Королевская трасса[?]
Korolevskaya trassa
Royal Track
Spanish Pista Real[?] Royal Track

Notes

  • In Mario Kart 8, the hot air balloons also appear in the far background of GCN Baby Park.
  • The course's online description in Mario Kart 8 refers to the introduction of Super Mario 64 and its remake.

References

  1. ^ December 1996. Nintendo Magazine System (UK) issue 51. Page 28.
  2. ^ April 1997. Nintendo Magazine System (Australia) issue 49. Page 40.
  3. ^ Kenta Nagata Discography. Google Docs (American English). Retrieved July 5, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g TheMadWeazel (June 17, 2020). Peach Tour “Pink Gold Peach Cup” - Mario Kart Tour. YouTube. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
  5. ^ S49 Sola (June 25, 2020). Mario Kart Tour (Peach Tour) - Peach And Daisy In Big Reverse Race. YouTube. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
  6. ^ 1998. Mario Kart 64 instruction booklet. Nintendo. Page 31.
  7. ^ Mario Kart 64: Star Cup. Nintendo of America (American English). Archived February 5, 1998, 06:52:01 UTC from the original via Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 18, 2025.
  8. ^ MarioKartEN (August 24, 2014). Post. Facebook (English). (Archived June 29, 2023, 19:19:35 UTC via Wayback Machine.)