DS Peach Gardens
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Peach Gardens is the second racing course of the Special Cup in Mario Kart DS. The course is located in the backyards' gardens of Princess Peach's Castle. Obstacles in the course include Chain Chomps and Monty Moles, both capable of attacking the player. The course is often blocked by large hedges which cannot be driven through and patches of grass that slow players down. However, a speed booster such as a Mushroom or a Star can be used to get across the grass for a shortcut. Peach Gardens has also reappeared in Mario Kart Wii as the second course in the Lightning Cup. An element added for this version is a ramp found near to the soil path right next to where the Monty Moles jump up. Also the Chain Chomps have chains and they move more slowly.
The course contains various gardening elements such as ornamental trees and flowers. Some parts of the road are decorated by trellised archs, like the one standing over the starting line that supports the "Mario Kart" banner on it. The track also includes a pond with a circular terrace that has a garden sculpture of Mario in the center. This is the only part of the track that is not protected by fences and falling to the pond cause Lakitu to go for the racer in hurry and take back to the road. The rest of the track, however, is protected by fences and tall hedges serving as walls.
Layout
The track starts with the starting line in the front of the castle's backdoor. The racers go along a straight piece of road towards the pond in a roundabout circling the garden sculpture of Mario and a single Chain Chomp running around the sculpture. The racers swerve to the left to return to the garden and take a semicircular turn to the right. A patch of flowers in it can be passed through to skip the turn. The road continues uphill to a square terrace with a pair of squared patches of grass and flowers in it. The road turns in a 90 degrees turn to the right; however, any racer can cut the path by going to a narrow portion of flat terrain to the right of the front patch of flowers and go instantly downhill out of the terrace. Racers enter to a maze-like zone, where the main road is split up in multiple paths by square parterres and some stray Chain Chomps wander in the maze with two Item Boxes following after them. The maze ends with the paths gathering again to the main road that leads the racers uphill to another terrace. The road makes an abrupt S bend to the right and around a patch of flowers and goes downhill to a circular path with three high hedges that split the road again in parts but gathers shortly and sends the racers to a curly path of dark soil with green lawn and some trees scattered in the zone. Among other elements in this section of the track are the pesky Monty Moles hiding below holes found in the corners of the path and, in Mario Kart Wii, a pair of speed ramps found over the lawn to perform Tricks. The path ends near the castle in a straight walkway that returns the racers to the backdoor, and swerving to the right from this spot, racers find the finish line to complete a lap.
Names in other Languages
Trivia
- The Chain Chomp theme (which is similar to that of Double Dash's theme, with a changed melody as well as an extended bass line and bridge) appears in Mission Mode level 5-1, where Peach has to race a stray Chain Chomp on this course.
