Rainbow Road
Rainbow Road is the name of several levels featured in the Mario Kart racing game series, developed and published by Nintendo. Usually presented as a rainbow-coloured racing course suspended in space, Rainbow Road is widely recognized as one of the most iconic staple elements of the Mario Kart video game series.
For others, see Rainbow Road (disambiguation).Rainbow Road
Super Mario Kart (1992)
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass (Wave 6, 2023)
The Secret Path/Road (The Super Mario Bros. Movie)
Characteristics[edit]
Rainbow Road customarily appears as the final brand new track of each game and the final race of the special cup. It typically is among the most difficult to complete, since most Rainbow Road tracks often have little to no guardrails to prevent the player from falling off the edges of the track, and oftentimes feature tight curves, steep slopes, and wavy grounds.[1][2][3][4][5][6] Most Rainbow Road courses have been revised to be featured more than once throughout the series, the original one appearing in four distinct games and the second one three times.
Cultural impact[edit]
Rainbow Road is referenced as a part of an Easter egg included in the programming of Tesla electric vehicles. According to Tesla CEO Elon Musk, once a Tesla car's autopilot mode is activated four times in quick succession, the gray road shown on the vehicle's instrument cluster would transform into a colorful path resembling Rainbow Road, with a cowbell tune playing in the background while this mode is turned on.[15] In commemoration of Mario Day celebrations for March 10, 2021, Hot Wheels released a Mario Kart track set based on the course on June 24, 2021.[3]
To coincide with the 35th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros., an ice cream cake inspired by the track was released by Cold Stone Creamery from September 30 to December 15, 2020.[16]
Reception[edit]
Rainbow Road has received a generally positive attention for its memorable music and unique visuals, as well as notoriety for its length and challenging difficulty. Edge Magazine described Rainbow Road as "the deadly ribbon that has entranced generations of racers".[1] Gus Turner from Complex described Rainbow Road as "simultaneously the most thrilling and most devastating level in any Mario Kart title".[17] Rainbow Road has appeared in multiple "top" ranking lists of the best tracks in the history of the Mario Kart franchise compiled by video game critics, including Paste Magazine,[18] Digital Spy,[19] Screen Rant,[20] and GameRevolution,[21] and TheGamer.[6]
The Rainbow Road levels in certain Mario Kart games have received particular attention. BuzzFeed News Reporter Joseph Bernstein ranked the Super Mario Kart version of Rainbow Road #15 on his list of the "34 Video Game Levels That You Must Play Before You Die".[22] Reminiscing the Super Mario Kart version of Rainbow Road, A. V. Club staff said the overall experience was awe-inspiring in spite of its flawed design and frustrating level of difficulty.[23] Its music has been praised by GamesRadar's Brett Elston[24] as well as Dan Neilan from The A.V. Club, who called it as the "one redeeming quality" of a notoriously difficult track.[25] Andrew Webster from The Verge praised the updated version of Rainbow Road for Mario Kart 8 as the best example of its "impressive new track design" and called it a vast improvement when compared to previous instalments.[26] On April 28, 2017, Rainbow Road was voted as the best course in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe by UK players.[27]
Not all reception towards Rainbow Road has been positive. Ben Lee of Digital Spy as well as several US Gamer staff members considered the Nintendo 64 version of Rainbow Road to be one of their least favorite tracks in the history of the Mario Kart franchise.[28][29]