Anti-gravity

Anti-gravity used at Twisted Mansion.

Anti-gravity is a gameplay mechanic introduced in Mario Kart 8, which then later reappeared in its enhanced port, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Description

Mario Kart DS

Anti-gravity was actually first featured in Mario Kart DS on the Rainbow Road track, though not in the same way as Mario Kart 8. The precursors of the blue sensors are small gold bars. There is a quick loop and then a spin section. Unlike Mario Kart 8, the wheels don't turn sideways, and hitting an Item that knocks you over on the upside-down sections will cause the driver to fall off.

Mario Kart 8/Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The anti-gravity mechanic makes its full gameplay debut in Mario Kart 8. It allows players to travel on vertical surfaces and even upside-down on certain sections of the track. When players drive across the Antigravity Panels, the feature is enabled. To signal this, the kart's wheels turn sideways and the vehicle will levitate. As an aesthetic feature, certain regions of the kart will emit a blue glow. Additionally, when drifting, this glow changes color depending on the level of Mini-Turbo, with orange for a Super Mini-Turbo and purple for an Ultra Mini-Turbo Players can also bump into each other to gain a speed boost. The feature is used heavily, in almost every course in the game, though certain tracks, such as Baby Park, are entirely in anti-gravity.

Sometimes, you will be driving on two wheels while Drifting. This only works on ATVs and Karts with four wheels that are apart from each other (such as the Mach 8).

Locations

• Mario Kart Stadium: Encompasses 50% of the track. During the big climb up until the course's Glider section.
• Water Park: Encompasses around 20% to 25% of the track. After the player enters the ride, two right turns leads to the section. This one ends in an underwater section.
• Sweet Sweet Canyon: After the Glider Cannon and Underwater sections, the racers come across the anti-gravity section following the underwater section.
• Thwomp Ruins: Near the middle of the course, racers come across a three-way path. The side paths lead to anti-gravity sections. The next 40% of the course has anti-gravity that ends in a glider section.
• Mario Circuit: Encompasses around 60% of the course. The course is a giant Möbius strip, which makes the anti-gravity mandatory. This ends in an optional Glider section.
• Toad Harbor: At the top of the course, racers can race on the shops' walls.
• Twisted Mansion: There is a split path near the start of the course, with both routes in anti-gravity. The next anti-gravity section leads to the course's underwater section, which ends in a glider section.
• Shy Guy Falls: The racers encounter the course's anti-gravity zone as they climb up the waterfall and come back down. This ends in a glider section that the racers need to make their way to the next area.
• Sunshine Airport: After the first Glider section, racers go through a tilted 270-degree turn that takes place in anti-gravity. This section ends in a glider section that leads back to the start-finish area.
• Dolphin Shoals: After exiting the course's first underwater section, racers enter an anti-gravity section that terminates in a glider section that leads to the Finish Line.
• Electrodrome: Racers enter an anti-gravity section following the first glider section and the first two turns on their way through the night club. This ends in another glider section which leads to the final turn.
• Mount Wario: At the start of the cave section, racers encounter two tilted sections of the track, requiring them to enter anti-gravity. The next section, on the Wario Dam, is in Anti-Gravity barring the hallway leading to it. Following the skiing course area is the third anti-gravity section, which leads to the final area.
• Cloudtop Cruise: Following the first glider section is the Thundercloud Section, which is entirely in anti-gravity. Dash Panels that offer speed boosts but cause damage if they get shocked appear here.
• Bone-Dry Dunes: After the Bond Piranha Plants area, the racers can choose between two paths. The right path leads to a ride on the walls.
• Bowser's Castle: The first anti-gravity section can be found after the first two turns when the racers enter the mechanical section. After a 90 degree left turn followed by a climb and then a sharp left (around 180 degrees), the section stops, but then they have to enter another anti-gravity section to bypass the Bowser Golem, who punches the road. After a 90-degree right turn to go down followed by another to go south as the road rotates, the anti-gravity section gives way to the course's only Glider section.
• Rainbow Road: Following the starting section, the racers will enter the first section of anti-gravity which is twisted into an "8" and gives way to the first glider section which leads to the third area, which is in a station. Their path takes them to another glider section which leads to a second anti-gravity section with criss-crossing paths which serve as their way to the Finish Line.
• GBA Mario Circuit: Near the start, When the racers reach the hairpin section which is lifted to a 45° angle using hydraulic lifts, At the end of the Anti-Gravity section which is followed by a Dash Boost panel.
• N64 Toad's Turnpike: After the first left curve, The Anti-gravity panels will be on the walls to the right, which are equipped with Dash Panels. On the last curve, they'll be another wall on the left with Anti-gravity panels and Dash Panels.
• 3DS DK Jungle: When the racers reach the Golden Temple, Most of the section is Anti-Gravity and at the end of it is a Trick Ramp.
• DS Wario Stadium: Before the Underwater Section the entire bridge section will be Anti-Gravity.
• GCN Sherbet Land: Taking the underwater route just after the start of the course leads you into an anti-gravity path which will eventually shoot you into the ice cave section.
• 3DS Piranha Plant Slide: After racing through an underground sewer-like area, players will enter a giant banked underwater U-turn, which is all in anti-gravity, and eventually ends at a glider section.
• N64 Rainbow Road: Just after the start, you enter an anti-gravity section which sends you downwards to a glide ramp, which deactivates it. It is then reactivated shortly after landing, where you take a U-turn into a section populated by Chain-Chomps, where just beforehand the anti-gravity is deactivated. After the second section of the track begins, you are sent back into anti-gravity mode, where you take an almost 360 degree turn around a large super star structure; anti-gravity will then proceed to deactivate afterwards. Right after the second Chain-Chomp section, anti-gravity is activated again and stays activated for the rest of the track up until the glider ramp at the end, where it deactivates.
• Dragon Driftway: Right after the start of the race, an anti-gravity panel is present just before the entrance into the dragon's mouth, which sends you into anti-gravity mode. The rest of the race continues in anti-gravity until you reach a ramp before the end which deactivates it.
• Mute City: The whole race takes place in anti-gravity, from start to finish. This is a shared trait between only 5 courses in this game.
• Wii Wario's Gold Mine: Once through the enclosed cave section with the Shy Guys, you are sent into anti-gravity, where a few twists and turns later, you are greeted by a split path. Taking the narrow path will immediately deactivate anti-gravity, whilst taking the main path will make you take a large dip, where afterwards anti-gravity mode is deactivated.
• Ice Ice Outpost: Near the end of the track, you are sent into anti-gravity mode, where two split paths will send you upwards around a prolonged left turn, and into a glide section where anti-gravity mode gets deactivated.
• Hyrule Circuit: Once entering inside the castle, players are sent into anti-gravity mode until they exit the building.
• GCN Baby Park: The whole race takes place in anti-gravity, from start to finish. This is a shared trait between only 5 courses in this game.
• GBA Cheese Land: Around the middle of the track, players jump off a Dash Panel from one side to the other, which sends them into anti-gravity mode. They are then led into a slanted portion of the track, where just before the finish, there are two ramps, in which the last one will deactivate anti-gravity mode.
• Wild Woods: The race starts out already in anti-gravity mode, with you on a 90 degree slope going directly upwards. Once you enter the second bridge section, anti-gravity mode is then deactivated. The track continues this way until just after the lily pad section, where a ramp sends you onto a bridge which activates anti-gravity mode, which it will then lead you back to the start.
• 3DS Neo Bowser City: On the final section of the track, players are sent through a small tunnel, where anti-gravity mode gets activated. They race on a slanted portion of the track, until they reach a glider ramp, where anti-gravity mode proceeds to deactivate.
• GBA Ribbon Road: Around the midpoint of the course, players jump off a ramp with a Dash Panel, into a floaty ribbon section, which is fully in anti-gravity. Anti-gravity is then deactivated at the final glide section.
• Big Blue: The whole race takes place in anti-gravity, from start to finish. This is a shared trait between only 5 courses in this game.
• Sky-High Sundae: The whole race takes place in anti-gravity, from start to finish. This is a shared trait between only 5 courses in this game.
• GBA Boo Lake: Just after the split path, there is an inclined U-turn, where anti-gravity mode gets activated once you enter the incline. You stay in anti-gravity mode for the rest of the track, up until the final ramp at the end.
• 3DS Rock Rock Mountain: Near the end of the track there is an 80 degree incline, where you are sent into anti-gravity mode until you reach the glider ramp at the end of the incline.
• Wii Maple Treeway: Going off the half-pipe in the course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• Merry Mountain: Around the middle of the course, players jump off a ramp which sends them into anti-gravity mode. About 75% the way down the mountain, there is an optional snow ramp, that features a glide panel on the second and third laps. Just after exiting the ramp, anti-gravity mode will proceed to be deactivated.
• 3DS Rainbow Road: Once at the moon section, you are sent into anti-gravity, where at the moment you reach the final checkpoint it gets deactivated.
• Wii DK Summit: Going off the half-pipes in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• GCN Waluigi Stadium: Going off the half-pipes in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground. There is also two sections after the Piranha Plant section and near the end of the track, where you can go off a half-pipe onto a platform that is set in anti-gravity, of which is deactivated once you either go off a Dash Panel or fly off a Glide Panel at the end.
• Tour Athens Dash: Going off the half-pipes in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• Squeaky Clean Sprint: Going off the half-pipe in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• Tour Los Angeles Laps: Going off the half-pipe in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• Wii Koopa Cape: Over half-way through the track, you are sent into an underwater half-pipe section that features anti-gravity, where you will exit anti-gravity mode once leaving this section.
• Tour Vancouver Velocity: Once you enter the Capilano Suspension Bridge section shortly into the first lap, you will be sent into anti-gravity mode until you reach the Glide Ramp that takes you back to the main city.
• GCN DK Mountain: Going off the half-pipes in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• 3DS Rosalina's Ice World: Going off the half-pipes in this course will send you into anti-gravity for a brief period until you land back on the ground.
• SNES Bowser Castle 3: Shortly after the first turn, there is an anti-gravity panel which will send you into anti-gravity mode. You then proceed to drive uphill through a myriad of ramps and crevasses before taking a large U-turn, which leads you back to a level surface where anti-gravity will proceed to be deactivated.
• Wii Rainbow Road: The whole race takes place in anti-gravity, from start to finish. This is a shared trait between only 5 courses in this game.

Gallery