Waluigi Pinball

Waluigi Pinball
Waluigi Pinball as seen in Mario Kart DS.
Information
Cup(s)	Flower Cup Banana Cup Turnip Cup
First appearance	Mario Kart DS (2005)
Appearance(s)	Mario Kart DS Mario Kart 7 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (DLC) Mario Kart Tour
Map(s)	DS 3DS Tour 8D Overhead Mini-Map Mirror Mini-Map TBA TBA TBA

Waluigi Pinball is the third track of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. This track makes a retro appearance in Mario Kart 7 as the last track of the Banana Cup, in Mario Kart Tour as of the Halloween Tour, and in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass, as the last track of the Turnip Cup.

Taking place in a huge pinball stadium with a giant statue of Waluigi on the front of the sign.

Layout

Mario Kart DS

The race begins in a dim tunnel with an indigo, metal floor. The gray walls are sparkling with green and yellow neon lights, and to the right, players can gigantic metallic spheres lined up through a tinted window, So, even though the luminescent MARIO KART sign marks it as a starting line for a racecourse, this is really a chute for balls to enter a massive pinball stadium. A Dash Panel propels players into a cannon (meant for pinballs), with flashing streams of light everywhere; the speed is amazing, able to outrun Spiny Shells if you enter it at a certain point, and at least delay a Red Shell attack.

Waluigi sailing through the platforms of his course.

Exiting the launcher lets players on to a gray catwalk, lined with red barriers. Directly ahead, a huge, lighted sign displays the course's name with many bright colors, and outlying the track is some yellow railing, which the spheres come from. The track starts curving left, with the first row of Item Boxes along the way. The outer edge doesn't offer any Items, but instead a multitude of Boosters.

A ramp right underneath a Waluigi sign follows, sending players high up into the air and down onto a long, green platform. This is pretty much the coolest part of the track- the camera angles delivered, matched with brilliantly laid and sudden turns, creates an amazing rush of adrenaline in players. And it's all mixed perfectly with the hulking pinballs, rolling along and stopping for no one (unless with a Star, though). Experienced players love driving right behind them and watching other players get plowed to the side. The descending gangway is also lined with red walls and takes about an 80 degree left turn, with an immediate right hairpin following. These turns require master Drifting skills, but for those lacking, extensions to the catwalk lie on the brims. Still tilting to the right, another difficult U-turn comes up. Then, a grated gray platform with a Boost Pad equipped ramp shoots players over a ball drop off (but they'll be back...) and onto the next section.

After poomping back down, the track ahead is a dull metallic driveway, with mesh wire and red bars bordering it. Along the circumference of the drastic 270 degree right turn, the pinball railing can be seen carrying more doom to the track's route. Players should be able to refill on Items at the loop, and afterward is a large dip in the platform. Another railway overhead dumps more colossal pinballs on drivers' heads, and then two simple left corners followed (compared to the other turns in Waluigi Pinball.) The road surface goes back to purple/blue like form the beginning, and then...

The pinball stadium, stared down upon by a statue of Waluigi.

The glory of the course, the sublime pinball arena opens up in front of players. The balls meet their destination here, careening off of multiple huge bouncers and pins. The dip from a while ago hangs over the entrance, and towering over the whole stadium is an enormous statue of Waluigi watching all the Mayahem down below. Florescent lights, a slot machine, lights, and giant Waluigi Pinball billboard, and MORE lights make this a site to behold- and also to beware. 4 large, blue-glowing bumpers in the formation of square knock around players... and pinballs. Their trajectory is almost completely random. Hopes of getting through the center of the track, which has a wooden path lined with yellow, without getting hit are not to high. Not to mention, each lap supplies another ball the machine. For safety, players can opt to head around the bumpers along the turquoise floor, a longer way, yet less infested with pinballs. 4 Item boxes award players at the end of the straight and center path. Next, another set of bumpers (to be exact four) lie ahead- differences if these include new pink color and rotation. They can actually be pretty hard to pass, and getting repeatedly slammed around isn't uncommon. A regular blue one lies in the center, along with a patch of Items, and surrounding all of the circling bumpers in each of the corner is a stationary blue bumper. Orange arrows on the track point players to the exit, right underneath the jack pot machine. But, of course, humungous red pins strike out at players, trying to make sure no one escapes the machine with a green electric flash.

The ending chute, where balls and racers like Waluigi go through.

A few advertisement signs follow, and then a right left 90 back into the loser (in this case winner) tunnel. The floor is once more indigo, and electronic light blue arrows point players around another sharp left turn. After this, the cycle through the pinball machine begins again! This course belongs to Waluigi.

Mission information

• 3-1: Wario has to chase down and destroy 5 moving Item Boxes.
• 4-7: Toad has to drive through 10 gates in no particular order.

Mario Kart 7

A areal view of DS Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart 7, with Coins spread out across the track.

Not too surprisingly, almost all features and obstacles of DS Waluigi Pinball remain unchanged in Mario Kart 7's retro remake. Not even the graphics are even that much changed- apart from being improved thanks to the Nintendo 3DS, light placement and small details like that remain true to the original course. This course has reappeared as the final course of Banana Cup. Coins have been added along straightaways, turns, and between bumpers (here replacing Item Boxes), Jump Boosts can be performed, the ejector now has a Glide Panel, and an additional Dash Panel has been placed right before the first jump after the cannon, but that's it. And only two of them, the Boost Pad and the glider portion, are really "changes" to the track, as the others are just features of Mario Kart 7.

Mario Kart Tour

Waluigi Pinball in Mario Kart Tour, rocking out a Las Vegas theme across the pinball table!

Waluigi pinball makes a comeback in Mario Kart Tour. It is very different compared to the 3DS version. Firstly, Waluigi is now a cutout, rather than a sculpture, and moves from side to side. The slots below the sculpture also have a Las Vegas theme to it. Secondly, the track has received a huge visual upgrade compared to the 3DS version. This is a very prominent track appearing from several different Tours.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Waluigi Pinball in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Waluigi Pinball returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, appearing in the Booster Course Pack DLC as the fourth and last race of the Turnip Cup. It mainly follows the design of that from Tour, but the neon lights are more prominent and a few more billboards are present.

Time Trial data

Mario Kart DS

Staff Ghost

Course	Time	Player	Character	Kart
Waluigi Pinball	2:23:288	Ninten★しんや	Waluigi	Gold Mantis

World Record

Course	Time	Player	Character	Kart
Waluigi Pinball	1:55:930 (video)	Taiga	Yoshi	Egg 1

Mario Kart 7

Character	Recorder	Time	Kart Combination
			Body	Tires	Glider
	Normal
	Ret★Bill	02:44.372
	Expert
	Nin★Nahhr	02:27.574

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Character	Recorder	Time	Vehicle Combination
			Body	Tires	Glider
150cc
	Nin★Chris	2:36.450
200cc
	Nin★Pavel	2:00.972

Official descriptions

Mario Kart DS

• European website bio: "Wario's weird sibling constructed this high-speed track inside a giant pinball table; complete with bumpers, flippers, ramps, and enormous steel spheres that bounce you around like - well, like a pinball. Make sure to bring plenty of aspirin for this race."

Mario Kart Tour

• Mario Kart Tour Twitter: "Waluigi Pinball, a course stocked with all the lights and sounds of a pinball machine, bumps its way into #MarioKartTour in the next tour! Can you weave your way past the bumpers and flippers? Just try not to tilt!"

Trivia!

• This is widely regarded by players, game reviews, polls and many more, as the best Mario Kart track of all time, much to its creativity, difficulty, and just overall enjoyable track.
• This track is the longest track in Mario Kart DS, due to a length of a pinball machine.
• Mario Circuit from Super Smash Bros. Brawl (now called Figure-8 Circuit as of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate) also has a remix of this theme for its soundtrack; it also has a remix of Wario's victory music in the soundtrack.
• This is the only course in Mario Kart DS to have techno sound effects.
  • In Mario Kart Tour, no sound effect was played upon making the last two turns that are the closest to the finish line. This issue was fixed in a later update.
• For some reason, Waluigi Pinball appears in Mario Kart 7, but Waluigi doesn't.
  • However, he was planned to appear, but was scrapped due to time constraints.
• It has a different item roulette sound.
• A Mario Kart DS beta had an alternate route for this track that would take the player under the pinball machine.
• In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, this track uses the same remix as Wario Stadium, which appeared in the base Wii U game, as both tracks shared the same music in Mario Kart DS.
  • This marks the first time two tracks share the same theme without any altering (Sweet Sweet Kingdom and Dragon Palace are rearrangements of Sweet Sweet Canyon and Dragon Driftway respectively), retitling the original Mario Kart 8 as the only game in the series without two tracks sharing a theme.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the first time this track has appeared on a home console device. Although as the Nintendo Switch can change between handheld and console mode, it has appeared in every handheld console since Mario Kart DS.

Gallery

Mario Kart DS

Donkey Kong on Waluigi Pinball from the back cover of the Mario Kart DS box.

Mario, about to begin the race.

Mario and Bowser being shot out of the ejector.

Luigi being shot out of the ejector in an older prototype.

Mario and Bowser racing.

Mario about to reach the Dash Panel.

Mario on the pinball table.

Wario, about to destroy five Item Boxes.

Starman Wario.

Wario completing mission 3-1 with a triple star ranking.

Toad, about to drive through ten gates.

Toad about to power boost through a gate.

Mario Kart 7

Overview of the course.

A Mii about to start the race.

Mii, Daisy and Donkey Kong gliding in the cannon.

Mii, Donkey Kong and Bowser racing.

The first Dash Panel.

Mii and Daisy racing on the pinball table.

Mario Kart Tour

Waluigi Pinball as seen in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Icon for Waluigi Pinball in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Music

Mario Kart 8 - Wario Stadium (DS) - Music

References

Previous track: Delfino Square	Current track: Waluigi Pinball	Next track: Shroom Ridge

Previous track: Wii Coconut Mall	1st reappearance: Mario Kart 7	Next track: N64 Kalimari Desert

Previous track: SNES Ghost Valley 1	2nd reappearance: Mario Kart Tour	Next track: Paris Promenade 1

Previous track: N64 Kalimari Desert	3rd reappearance: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe	Next track: Tour Sydney Sprint