Given that it's one of the most iconic kart racers on the market today, Mario Kart is easily one of Nintendo's more successful Mario spinoffs. The series was able to get this kind of praise due to its tight racing controls, smart use of items and well-designed tracks. Said tracks have become iconic, with ones like Mario Circuit, Waluigi Pinball, and Rainbow Road. However, there's another underappreciated Mario Kart track that shows up regularly, too.
Bowser's Castle has gotten a new track in almost every Mario Kart game, including the lesser-known Mario Kart Arcade GP series. While it may not be as iconic as Rainbow Road, all thirteen versions of Bower's Castle have something worth talking about. Judging these tracks based on the games they first appeared in, here's the best and worst of every single version of Bowser's Castle that has shown up in Mario Kart.
Mario Kart 7's take on Bowser's Castle is incredibly tame when compared to every other version. While the gothic and bombastic design of the castle is certainly there, it feels as though this version of Bowser's Castle spends a bit too long showing off the 3DS entry's glider and underwater mechanics. In fact, racers spend a surprisingly short amount of time inside Bowser's castle, with most of the race taking place around the castle.
That being said, Mario Kart 7's version of the track manages to be a pretty tricky one to race. While every version of Bowser's Castle is usually known for its difficulty, Mario Kart 7 doesn't fill the course with tons of flames and Thwomps like other renditions. It instead throws tight corners and a tricky segment jumping around on purple cliffs, forcing players to rely on their driving skills more than their dodging skills.
Bowser Castle 4 gets a lot of credit for establishing many future standards for Bowser's Castle courses and for being the longest racetrack in Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Bowser Castle 4 would also be the version that would start the trend of a Bowser's Castle track being the penultimate one of every future Mario Kart game. While the track's length and design are worth praise, the strange visual aesthetic for this one holds it back.
Without comparing Bowser Castle 4's visuals to any track outside of Super Circuit, the strange bright pink and purple color scheme ends up making the pseudo-industrial background elements look far tackier than they should. It's not an easy track to look at and certainly stands out when compared to the other Bowser Castle's in Super Circuit. That being said, future renditions of Bowser's Castle would start to take on a similar techno vibe.
The three different Bowser Castle tracks that appeared in the original Super Mario Kart share similar track elements. There are Thwomps, jumps over lava and tight corners to drift around that make all three versions of Bowser Castle in Super Mario Kart incredibly fun to race on, even when ported to modern games. That being said, the striking similarities between these three tracks mean that they don't really stand out if ranked separately.
Bowser Castle 1, 2 and 3 are noteworthy for their difficulty in Super Mario Kart and their dramatic atmosphere that perfectly matches World 8 from Super Mario World. Plus, despite the simplistic graphics, this track feels more like Bowser's Castle than some tracks from later games. That being said, having all three versions be incredibly similar both visually and mechanically does lead to them feeling a bit repetitive.
Mario Kart DS features some pretty crazy track designs, though none are as chaotic as Bowser Castle. From long hallways that twist around with tight turns to several rotating platforms, Mario Kart DS's version of Bowser Castle feels just as dangerous as the final world in a Mario game. This is probably the version of Bowser's Castle that's best at capturing the level of lethality that comes from the final stage of many Mario platformers.
That being said, not all of this chaos is a good thing. The spinning bridge near the back end of the course is infamous amongst fans for killing the lead of anyone unlucky enough to fall off it. The visuals on this track are also noticeably more baren, even compared to other Mario Kart DS levels.
Mario Kart Wii's level design is absolutely wild in the best way. That is best seen with just how varied the obstacles are on Bowser's Castle and just how much the course throws at the player. There are wobbling hallways, a giant mechanical Bowser spewing fire, pillars of lava, Thowmps and the infamous tight corners that Bowser's Castle is known for. It's certainly an intense take on the series staple.
It's almost a perfect design for the level, though a few things work against it. For one, the sheer amount of obstacles can often feel like a bit too much, making the track design feel sporadic and disconnected. Mario Kart Wii's version of Bowser's Castle sometimes feels more like a stadium than a castle, especially during the parts where players are racing in a giant chain half-pipe suspended over lava.
This is often argued by Mario Kart fans as being the best version of Bowser's Castle. There's certainly a lot to love with how Mario Kart 64 translates the course into 3D. Along with including the track's iconic tight turns and Thwomps, this version is the first to introduce the giant flame-spitting Bowser statues that would reappear in almost every future rendition. There's also a smaller Thwomp locked up in a cage, nicknamed Marty by fans.
Bowser's Castle from Mario Kart 64 is nothing short of iconic, so much so that its track design remained virtually untouched when it was included in Mario Kart Wii. It's pretty easy to see why it remains so many people's favorite Bowser's Castle variant, though the track can feel a bit on the shorter side. There's also a lot more flair than real danger on this track, with the giant fire-spewing Bowser statues being completely harmless.
The lesser-known arcade spin-offs of Mario Kart might have one of the flashiest versions of Bowser's Castle. While there are technically two versions of Bowser's Castle, with one called Castle Wall included in Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, they're effectively the same track with minor visual differences. The Mario Kart Arcade games have by far the most visually impressive versions, taking players through a more high-tech and industrial version of Bowser's Castle.
The challenge from Bowser's Castle and Castle Wall doesn't come from any flame pillars or Thwomps, as players instead must navigate a winding and twisting course at a pretty intense speed. From a sheer driving standpoint, these two versions of Bowser's Castle are probably the most challenging of them all. However, the lack of any real obstacles and the abnormally wide tracks make Bowser's Castle and Castle Wall feel a bit empty visually.
Mario Kart: Double Dash takes everything that worked with the N64 version and simply added to it. Not only is this course longer than the N64 version, but it's also far more dangerous and intense. In a lot of ways, this track feels like a midpoint between Mario Kart 64's Bowser's Castle and Mario Kart Wii's version. It manages to have a lot going on without feeling disconnected or sporadic.
This track also manages to have a few similarities to the Mario Kart DS version of Bowser's Castle, specifically with the chamber with the spinning fire bars and wide circular turns. Double Dash's take on Bowser's Castle feels like the one that nailed the level of danger that should come from a 3D-era Bowser's Castle while still managing to keep tons of classic elements intact. The only criticism is that the wide-open areas of this track can feel a bit empty.
While calling the latest the greatest may seem a little predictable, Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U and the best-selling Nintendo Switch port's take on Bowser's Castle barely nudges out Double Dash for some valid reasons. If Mario Kart Wii's version was too chaotic and Mario Kart 7's was too tame, then Mario Kart 8 once again finds the happy medium that made Double Dash's version of Bowser's Castle so enjoyable. The best part is that this version of Bowser's Castle has a lot of what made the previous versions so fun.
There's the giant Bowser statue from Mario Kart Wii, the outdoor cliff-jumping segments from Mario Kart 7, the tight corners from Super Circuit and Super Mario Kart, the bending floors from Mario Kart DS and even smaller statues of Bowser from Mario Kart 64 that actually attack the player this time. The only classic element that's surprisingly missing is the Thwomps. Bowser's Castle in Mario Kart 8 is a massive homage to every previous version of this iconic Mario Kart track.
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