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Bowser Castle Mario Kart DS · Special Cup, race 3

Bowser Castle in Mario Kart DS
Bowser Castle course preview

Bowser's fortress in Mario Kart DS swaps the usual lava spouts for moving machinery: a spinning floor, a rotating cylinder bridge and sliding platforms over a lava pit. It has fewer Thwomps than earlier Bowser's Castles, but one of them slides sideways out of a window and back.

Cup
Special Cup · race 3
Origin
New in Mario Kart DS
Laps
3
Staff ghost
2'19"661
Online play
No
Bowser Castle course map
Course map (overhead view)

Lap walkthrough

  1. Enter through the metal gate under Bowser's face and drive down a hallway of Thwomps
  2. Climb two flights of stairs and cross a narrow bridge
  3. Cross the circular room whose floor spins against you, with burners
  4. Pass the hallway Thwomp that slides out of the window, then turn right and left
  5. Climb the spiral path above the lava
  6. Cross the rotating cylinder bridge, or drop to the garden below
  7. Ride the Dash Panel ramp onto four sliding platforms and turn right to the finish

Racing tips

  • The rotating bridge is much faster than the garden; if you fall off, you land in the garden and only lose time.
  • Going all the way around the circular room opens an alternate path that saves time, though burners and a moving Thwomp sometimes block it.
  • On the final lap, a precise hop or a Mushroom can carry you through the gap in the end wall and over the line before you drop into the lava.
  • If you are in first on the spinning bridge when a Spiny Shell is fired, falling off the bridge can make it miss you.

Hazards

BurnerBurnerThwompThwomp

Also watch for: Spinning floor, Rotating bridge, Moving platforms over lava.

Staff ghost

Staff time
2'19"661
Beat to unlock
2'30"833
Racer
Bowser
Staff name
Ninten★ひろむ

Set a Time Trial record within 108% of the staff time to unlock the ghost. All staff ghost times.

Missions on Bowser Castle

  • Mission 6-1 Drive backward across the spinning bridge! If you fall, you're out! (Bowser, 0:30)
  • Mission 7-2 Reach the finish before Bowser! (Mario)

Full Mission Mode guide

Screenshots

Bowser Castle screenshot 1
Bowser Castle in Mario Kart DS
Bowser Castle screenshot 2
Bowser Castle in Mario Kart DS
Bowser Castle screenshot 3
Bowser Castle in Mario Kart DS

FAQ

What cup is Bowser Castle in?

The Special Cup, as race 3 of 4, in the Nitro Grand Prix.

How many laps is Bowser Castle?

3 laps.

What is the staff ghost time on Bowser Castle?

2'19"661, set with Bowser in the Hurricane. Finish a Time Trial in 2'30"833 or faster to race it.

Could you race Bowser Castle online?

No. It was one of the 12 courses left out of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection play.

Sources & picture credits

Guide text is original retrogameindex writing, checked against the Super Mario Wiki and the Mario Kart Racing Wiki. Kart statistics, staff ghost times and item odds are the values from the game data as transcribed by the Super Mario Wiki. Screenshots, renders and artwork © Nintendo; local copies archived from Super Mario Wiki file pages (listed on the image gallery).