Mario Kart World Tracks Ranked

I've been wanting to make a track ranking for Mario Kart World ever since the game first came out, but I wanted to make sure I really knew what I was talking about first. Now that it's already been about a month since the game first released, I feel pretty confident in my ranking at the moment. I'll solely be ranking the tracks based on their VS versions, though I will mention any alternate variants they may have if necessary. Overall, I think Mario Kart World has one of the best track rosters in the series, barring a few weak links, and benefit from a more freeform design that gives most of them a lot more replay value. So without further ado, let's rank them:

30. Koopa Troopa Beach
Koopa Troopa Beach is sadly the one big misfire out of the 30 tracks in Mario Kart World. Koopa Beach 2 is a solid track in the original SNES game, but this iteration smoothens out the track design and removes the deep water pitfalls that you have to dodge rendering it as just a circle. I've seen some argue that KTB is this game's equivalent of Baby Park because of its simplistic layout, but it's so open that I don't think it plays well to chaotic item shenanigans which makes for a really boring track that doesn't take advantage of any of Mario Kart World's strengths. No parkour, no fun item play, and no interesting decision-making, it truly is just driving around in a circle for five laps. I do like the tropical dance party aesthetic but that can only do so much when the track is so boring to play.

29. Moo Moo Meadows
Moo Moo Meadows is definitely the most baffling addition conceptually. I get that Nintendo wanted to add the Cow as a playable character and needed an excuse to organically feature him in the world, but when we literally just had Moo Moo Meadows in the previous game, I'd rather they have just made a new farm track. Because outside of that one goofy cow bounce shortcut, I can't really say that Moo Moo Meadows feels like it fits World's movement very well, it's too open and barren. I'd even argue that this version of MMM is weaker than the MK8 version with a less pretty aesthetic and the removal of the big ramp near the end of the track. Moo Moo Meadows on its own is a fine track, for sure, but in the context of World, it's a track I never want to play.

28. Mario Bros Circuit
When MKW first came out, Mario Bros Circuit was quickly singled out as one of the best starting tracks for its unique Radiator Springs aesthetic and its variety of paths. However, the more I replay it, the more I actually find it pretty dull. The main path of Mario Bros Circuit has nothing going on at all, it's a wide empty road with very wide turns and no mandatory jumps at all. Compared to the tight layout of Toad Circuit in 7 or the way Mario Kart Stadium forces you to engage with all of 8's mechanics, Mario Bros Circuit feels too passive of a first track. You can mess around with the rail-grinding or gliding if you go off the beaten path, but it doesn't feel like this track drills those mechanics into your head because it's all optional. It also doesn't help that while the ending of MBC does have a bunch of neat alternate routes, the first 80% is still very linear and doesn't really have anything going on. So yeah, while I don't find Mario Bros Circuit bad per se, I do still find it pretty boring on replays and hard to go back to.

27. Desert Hills
Desert Hills is a weird sidegrade of a retro pick. I actually always liked Desert Hills for its catchy music, hilly terrain, SMB3-inspired visuals, and variety of Mushroom cuts and like half of those things are still intact. This iteration makes a lot of sacrifices with less hills, blander visuals, and most of the obstacles like the Angry Sun completely removed. However, I'd argue it makes up for this by adding a bunch of new elements. There are even more shortcuts than in the original track and not just Mushroom cuts too, the final stretch deviates into a bunch of cool different directions. And while the Angry Sun may be gone, the Tokotokos are a very charming new hazard that helps keep each lap in VS varied. It also helps that from a layout perspective, I do think Desert Hills is a bit more engaging than the other tracks in this part of the list so I can still enjoy this one even with its many compromises from the original.

26. Starview Peak
Man, Rosalina keeps being done dirty with her tracks, huh. I never hated Ice World even if I didn't find it especially good, but I was really hoping that Starview Peak with its gorgeous comet observatory theming would finally do her justice. Sadly, this track is probably even worse. You really don't spend much time inside the observatory, with the first half of the track being a basic Ice Ice Outpost clone with none of that track's shortcut potential, and the second half being a hyperspeed water-riding section that can be dumb fun but lacks any skill or mastery. This is one of those really wide tracks that doesn't give you much room to exploit the movement, and its short length means that it also feels like it isn't really able to explore its premise. Great vibes, but definitely one of the most underwhelming and undercooked courses in the game. 

25. Choco Mountain
Choco Mountain is definitely one of the weirdest and most polarizing tracks in Mario Kart World. Like Moo Moo Meadows, this track was just in the previous game, but unlike Moo Moo Meadows, it actually completely reimagines it to mixed results. Instead of being a simple chocolate-themed mountain, this is a heavy metal monster truck arena filled with mud and Charging Chucks. I do really appreciate how this iteration of the track commits to its new theming, especially with the cool visual of seeing how this track actually looks like a monster truck from afar. There are still plenty of cool (and powerful) shortcuts, and the Charging Chucks are really fun hazards to deal with. However, I do think that the original's pure chocolate theming still feels really novel and turning Choco into yet another stadium track makes it feel a bit less unique. But even more, so much of this track being covered in mud that slows you down makes it a fairly awkward driving experience at times reminiscent of Choco Island, and not in a good way. This is a fine track with more depth and interesting elements than most of the other low-tiers, but it just doesn't fully come together for me like I would've hoped.

24. Mario Circuit
When we all found out that one of the tracks was gonna be a fusion of the first three Mario Circuits, I think we all thought that it was gonna be the worst track of the game. But actually, I think Mario Circuit is pretty damn good and misses out on a lot of the pitfalls of SNES retros in prior games. I like how this track doesn't try to ape the Super Mario Kart artstyle, going for a more realistic circuit aesthetic that looks great. The fusion of the first three Mario Circuits means that there's a great sense of escalation as each section has tighter and tighter turns. And best of all, the Charge Jump allows you to hop over pretty much any border in the track which really allows for some crazy routing in Time Trials. So we end up getting a pretty engaging course that tests your driving skill quite well in its own unique way. My only two issues are that the big jump in Mario Circuit 2 has been neutered with its iconic corner cut removed, and that it's way too short as it ends in just over a minute.

23. Crown City
Crown City is the game's Tour-styled city track boasting multiple variants depending on which route you take, and a VS version that aims to fuse them all together. Visually, it's an incredibly dense and lively setting with soulful music and probably the best Free Roam in the game. Most of these individual variants are also really fun, between Crown City 1 having you hope across rooftops, Crown City 2 having you wallride through a tight alleyway, and Crown City 3 being a fun scenic beach drive. However, my problem with Crown City is that the route Nintendo picked for VS Mode is kind of underwhelming. Crown City 1 is mostly intact, but Crown City 2 is driving in reverse rendering most of its shortcuts useless, and Crown City 3 has been almost entirely cut. It feels like the VS version of Crown City, the primary iteration of this track, has less going on than the versions you play in the routes which is a real shame for what could've been one of the game's strongest courses.

22. DK Pass
DK Pass is one of the more mixed retros for me. I liked this track in the original game for its tight layout and solid hazards, and this version mostly keeps that intact. The first half of World's DK Pass is arguably better than the original with the feather allowing you to take some cool death-defying shortcuts, but the second half feels weirdly barren. The snowballs have been moved to the early part of the track so driving back down the pass has no stakes, and even worse, the snowmen peppering the final turn are completely gone. This is especially baffling since this game has snowmen NPCs so I don't know why they're not in this track. I'm also a bit mixed on the visual change. The shift to being a ski resort does look great, but it removes a bit of DK Pass's originality compared to DK Summit. But it does benefit free roam so I can't complain too much. Overall still a good track with some solid technical aspects, but not a home-run of an upgrade like I would've wanted.

21. Wario's Shipyard
Wario's Shipyard is right alongside Choco Mountain as the retro I'm the most split on. I love the original version of this track and I'd argue it's the best utilization of underwater driving in the entire series, so World bringing it back only to have you driving on top of the water the whole time sure was a choice. On its own merits, this is a fine track with a lot of cool shortcuts and alternate routes, and the stormy water does make this one of the more dynamic water-riding courses where there's never a point where you're not trying to get tricks. However, it does feel like a lot of the fun jumps and obstacles of the original were removed as a compromise, and the combination of bumping water and sharp turns really brings out the worst in the water-riding controls. I constantly find myself slipping around, bumping into stuff, missing tricks, it just feels a bit too unreliable for me to really enjoy mastering it.

20. Peach Stadium
Peach Stadium is a solid penultimate course that does a decent job at testing your skill with its fairly narrow layout, and I like how it visually reminds me quite a bit of the sleek look of Mario Kart 8. The infamous paperclip variants are pretty hilariously bad, but the VS Mode that I'll probably be playing the majority of the time is still plenty fun in its own right, bolstered by the colorful and grandiose setting, and celebratory music. However, what prevents Peach Stadium from ranking much higher for me is that it just doesn't make much use of World's movement. There is a fun upper path that does help you dodge the item chaos for a bit, but the second half of the track just has nothing going on making for a pretty unsatisfying ending to what's otherwise a solid course.

19. Peach Beach
Peach Beach surprised all of us when it turned into a surprise section track that opens up into a full resort after the first lap. But as a full track, it is a bit uneven in terms of quality. The first lap is basically just the Peach Beach we all know and love, but slightly worse since the rising tide doesn't feel as important and the Cataquacks are way easier to dodge. The second lap is easily the standout by putting you in what feels like this massive skate park filled with rooftops to trick off of and a variety of fun routes. But then the third lap ends with a pretty dull water-riding straightaway with not much to interact with. That second lap is so good that it pretty much carries the track for me, but the rest of it just isn't strong enough to carry it past 19th place for me.

18. Sky High Sundae
The original version of Sky High Sundae was probably my least favorite track in the entire series, lacking so much of the polish you would expect from Nintendo. But when it returned in World, it quickly became apparent that it was meant to be in this game from the start. This version of Sky High Sundae not only looks way better than the 8DX version with less saturated colors, but it boasts far more alternate routes, a smoother design, a camera that actually works, and none of the bizarre floaty physics that hampered the original. It utilizes the wall-ride and rail-grind especially well essentially serving as the introduction to the variety of track-breaking shortcuts World has to offer, though it does still suffer a bit from its simplistic oval-shaped layout. Still, easily the biggest glowup in the game.

17. Wario Stadium
Wario Stadium is the second biggest glowup in Mario Kart World, though. I never hated the original version but most will argue that it was way too long for its own good and the various bumps didn't mean much in a game with no trick system. This iteration of Wario Stadium cuts the track by like a third and implements a ton of fun wall-grinds, trick ramps, and shortcuts to fully put World's mechanics to great use. However, I do think I wouldn't have minded if this version used the original layout because it honestly kinda left me wanting more, especially with the smoothed-out layout that lacked some of the original's more punishing turns. With how good World's movement is and how well this remake takes advantage of it, I do genuinely think that a more accurate recreation would still be really good if not even. better than what we already got.

16. DK Spaceport
DK Spaceport is a very fun finale to the Mushroom Cup, especially in how it puts all the skills you've learned to the test in a series of fun trick-ramp, rail-grinding, and wall-ride courses. I also love how this track tells a story as you chase Guard Kong up the structure ending in what almost feels like a boss fight. From an aesthetic standpoint, it's a fun modernization of the visual style that defined the original arcade game, and overall this is a very fun and replayable course with a lot of spectacle. That being said, it's hard to deny the simplistic layout of DK Spaceport with it being primarily straightaways and 180-degree turns and compared to other section tracks, it can feel a bit one-note visually. Courses like Mount Wario or Maka Wuhu are constantly shaking up the scenery but DK Spaceport commits to a single idea the entire time which is a double-edged sword. It means that this is a fully realized track, but one that can risk feeling a tad repetitive as well.

15. Salty Salty Speedway
Salty Salty Speedway is a solid water-riding course that lets the player hop between several routes and levels. The tight Venice-inspired canals can allow for some pretty cramped and chaotic races, some of the wall-rides on the higher levels feel very satisfying to pull off even if they're not necessarily faster, and the optimal routes do encourage you to make the most of all of this track's various layers. That being said, I won't deny that the water-riding section is easily the most boring part of the track to race on due to its flat surface, and unless you have a route planned out from the start, it's pretty hard to get out of it if you happen to fall in. Definitely one of the tougher courses to get into, but it can be satisfying once you've mastered its many ultra-precise shortcuts.

14. Faraway Oasis
Faraway Oasis is an incredibly dense track that doesn't settle on the same idea for too long. From jumping across a rocky cliffside to going down a river to barely hanging onto a Koopa Cape-style waterfall, there's a lot going on in terms of Faraway Oasis's layout that makes for a fun race course. It may not be as dense with shortcuts as some of World's other tracks, but there are plenty of clever decisions to make. The river section in particular is actually brilliant since you can risk going for that tricky rail-grind to the right at the cost of being forced onto the slower route if you fail, or play it safe and simply go left to the safer route. And that feather cut at the end is so satisfying to pull off. The only thing really keeping this track from being a Top 10 contender is the lack of animal hazards, especially compared to the other savannah routes. Otherwise, this is an incredibly well-designed track even if it's a bit on the subtle side.

13. Dandelion Depths
I'll get this out of the way, Dandelion Depths' layout isn't the best. Its few alternate routes are generally slower than racing the track normally, and it doesn't really pick up until the second half. That second half is really fun though, between the water pool section that forces you to find the best line to keep up your momentum with tricks and the grand finale that has you boosting up a steep slope, but overall there are other tracks with more interesting and replayable layouts. So why is Dandelion Depths this far up then? Well, it's pretty much entirely because of the presentation. The exterior reminiscent of Steam Gardens already looks great, but the cave interior has this gorgeous bioluminescent look that stands out as one of the most visually-striking locations in any Mario Kart game. And the music is easily one of my favorite tracks in the game for how it blends woodwinds with a chill-inducing guitar solo. Sometimes the visuals can totally carry a track for me and Dandelion Depths is a great example of how.

12. Cheep Cheep Falls
Cheep Cheep Falls is probably my favorite water-riding stage in the game because it really takes advantage of this mode's slippery handling to create a unique experience. The vast majority of this track is taken up by a chaotic ride down some rapids where it feels like you're constantly struggling to wrangle the controls. But unlike in say Wario's Shipyard, I'd argue the loose controls actually benefits this track as it adds to the element of chaos that the rapids section tries to cultivate. Even before the rapids section, the intense music and tight layout makes for a really fast-paced and frenetic track unlike anything else in the game, and I'm all for it. The autumn/Japan-styled theming is also very cool and enhances the track for me, and there are a lot of really subtle but brutal shortcuts that make this easily one of the toughest courses to master.

11. Airship Fortress
Airship Fortress has always been one of my favorite tracks in the series, and it is still very good here. It's a borderline shot-for-shot remake that shows Nintendo knew that the track didn't really need much improvement. Its tight layout is a great fit for World, and there's just enough rail-grinding additions to make the track feel like it's able to take advantage of World's mechanics. However, I do these rail-grinds kinda hamper the track a bit. The entire first half of the course can be very easily skipped by grinding on the sidelines, and it's the fastest route too. And while this is very fun to pull off, it also means that you're skipping past most of the obstacles, particularly the Banzai/Bomber Bills and the Rocky Wrenches. Those were some of my favorite hazards in the series too so the fact that this version encourages you to not engage with them holds this remake back for me compared to the original.

10. Boo Cinema
Similarly to Faraway Oasis, Boo Cinema is a more subtle track in terms of its layout, lacking too many crazy bits of tech or hazards to contend with. And while that may be underwhelming for some, I actually found more to like about Boo Cinema the more I played it. Its narrow layout is great for allowing for some pretty chaotic races and there are a lot of subtle cuts like bumps in the track that allow for quick wall-rides, and the giant film reels hugging the inner turns you can use as a speed boost as long as you can judge the direction they're spinning. And of course, I can't go without mentioning this track's incredible haunted cinema theming between the catchy ragtime music and the cool sepia filter whenever you enter the film. Boo Cinema is a testament to how even the more simplistic track layouts can be enhanced by World's mechanics.

9. Toad's Factory
Similarly to Airship Fortress, Toad's Factory is a very shot-for-shot remake with only a few extra alternate routes added. Not every one of these alternate routes are inherently faster, but there are some fun ones like the girder route near the end of the track. Visually, I'd say this version of Toad's Factory is a solid upgrade since it puts even more detail into showing how item boxes are created which I think is really cool, and dealing with the various conveyor belts is as fun as ever. My one gripe is the fact that the boxes that served as hazards in the first half are completely gone which is a bit of a shame, but it's a really small nitpick. Otherwise, this is still one of the series' best tracks and I'm glad it finally got a remake.

8. Shy Guy Bazaar
Shy Guy Bazaar is a track that feels perfect for Mario Kart World's mechanics, already boasting a lot of alternate routes that had you hopping across rooftops. But this remake adds even more alternate routes to the point where I'm still discovering new ones, from hidden ramps buried in the destructible objects, to a secret upper path outside the bounds of the course, there's a lot to discover here. Similarly to Salty Salty Speedway, I do think some of the routes here require a bit too much setup at the risk of missing out of large chunks of the track if you mess up, but it's nowhere near as noticeable here since Shy Guy Bazaar is still a pretty fun course even if you stick to the bottom route. I also can't go without bringing up the awesome variation that has you traveling inside Daisy's Palace which was such a cool secret to find. In general, the way this remake blends influences from both Sarassaland and Subcon is so cool, even if I do still think the original looks a bit more visually striking with how it's perpetually set at night. Shy Guy Bazaar in the daytime just doesn't hit the same.

7. Dino Dino Jungle
Dino Dino Jungle was a track I always liked, but the version of World made me love it. The shift to a Jurassic Park theming is so unique, and it allows the dinosaurs to play an even bigger role. There's a lot more different dinos here and they move around throughout a VS race making each race feel truly unique. And in Time Trials, they're always in the perfect spot to force you to adapt your route. DDJ in World feels like an entirely different experience from the original, less purely challenging and tense, but more kinetic and visually-interesting. While I can't say this is one of the best tracks in terms of utilizing World's mechanics, it absolutely stands out as one of if not the most chaotic course for racing which I think is just as important. This is my favorite retro track because of how unique of an experience it is, but the fact that it's only 7th just goes to show how good World's nitros can be and how well they complement the game's mechanics.

6. Whistlestop Summit
Whistlestop Summit seemed like a pretty basic rail-grinding tutorial at first, but it's actually way more dynamic than it initially seems. There are a lot of ways to go fast in Whistlestop Summit, from bouncing between rails and walls, to spamming forward tricks on the straighter rails, but there are even some inventive hazards like a rail that locks you into taking a wide turn and a train that can obstruct your path if you're not fully aware of your surroundings. The final stretch in particular is flowing with various potential routes including some especially daring rail jumps. Overall Whistlestop Summit has a skill ceiling that's through the roof and is incredibly rewarding to master, while also allowing for pretty varied races. And the music is great too, but that's a given. 

5. Dry Bones Burnout
For a while, I was pretty adamant that Dry Bones Burnout would be my favorite track in the game, and it is still very good. The Dia De Los Muertos aesthetic is such a cool take on a Dry Bones-themed stage, the music is an absolute bop, the turns are fairly tight, and it boasts a fun two-tiered layout that allows for a lot of different paths. I especially love the new lava mechanic in World in which you can boost through the lava with a mushroom, and its put to great use her with several fun potential Mushroom cuts. While I do think this track suffers a bit from having such an overtly obvious optimal route, the fact that the track itself is so narrow and often sharp means that it's not exactly easy to stick to that route during a race, especially with 24 players fighting to stay on the track's tiny paths and railings. So while it may not be my number 1 anymore, I still think Dry Bones Burnout is a highlight.

4. Rainbow Road
Mario Kart World's Rainbow Road is pretty polarizing and I can totally see why. On one hand, it's a gargantuan four-minute-long spectacle of a course that feels like the fullest realization of the approach Mario Kart 64 took to its Rainbow Road. It's not especially hard, but it is a gorgeous victory lap with a chill-inducing score that is constantly showing you new things the whole way through, ratcheting up the tension with each section. From the surprise water-riding bit, to the awesome space station area that feels like a redemption of MK8's Rainbow Road, to the climactic finale where you see all the friends you met along the way. But on the other hand, World's Rainbow Road isn't especially hard like Wii's version, nor is it as tightly-paced as 7's version. I don't think this is a track you can really grind out like many of the others in World due to its length and lack of alternate routes. And yet, I still love this Rainbow Road because it always reminds me why I love this game. It's such an immersive audiovisual feast that truly feels like a celebration not just of your achievements in the context of Mario Kart World, but a celebration of a new console generation. In such a tense, tight, and chaotic Mario Kart game that is constantly forcing me to make split-second decisions, World's Rainbow Road gives me a chance to breathe and soak in the game's gorgeous visuals.

3. Bowser's Castle
Bowser's Castle is another track that really rose in the ranks over time. Initially, it seemed fairly underwhelming due to its lack of hazards compared to other Bowser Castles. There are no Thwomps or firebars, just a few lava bubbles and the occasional meteor, though they are admittedly placed in pretty devious spots. But where this track lacks in hazards, it more than makes up for in layout, shortcut potential, and atmosphere. The opening section is filled with potential routes of varying difficulties and leads to this great risk/reward aspect to planning out the fastest route without screwing up, and the hyperspeed second half is not only tense and challenging on its own merits but also boasts some daring and satisfying shortcuts. As a matter of fact, this track has not one but two of the hardest and most iconic cuts in the entire game. But beyond just the layout, the hellish lava-storm atmosphere coupled with the heavy thrash music gives this Bowser's Castle such a tense, frenetic, and chaotic vibe that I like a lot. 

2. Great ? Block Ruins
My Top 2 picks are pretty close together because they both have very similar strengths. Great ? Block Ruins is one of the toughest tracks in the game even from a casual standpoint with its tight turns and myriad of pitfalls, but once you factor in its massive amount of routes and setups, it gets even more fun to mess around in. Like with Bowser's Castle, this track has two of the game's most satisfying shortcuts to nail especially that infamous ring jump. But even beyond that, the open area midway through the track branches out into so many different routes most of which are viable that it allows for a level of freedom that makes each race feel fresh. This is one of those tracks that I just don't think is gonna get old because there are so many valid routes to take through it, and the level of risk involved in many of its shortcuts means it requires a level of foresight that I find really engaging. It truly is a contender for the best track in the game, and yet...

1. Acorn Heights
Acorn Heights basically does everything Great ? Block Ruins does, but even better. The entire track is nonstop constant decision-making and despite its gargantuan amount of paths, pretty much all of them are viable for one reason or another. But because of how many of these paths lead into the next part of the track, you really have to plan ahead and be precise with your rail hops and tricks or else you will fly into a wall or off the stage. This is an unforgiving track for those who want to take its many shortcuts, and that's not even mentioning the giant acorn hazard that can ruin your plans if you don't adapt, but pulling off a clean run feels so damn good. I also need to praise Acorn Heights' atmosphere, between its gorgeous forest setting and lovely Celtic-inspired music. It takes everything I already loved about Maple Treeway and Wild Woods' aesthetics and amps it up even more. This is an immaculately designed and infinitely replayable Mario Kart track on every level and easily stands out as my favorite in Mario Kart World.

Mario Kart 64 Track Reviews

For a while now, I felt pretty comfortable touting Mario Kart 64 as my least favorite game in the series, primarily for its overly large track designs, blatantly rubberband-y AI, and a few other minor gripes. However, while it's certainly not as consistent of an experience as its predecessor, Mario Kart 64 really grew on me during my last playthrough of it. The controls are not only far superior to Super's controls but they also have a lot of interesting nuances, the pacing is some of the most frenetic in the series, and its best tracks far greater heights, so let's go through all of Mario Kart 64's tracks and review them.

Mushroom Cup

Luigi Raceway
Mario Kart 64 gets off to a bit of a slow start with its Mushroom Cup, which is mostly comprised of fairly basic loops. Luigi Raceway does have a cool Nascar-themed aesthetic, that iconic tunnel, and a balloon with a guaranteed Star hanging from it, but beyond all that set-dressing, it's a bent oval with two very wide turns and an abundance of dull straightaways. Mario Kart 64's tracks as a whole can often have a lot of downtime, but Luigi Raceway is one of the worst offenders here.
2/5 Stars

Moo Moo Farm
Moo Moo Farm is a track that actually grew on me a lot. I used to always pass it off for its incredibly short length and basic layout, but it's that short length and the bumpy terrain that make it a much more chaotic and frenetic track than Luigi Raceway. The standout is easily the Monty Moles though which are mostly placed in the near corner, which leads to a solid risk/reward system. This was also a thing in Donut Plains, but the Monty Moles didn't pop out of their holes nearly as much in that game as they do in 64, so hugging the corner in Moo Moo Farm actually feels genuinely risky and skill-based.
3/5 Stars

Koopa Troopa Beach
Koopa Troopa Beach is honestly way better of a track than it has any right to be. It might even be a perfect track. It takes the Koopa Beach setting from Super and really elevates it in a ton of dynamic ways, from the abundance of Koopa-themed rock structures to drive around, to a solid amount of ramps and shortcuts, to the fact that the water level can raise and lower keeping things varied. The atmosphere is pleasant as well especially with that stellar music, and the whole track just has a fantastic sense of flow to it.
5/5 Stars

Kalimari Desert
Kalimari Desert is a track that is conceptually and in fleeting moments very fun. Whenever the train shows up and you're about to cross the railway, you know things are about to get very chaotic. Whether you try to make it through before the train arrives or are frantically trying to brake before you get hit, it's a fun time... but it just doesn't happen often enough. I've gone through so many laps of this track where the train just doesn't appear, and it also doesn't help that the entire second half of the course has zero intersections with the train track which leaves it feeling really dry. I do like how wide open Kalimari Desert, I've always appreciated how explorative 64's tracks are, but it really needed more than just that train because as it is now, it's 90% boring and only 10% exciting.
2/5 Stars

Flower Cup

Toad's Turnpike
Toad's Turnpike is the first traffic stage in the series, and it might still be one of the best. The MK64 incarnation of Toad's Turnpike is brutal, it's absolutely packed with cars and you get seriously punished for hitting them. Compared to Mario Kart 8's version which is not only more open but adds more ways to get around the cars, I vastly preferred the more aggressive traffic in this version, especially in its infamous Mirror Mode incarnation. I also adore the sunset, vaporwave-y aesthetic of this original track that, once again, Mario Kart 8 completely ruined. So yeah, I really like this version of Toad's Turnpike, it's got a nice balance between sadistic difficulty and chill vibes making up for its fairly basic layout.
4/5 Stars

Frappe Snowland
Frappe Snowland is noteworthy for being the first truly twisty track in 64. After four fairly basic loops and a figure-eight, Frappe Snowland actually has a more dynamic layout that flows really nicely with its abundance of wavy roads. It's got a pretty cozy atmosphere with some nice visual flourishes too like the bridge, that giant snowman, and the snow tunnel at the end to keep things varied. The most polarizing aspect of the track are those exploding snowmen that can really set you back if you drive into them, which is especially problematic in that one place where they're just spammed across the track, but weaving around them does feel very satisfying once you've gotten used to the controls.
4/5 Stars

Choco Mountain
Choco Mountain is yet another really solid track in this very consistent cup. The chocolate visuals instantly help this track stand out, and it continues amping up the pressure with its turns compared to Frappe with its more cramped layout. The first third of Choco Mountain is quite strong too with its overlapping road and abundance of bumps, and the final third is easily the standout as it has you dodging boulders and trying not to fall off the cliff (I love how you get a guardrail in 50cc but not in the higher difficulties, very unique for this series). However, the midsection of the track is a bit dull as its mostly composed of a fairly light straightaway with little to keep things interesting, which ultimately prevents this otherwise great track from being a top-tier contender for me. It says a lot that the Tour/8DX version replaced that straightaway with a glide ramp.
4/5 Stars

Mario Raceway
Ending this cup off with yet another really strong track, Mario Raceway is easily one of the shortest and tightest tracks in the game, rarely ever giving you any downtime. There's an abundance of near-180 degree turns here, but there's also a lot of off-road allowing for cool shortcuts. If I had any gripes, it's that you can't drive up the side of the pipe at the end like in Wii, but that's a tiny nitpick at best. Most of Mario Raceway, while not the most remarkable, feels incredibly smooth to play on and is almost completely lacking in long straightaways.
4/5 Stars

Star Cup

Wario Stadium
Wario Stadium is a track that I consistently see at the bottom of people's track ranking and yeah, I kinda get it. The visuals are very rough (especially that Wario face) and it very much overstays its welcome. If Nintendo cut out that one long stretch where you're driving around the outside of the track, that alone could really clean up the pacing. But that aside, I don't know, I kinda like Wario Stadium. It's a nice skill check to make sure you know all the turns, starting really wide before getting smaller and smaller culminating in a genuinely tight final hairpin. There's also a whole bunch of bumps to convey that BMX feel (which I imagine would be very fun with a proper trick system), and the fact that missing the jump that send you back like a quarter of the track is honestly very funny.
3/5 Stars

Sherbet Land
Sherbet Land is basically Mario Kart 64's Vanilla Lake, having you drive around a giant lake formed out of cracked ice. And like with Vanilla Lake, this track is insanely hard, maybe even the hardest in the game for me. It's deceptively easy to slip off the ice, and the various cramped paths with penguins that can knock you out of the way are tough to manage. That being said, most of this track still feels pretty fair. A skilled player can easily hop over the cracks in the ice just like in Vanilla Lake, and the penguins' movement patterns are well telegraphed so that if you run into them, it generally feels like your own fault. At its worst, Sherbet Land can feel like a real frustration, but at its best, it's a solid challenge.
3/5 Stars

Royal Raceway
Royal Raceway is easily one of the tightest tracks in the game in terms of how much road you have, and like with Wario Stadium, the turns get tighter and tighter culminating in a really hard final stretch that has you carefully driving down a hill. Just like with Mario Raceway, there's a lot of potential for shortcuts, but there's now also a big pond in the middle of the track that can really set you back if you fall in which gives the course a solid amount of difficulty. I have no real complaints here, Royal Raceway is a legitimately fun challenge that further prepares you for the final track of the cup. And yeah, the Peach Castle easter egg is just the icing on the cake.
5/5 Stars

Bowser Castle
Mario Kart 64's Bowser Castle is easily the best track in Mario Kart 64, and it's still one of my favorite Bowser Castles in general. It's the only track in this game to be almost entirely comprised of 90 degree turns, but the detailed and varied environment and variety of memorable setpieces prevents the track from feeling stale. The moving Thwomps are a genuinely tense threat in the first half, and the spiral ramp followed by two tricky jumps make for a memorable finale. I also love the haunting atmosphere of this track, it's the most intimidating a Bowser Castle has ever felt in a Mario Kart game.
5/5 Stars

Special Cup

DK's Jungle Parkway
For the first three cups, Mario Kart 64 has had a pretty smooth difficulty curve with each track progressively increasing in complexity and quality. However, probably my biggest gripe with Mario Kart 64 is just how hard the Special Cup drops the ball, so prepare for a lot of gripes.

DK's Jungle Parkway isn't a bad course on the surface, and it has a few neat moments and ideas. The fact that you can get pelted by fruit for going offroad is a fun twist, and I love that big shortcut in the cave at the end which can really determine a race if someone gets a mushroom. However, the aesthetic is weak, with muddy visuals and dull music depriving this track of much energy. But most of all, the turns in DK's Jungle Parkway are really wide. Coming off the heels of the very difficult Star Cup, this track isn't hard at all, it just doesn't feel like a Special Cup track in any way.
3/5 Stars

Yoshi Valley
Yoshi Valley, on the other hand, stands up right alongside Sherbet Land as one of the hardest tracks in the game... but not for good reasons. Yoshi Valley is incredibly tight and lacking in guard rails, with the final stretch in particular being a pretty fun challenge. However, falling off the cliff will cause your character to slowly tumble to the bottom, and only then will you be picked up by Lakitu. Falling off is just too punishing in this track, it takes way too long and will almost always force you back into last place. And of course, then there's also the nonlinear layout. This is a cool concept in theory but the execution here is rough. Yoshi Valley only has a single objectively good route that's worth taking which pretty much mitigates any of that potential freedom, and not being able to see who's in first doesn't make the game more tense or difficult, it's just kinda annoying. I just don't think the N64 was able to handle Yoshi Valley, as is made clear by the Mario Kart 8 version fixing pretty much all its issues.
2/5 Stars

Banshee Boardwalk
Banshee Boardwalk is a bit of a slow burn of a track, with a fairly dull first half comprised of straightaways and the occassional sharp turn. Thankfully, as the track goes on, the turns get a lot sharper and the amount of guardrails decrease which makes the second half feel genuinely pretty tense. I also love the haunted house setpiece for its more open layout and the sheer amount of bats this game tosses at you. The bats in later Mario Kart games are barely a threat, but Mario Kart 64 launches so many at you that they can genuinely send you off course if you're not careful. I still don't think this track is as hard as it should be, but it still stands out as my favorite in the Special Cup (not that it's a high bar).
3/5 Stars

Rainbow Road
Ah, N64 Rainbow Road, my beloathed. So, obviously, this track is stellar from an aesthetic standpoint. The music is absolutely lovely, the contrast between the vibrant rainbow and the pitch-black expanse of space is striking, and all the constellations of the cast really give off the feeling of a victory lap. Sadly, the track itself is an absolute slog. Rainbow Road is supposed to be the final challenge, but this incarnation has insanely wide turns, zero gaps, a ton of straightaways, and a crushing length of 6+ minutes. This track utterly drags and since there's no real way for anyone to catch up, it also means it's the absolute mother of all frontrunning tracks. The one saving grace are the Chain Chomps which granted do cause a bit of panic whenever I see them in the distance, but they go by so fast and don't show up often enough to save what's otherwise the dullest track in the series.
1/5 Stars

Final Rankings

Now that we have all the tracks reviewed, here's my final tier list, with the battle stages for good measure:

 Overall, Mario Kart 64 is honestly a better game than I previously gave it credit for. Mechanically, it's leaps and bounds above its predecessor between the more nuanced controls and the introduction of a proper item system, it still has some of the best multiplayer in the series, and the otherworldly N64 era aesthetics still stand out to this day, but it also has quite a lot of solid tracks especially in the midgame. It may not have as smooth of a difficulty curve as Super, with a slow start and a frankly bad final cup, but at its best, Mario Kart 64 is the series at its most frenetic and cutthroat which is really what you want from a Mario Kart game.

Super Mario Kart Track Reviews

Mario Kart is one of my favorite series of all time, even within the greater Mario franchise. I've played all eight of its games countless times and I know their tracks like the back of my hand, so I knew that this was a series I wanted to thoroughly review one day. So let's start at the beginning with Super Mario Kart. I remember when this game was praised to high heavens and held up as one of the reigning best games in the series, but nowadays, I think Super gets a lot more flack than it really deserves. Between the slippery controls and flat Mode 7 tracks, it's easy to pass this one off as archaic and hard to go back to. But if you really give Super Mario Kart a proper chance and really invest some time into getting better at it, it's a fun early racing game with a damn solid difficulty curve. Each track iterates on the last with increasingly complex and challenging layouts, and by the time you beat Rainbow Road, you will really feel like a pro.

Mushroom Cup

Mario Circuit 1
Mario Circuit 1 is obviously the beginner track, so it's short, simple, and very open. There's a lot of space to move around, and the only obstacles you'll need to deal with are a few pipes peppering the turns. The first turn is similarly incredible wide, and can be easily navigated without needing to use the drift at all, which gives the player a chance to get their bearings. The later turns are a bit tighter, but they're still fairly light. Of course, this simplicity does mean that Mario Circuit 1 isn't the most fun track to replay for advanced players, with the only really notable shortcut being skipping a turn near the end of the track. It's a solid tutorial and that's all it really needed to be.
2/5 Stars

Donut Plains 1
I like the Donut Plains tracks a lot, they have a really nice flow to them. Donut Plains 1 immediately amps up the complexity, but without feeling like some massive difficulty spike. You get your first split wall shortcut, along with both a snaking road near the start of the track along with your first few full 180-degree turns. Despite this, Donut Plains 1 remains fairly generous. Most of the earlier turns can once again be easily navigated without needing to drift, and the 180-degree turns offer a lot of space for you to figure out the controls. And most importantly, there are no obstacles this time, Donut Plains 1 is solely about pulling off turns well. Unlike Mario Circuit 1 though, I think this track still holds up really well for experts. As I said, the Donut Plains tracks have a really nice flow to them which makes them fun to replay, even if DP1 is still the least interesting of the bunch.
3/5 Stars 

Ghost Valley 1
On the other hand, I'm a bit mixed on the Ghost Valley tracks due to their pretty sparse and dull aesthetic, but I think I've been a bit too harsh on Ghost Valley 1. This track introduces sharp 90-degree turns, but they're so wide that you don't really need to use the drift at all, which in turn makes this probably the easiest track for me. However, GV1 does have a few nuances that give it some points. Ramps are introduced as well and are iterated on really cleverly. First you have a mandatory jump in a safe area, then you have two ramps on the sides right behind item boxes. You can choose to either use the ramps, dodge them entirely, or hop over the ramps to get the items behind them. Then you get another mandatory ramp, but this time over a pit. And finally, the track ends with a shortcut over a pit but there's no ramp to get you there, so you'll either need a mushroom or feather to use it. Ghost Valley is also known for its unique walls which break away if you bump into them, which does add a bit of urgency but races don't tend to last long enough for them to be an especially serious threat. Overall, Ghost Valley 1 has a really boring layout, but the way it introduces the ramps almost makes up for it.
2/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 1
In a way, Bowser Castle 1 is basically Ghost Valley 1 but better. These tracks are similarly focused on sharp, angular turns, but Bowser Castle 1 is a much tighter track and there are now sharp 180-degree turns to deal with as well. You'll also now have to deal with multiple ramp jumps in quick succession over pits of lava. However, BC1 also has its own new gimmicks that it introduces quite well. This is the first track to have speed boosters, though they're once again introduced in a pretty safe area, and BC1 also has the first Thwomps in the game. Thwomps in Super Mario Kart are pretty cool because they only start moving on the second lap, giving you a chance to scout their location and learn the track before you start having to dodge them. And BC1 does not hesitate to start putting its Thwomps in some devious places, often right at the corner of the major turns. While the overall layout of BC1 is still fairly simple, it once again expands on the concepts introduced in previous tracks and can be a pretty chaotic time.
3/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 2
It might seem underwhelming that the final track of the first three cups is always a Mario Circuit, but trust me, on a mechanical level, these are some of the best tracks in the game. Mario Circuit 2 is the perfect final challenge for this tutorial cup, it has pretty much everything. It starts with a fairly snakey road, then you have two 90-degree turns, then the track sharpens, and then you have the tightest hairpin turn so far immediately followed by the largest jump in the game. The pipes are back from Mario Circuit 1, and the more harmful oil slicks are introduced as well. But easily my favorite thing about MC2 is its shortcut potential. There's already a bunch of places to cut through the sand with mushrooms, but nothing really tops that final shortcut. After the final jump, there's a hard-to-spot ramp hidden just out of bounds. If you can angle yourself and land on that ramp, you'll be able to bounce off it and skip the final turn entirely. This is the best shortcut in the game, it's challenging to pull off, punishing if you fail, but immensely satisfying if you succeed, and it doesn't require a mushroom. Mario Circuit 2 is a great track, a strong finale for the first cup in the game, and boasts a lot of replay value.
5/5 Stars

Flower Cup

Choco Island 1
Choco Island is far and away my least favorite biome in the game, mostly focusing its difficulty around messing with your controls. The ground is slippery, and there are often ramps litered everywhere that can send you off the track if you're not angled correctly (at least Super doesn't lock your movement like the DS version though). That being said, this is the better track of the two. Thankfully, Choco Island 1 is fairly open so navigating it doesn't get too frustrating yet. There's a bunch of coins and item boxes hidden right after ramps so you have to decide which ramps you want to use or if you just want to hop over all of them, and I like how that final stretch has chocolate puddle hugging the insides of each turn forcing you to choose if you want to risk slogging through them to make the turns faster or play it safe. Honestly, this track isn't half bad. Dare I say, it's actually pretty good?
3/5 Stars

Ghost Valley 2
Ghost Valley 2 is... strangely underwhelming? Like, it does iterate on Ghost Valley 1. The turns are a lot more frequent forcing you to be constantly zigzagging back and forth across the track there are more gaps for you to fall into, there's yet another gap shortcut that requires you to turn immediately after taking it, and if you pull off the final turn well enough, you'll get rewarded with a speed booster right before a ramp. However, this track is also really short, as in most laps last around 15-20 seconds. It always feels like GV2 ends just as it's getting good, and I don't think I got that feeling from any other Super Mario Kart track.
2/5 Stars

Donut Plains 2
Donut Plains 2 is another great Donut Plains track, and a solid jump in difficulty for Super Mario Kart. The first stretch of the track has you navigate a tight, snakey road next to a lake of water you can fall in, immediately followed once again by a bunch of increasingly tight 180-degree turns. Amping up the stakes even more, there are now Monty Moles to dodge as well, so the safety net of Donut Plains 1 has been pretty much completely removed. As per the usual, this track has a really satisfying flow to it once you get use to it, and you can pull off some impressive tracks and shortcuts as well with enough skill. I was able to use a mushroom to skim across the lake and cut through that entire first section, and it made me feel like a god.
4/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 2
Hoo boy, am I split on this one. Bowser Castle 2 is obviously most known for its infamous dead end, and yeah, that's pretty inexcusable. It doesn't matter if you can see it on the map, and it doesn't matter that you can use it as a feather shortcut, no other Mario Kart track has a dead end like this and it makes BC2 stick out like a sore thumb. Not to mention that immediately afterwards, you get an incredibly tight and constrictive maze area that always felt awkward to navigate. It's a shame because once again, this track has some good aspects. This is the first Super track to really introduce multiple pathways. The first stretch has a bunch of ramps over lava placed on both halves of the track subtly encouraging you to pick a path, only for the final stretch to wall them off completely. And for all the flack I give that maze section, I like how the harder paths come with perks like a speed booster and an item. But ultimately, I think it's the Thwomp placements that save this track for me. It's as if the developers know exactly where your average player is going to turn and placed each of the Thwomps at just the right spots to mess with them, and there's no gaps between them this time either.
2/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 3
Mario Circuit 3 is another infamous track, more for its frequent appearances in the later entries as a retro track. I don't think it's that bad though, especially Super where it's probably one of the most replayable for me. Mario Circuit 3 has an incredibly satisfying rhythm to it, each turn flows seamlessly after the next, and you'll rarely be spending much time in a straightaway. The highlight of MC3 is easily the three back-to-back 180-degree turns, one of which being arguably the tightest hairpin turn in the game. It's a tough but memorable challenge, and getting good at it feels very rewarding. There's also a shortcut and speed booster, but aside from two oil slicks, there aren't many hazards here. This is the only Mario Circuit to not have pipes to dodge and while I like that it allows you to focus on the turns, it does make MC3 feel somewhat empty compared to the tracks that directly precede and come after it.
4/5 Stars

Star Cup

Koopa Beach 1
Despite their simplicity, I like the Koopa Beach tracks. They're fun breathers in the middle of the game's harder cups, and Koopa Beach 1 in particular is a really unique track, focused around hopping across a bunch of islands. Turning isn't really a concern here, Koopa Beach 1 is basically a wide circle, and there's a lot of wide open space to drive around in allowing the player to chart their own path. And while the water slows you down a bit, you can circumvent that by hopping which allows you to take a ton of neat little cuts across the track without a mushroom. It's just a fun time through and through.
4/5 Stars

Choco Island 2
Choco Island 2 blows, this is hands down my least favorite track in Super Mario Kart. I already voiced my reasons for not liking this specific biome all that much, but CI2 amplifies these issues tenfold. Choco Island 1 was at least fairly wide and open, but Choco Island 2 immediately starts by asking you to wrangle its low traction on thin paths. The middle section forces you to slog through a huge chocolate river which slows you down and messes with your controls even more, and the track ends with a slew of haphazardly placed jumps immediately before one of the tracks' sharpest turns. Everything about Choco Island 2 feels like it's meticulously designed to annoy the heck out of you, and it's the only track in this game that I find outright miserable to play. But hey, at least it's not the Mario Kart DS version.
1/5 Stars

Vanilla Lake 1
Here's probably my biggest hot take, I like the Vanilla Lake tracks. Despite being known for being slippery, I find these courses a lot more palatable than the Choco Island ones as they tend to be more open, less sluggish, and offer more shortcut potential. Vanilla Lake 1 has a bunch of patches of snow to hop over, split paths, and cracked lakes to skip across. However, it does have some fundamental issues. Like Koopa Beach 1, it's pretty much a circle, but unlike in Koopa Beach 1 where cutting across the water is a legitimate challenge, hugging the inside of the track in Vanilla Lake 1 is hands down the easiest route. Most of the actually dangerous lakes are on the outside and are thus incredibly easy to avoid because of how open and generous the turns are. I'm also not a huge fan of having to break ice blocks in your way, but that's mostly an issue in the first lap or two.
3/5 Stars

Bowser Castle 3
SNES Bowser Castle 3 is often held up as one of the best Mode 7 Bowser Castles and yeah, it really is. This track does everything right, it's the perfect final challenge for this specific biome. It starts with a turn into a narrow path that you can get caught on, immediately setting the tone for how hard this track will be. There's a bunch of sections with multiple paths, with the ones closer to the inside of the track often being faster. There's Thwomps completely blocking a path pretty much forcing you to carefully squeeze through them, speed boosters and item boxes hidden right after ramps, and some very satisfying 90 and 180-degree turns. Bowser Castle 3 is the complete package, easily one of the best tracks in Super Mario Kart.
5/5 Stars

Mario Circuit 4
Mario Circuit 4 is basically Mario Circuit 3 but with a few minor tweaks and more pipes. The hairpin turn isn't as sharp as in MC3, but it tries to make up for that by having it immediately precede a thin strip of road. In theory, this should make Mario Circuit 4 the better track, but I'm not all that sure. It doesn't feel quite as good to navigate as Mario Circuit 3, and the more generous hairpin turn doesn't feel quite as satisfying to nail. And ultimately, the fact that the Star Cup's final track is just a modified version of the Flower Cup's final track is a bit of a let-down, especially off the heels of Bowser Castle 3. This is a solid and challenging track though, don't get me wrong, it's just not my favorite Mario Circuit.
3/5 Stars

Special Cup

Donut Plains 3
Donut Plains 3 is, in my opinion, the hardest track in the game. It's also my favorite. It tests you on pretty much everything you've learned throughout the game, from balancing on thin roads, dealing with water hazards, pulling off precise 180-degree turns, snakey paths, and a final stretch filled with Monty Moles to deal with. Most infamously, there's even a gap in the road that you need to hop over. Personally, I never found this particularly challenging like some other people have, the timing is quite generous, but I really like that the Special Cup demands early on that you know how to hop over gaps. Donut Plains 3 feels like a skill check to make sure you're good enough to see the rest of the Special Cup, and I love it for that.
5/5 Stars

Koopa Beach 2
Like its predecessor, Koopa Beach 2 is meant to be the breather track within the otherwise brutal Special Cup, and it does its job well. I like the concept of circling around an island (even if 64 does it better), and despite its fairly easy difficulty, there's already a lot of opportunities to utilize the jump. The midsection of the track has you go into the water and dodge a bunch of small deep sections that you can often jump over, and the end of the beach often has a lot of divots you can hop across as well. I'm not a huge fan of how the inner section of the island is entirely out of bounds though, it limits how much you can really snap this track in half like some of the other circular courses in this game.
3/5 Stars

Ghost Valley 3
Ghost Valley 3 is actually really good, far and away the best iteration of Ghost Valley. It further expands on what GV2 brought to the table, with more gaps in the walls, long stretches without any walls, pitfalls in the middle of the track for you to hop over, and of course, yet another feather shortcut. I also like that speed booster/ramp combo that can take over a bunch of pits that you'd otherwise have to avoid. Ghost Valley 3 manages to maintain the frenetic zigzagging of its predecessor, but it's also an actually decent length this time. It's a real shame this track never got remade yet, there's a lot of potential here.
4/5 Stars

Vanilla Lake 2
Vanilla Lake 2 is probably the most hated Super Mario Kart track, so of course, it just so happens to be one of my favorites. This track has you circling a giant lake formed by cracks in the ice, there's a lot of sharp divots and ice chunks floating around in the water. If you played the track normally, you'd probably have to deal with some sharp turns pushing you further out of the inner circle... but you don't have to. Vanilla Lake 2 is the kind of track that could only work in a Mode 7 game, focused entirely around using hops to skip over the water, bouncing across floating sheets of ice to save as much time as possible. It's tough and you're in much more danger of falling, but you can go far past the other CPUs if you're daring enough. And if you happen to get a mushroom or feather, the possibilities are absolutely limitless. My one big gripe with Vanilla Lake 2 is that one wall of ice blocks you need to break down to pass, they halt the pacing of the first lap pretty badly, but once again, everything is so strong that Vanilla Lake 2 manages to be a game highlight for me regardless.
4.5/5 Stars

Rainbow Road
Rainbow Road has always had this mystique around it, and for good reason. It's the only biome to have a single track, it's the only biome to not be based on Super Mario World, and it kinda just hits you out of nowhere. From an atmosphere perspective, Super's Rainbow Road is great... but from a track design perspective, I'm honestly not a fan? The big issue is the fact that the layout is really mediocre, being a rigid series of sharp 90-degree turns that are easy to pull off without even needing to drift. As a matter of fact, the only difficulty comes from the track not having any walls or off-roads, which only really serves to discourage you from drifting at all. Racing on Rainbow Road feels static, there's no shortcut potential or deviation from what's otherwise a pretty stale path (unless you have a feather of course). The one potentially cool shortcut is the ramp right on the split path near the end, but using a mushroom on it will send you flying off the track anyway.  As a result, Rainbow Road doesn't really feel like a final challenge that tests you on the game's mechanics. Donut Plains 3 and Vanilla Lake 2 do a much better job at that if you ask me. That being said, I don't think this is a bad track. Once again, the Thwomp placements are great and I like how they actually spin you out this time, a legitimate stroke of genius. However, as a final track, SNES Rainbow Road feels underwhelming even by the standards of Super Mario Kart, primarily carried by its aura.
2/5 Stars

Final Rankings

Now that we have all the tracks reviewed, here's my final tier list:

 

 

Overall, Super Mario Kart's track roster really isn't as bad as I think a lot of people make it out to be. Spectacle in a Mario Kart can be great, but Super's best tracks show that an engaging layout and enough mechanical depth can be enough to make up for that. This is a game that knows its scope well, and manages to wring as much out of its limitations as it can, training you to learn, discover, and master its nuances (which is more than I can say about the next game, but more on that when I get to it).