Again, the style actually seems a bit charming, but there is so little going on in the course that it really makes for a lackluster experience-and while I appreciate the style they attempted, racing on a flat terrain uninterrupted for about two minutes is not my idea of a grand finale to a cup like this, especially since the 3D factor is nowhere near as advantageous as it is in Koopa Troopa Beach with its ramps and special shortcut. You simply drive within the sunset to the farewell-like tune of the music. The environment is entirely barren and lonely. So course wise, nothing interesting seems to happen. (MK64 had a weird aesthetic that is better highlighted in later courses.) The entire course is a mere loop that lends itself to the idea of “sandbagging”, which is a method of cutting corners for time in this game. I can see that they were going for that style, though, given the course’s setup and the aesthetic and music at least make it solemn and calming, to say the least. A seemingly Western styled one at that like Sunset Wilds given the giant rocky spires in the background, but very barren in contrast. With that, this is one of my least favourite courses in the franchise.Īs the first desert course in the series, it really gives the impression that the environment is a.desert. Then again, it seems to progress in a sense where the course following the highlight gets better with each game, so thank you MK64 for being a pioneer in this regard.

Now, in other games where the highlight of the Mushroom Cup came just before the finale, it still led the way to something.worth ending on in a way (Bowser Castle 1 is not terrible albeit contributing to MKSC’s oversaturation of Bowser Castles, Dry Dry Desert was okay, and Toad’s Factory was fun). Not to mention it is basically how we end the Mushroom Cup in this game. It has been brought to my attention that Koopa Troopa Beach is often considered the highlight of the Mushroom Cup in MK64 moreso than Kalimari Desert, so I have no guilt in criticising the way that this course works-and boy, is it flawed. Either way, it was not completely terrible but not quite compelling.)

(I never quite grasped why every retro course from MK64 used in MK7 had to come from the Mushroom Cup, and, quite frankly, this seems like the least useful choice since there could have been an opportunity to tweak the design of it in a game like MK8 or leave it as the last course for MK9.

Mario kart 64 music kalimari desert mp3