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Waluigi Pinball

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Waluigi Pinball
Mario Kart location
Waluigi Pinball as shown in Mario Kart DS (2005)
First appearanceMario Kart DS (2005)
Last appearanceMario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass (2022)
Created byNintendo
GenreKart racing
In-universe information
TypeKart circuit / pinball machine
LocationMushroom Kingdom

Waluigi Pinball[a] is a race track that made its first appearance in the 2005 video game Mario Kart DS, an entry in the Mario Kart series of kart racing games. The course takes place inside a giant pinball machine themed after the character Waluigi. It has reappeared, without much change, in later iterations of the series.

The track has received praise from critics, ranking high in all-time rankings of courses in the series. It has also been noted for its characterization of Waluigi and the execution of its concept.

Concept and design

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The mini-map of the course as shown in Mario Kart DS

Waluigi Pinball is a race track that is set entirely inside of a large pinball machine decorated with neon lights.[1] A psychedelic backdrop similar to that of Rainbow Road is featured outside of the machine. The start of the course has the player launched out of a chute on the side of the machine, landing at the top of the board.[2][3] They then zigzag down the track until reaching the main surface of the pinball table, which includes large bumpers.[4][5] Other obstacles throughout include large paddles and metal balls, which roll down the middle of the track from the top and also crisscross in the player's path in the lower part of the course.[6][7][8] The bumpers and paddles have a chance to either give the player a speed boost or temporarily stun them.[9] Waluigi Pinball was originally conceptualized to have featured Luigi or Donkey Kong as the lead character in its Mario Kart DS iteration, with files in the game's code showcasing a lighter-themed pinball machine set in the daytime titled "luigi_course" and a nighttime version called "donkey_course".[10]

Appearances

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Waluigi Pinball made its debut in the 2005 installment Mario Kart DS as a part of the Flower Cup, which contained three other tracks.[11] A court based off the track appeared in the 2010 game Mario Sports Mix.[12] It subsequently appeared in 2011's Mario Kart 7, in the Banana Cup.[13][14]

In October 2019, the track was added to Mario Kart Tour in the "Halloween Tour" event. It accompanied the addition of Waluigi as a playable character.[15][16] After being absent in the base game of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the course was added to the game in August 2022 through the second wave of the Booster Course Pass DLC.[17][18] Its appearance in Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 was kept very similar to that of its original appearance in Mario Kart DS, with its main updates between games being polished visuals.[4] In 2024, the course made an appearance as a minigame in Super Mario Party Jamboree, in which players try to reach the highest score playing pinball against NPCs.[19]

Reception

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Waluigi Pinball was praised by critics. On the track's release in the Mario Kart 8 DLC, Tom Philips of Eurogamer called it "one of the most adored Mario Kart tracks of all time"[4] and Engadget's Kris Holt dubbed it a "fan-favorite".[20] Kelsey Raynor of VG247 praised the course for its characterization of Waluigi, with its sharp turns, neon lights, and obnoxious noises.[1][21] Writing for Destructoid, Peter Glagowski called it the best track in the series, noting its high-quality design and how "catchy" the track was.[5]

The course has ranked high in all-time rankings of Mario Kart courses. It was placed third on the 2017 "The 50 Greatest Mario Kart Courses, Ranked" list by Thrillist's Joshua Khan.[9] Waluigi Pinball made Digital Spy's top ten list of tracks in 2014, with its concept of players making their way down a pinball machine being praised.[3] In 2021, GamingBolt placed it third on their "15 Best Tracks of All Time" ranking, noting its creativity and sound design.[2] It was also placed on Pocket Tactics' 2025 unranked list of the "The 14 best Mario Kart tracks of all time", where it was praised for how it well conveyed Waluigi's personality.[6]

In April 2024, large shortcut in the DS version of the course was found, in which the player can save time in the middle of the course by jumping onto a guardrail from a ramp. The strategy was already known by tool-assisted speedrun users, but it was only in 2024 when it was discovered that the shortcut was humanly possible. The discovery led to an increase in attention in speedrunning and time trials in the game and the world record being broken by six seconds within five days. [22]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Japanese: ワルイージピンボール, Hepburn: Waruīji Pinbōru

References

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  1. 1 2 Raynor, Kelsey (November 14, 2022). "It's Mario Kart DS' 17th anniversary, and Waluigi Pinball is still one of the best tracks in the series". VG247. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  2. 1 2 Parijat, Shubhankar (2021-03-26). "Mario Kart Series – 15 Best Tracks of All Time | Page 13". GamingBolt. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  3. 1 2 Reynolds, Matthew (May 25, 2014). "Mario Kart: The 10 best ever tracks". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  4. 1 2 3 Philips, Tom (August 5, 2022). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's unmissable second DLC polishes some of the series' best tracks". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  5. 1 2 Andriessen, C. J. (April 23, 2017). "Baby Park in Double Dash is easily the best Mario Kart track". Destructoid. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  6. 1 2 Christie, Connor (October 9, 2025). "The 14 best Mario Kart tracks of all time". Pocket Tactics. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  7. ↑ "Nintendo Official Magazine 162". Nintendo Official Magazine. February 2006. p. 95. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  8. ↑ "Nintendo Power Issue 199". Nintendo Power. January 2006. p. 69. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  9. 1 2 Khan, Joshua (February 10, 2017). "The 50 Greatest 'Mario Kart' Courses, Ranked". Thrillist. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  10. ↑ "Mario Kart DS' Waluigi Pinball almost focused on Luigi or Donkey Kong". GoNintendo. September 6, 2022. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  11. ↑ Cube Issue 52. December 2005. p. 37.
  12. ↑ Patron, Jourdon (March 27, 2012). "Sports Walkthrough part 17 - Mario Sports Mix Guide". IGN. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  13. ↑ Dutton, Fred (November 22, 2011). "Full Mario Kart 7 track list revealed". Eurogamer.net. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  14. ↑ Carter, Chris (October 21, 2019). "Waluigi pinball forces its way into Mario Kart Tour". Destructoid. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  15. ↑ Lee, Julia (October 21, 2019). "The horrible Waluigi is joining Mario Kart Tour". Polygon.com. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  16. ↑ Robinson, Andy (October 22, 2019). "Mario Kart Tour Time Trials announced for Halloween". VGC. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  17. ↑ Nunneley-Jackson, Stephany (July 28, 2022). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 2 will come hurtling around the corner very soon". VG247. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  18. ↑ Porter, Jon (July 28, 2022). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's second wave of DLC tracks is coming August 4th". The Verge. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  19. ↑ Henley, Stacey (October 17, 2024). "Mario Party Jamboree Put Me Off Waluigi And Pinball For Life". TheGamer. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  20. ↑ Holt, Kris (July 28, 2022). "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's second set of new tracks arrives on August 4th". Engadget. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  21. ↑ Raynor, Kelsey (August 5, 2022). "Mario Kart 8 Wave 2 of DLC brings back one of the series' best tracks". VG247. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
  22. ↑ Narita, Sayoko (April 18, 2024). "『マリオカートDS』のとあるコースで「約18年越しの新ショートカット」発見。走者がTASを手動再現し、世界記録更新ラッシュ". AUTOMATON (in Japanese). Retrieved 2026-07-30.
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