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Baby Park

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Baby Park
Mario Kart location
Baby Park as reimagined in Mario Kart 8 (2015)
First appearanceMario Kart: Double Dash (2003)
Last appearanceMario Kart Tour (2022)
Created byNintendo
GenreKart racing
In-universe information
TypeKart circuit / Amusement park
LocationMushroom Kingdom

Baby Park[a] is a fictional race track that made its first appearance in the 2003 kart racing video game Mario Kart: Double Dash, part of the Mario Kart series. The race track is a simple oval shape set within an amusement park, with a typical race on the track consisting of seven laps compared to the series average of three. The track has since made an appearance in multiple subsequent installments within the series. The track received praise from critics and has been described as one of the best tracks in the series' history due to the track's simplistic design meshing well with Mario Kart's items in moments to occur during a race, making the track chaotic and unpredictable.

Characteristics

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A mock-up of Baby Park's map

Baby Park is a race track located inside of a baby-themed amusement park, with key landmarks of the park being a roller coaster, merry-go-round, and Ferris wheel.[1][2] The track itself is in the shape of an oval with two sharp hairpin turns on either side of the track, which allow the player to perform drifts. In Mario Kart 8, Baby Park was redesigned to be placed at an angle to make the track accessible for anti-gravity racing, 8's signature game mechanic that allows racers to drive on uneven sections of track and collide with other racers for speed boosts.[3][4] Additionally, 8's version of Baby Park has the item boxes in constant motion around the track, meaning a player is much more likely to get an item quickly.[3] The track is one of the shortest in the Mario Kart series, taking only ten to twenty seconds to clear a lap normally, and only eight seconds in Mario Kart 8's fastest driving speed.[5][6][7] To balance out Baby Park's short size, the track takes seven laps to complete in Double Dash and 8, and five laps in DS,[8] compared to the usual three laps for most tracks in the series.[b][3][10] Another feature unique to Baby Park is that the track's music speeds up each time the player completes a lap, instead of only on the last lap.[2]

Due to the track's short size, the track became notorious for its close-proximity racing and item attacks. Items such as green shells, banana peels and Bowser shells[c] can ricochet off the walls multiple times, making the track become a lot trickier to navigate.[5] Additionally, the track's length often caused players to lap others who are far behind, meaning no matter the player's position they are susceptible to every players' item attack in their proximity.[12][13]

Appearances

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Baby Park made its debut in the 2003 installment Mario Kart: Double Dash; directed by Yasuyuki Oyagi, Futoshi Shirai, Daiji Imai and designed by Tsuyoshi Watanabe.[14] The track, depicted as being the signature track for characters Baby Mario and Baby Luigi,[12] is a part of the Mushroom Cup; the first of multiple Cups each containing four tracks.[15] Baby Park reappeared in the subsequent entry in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart DS (2005) as one of the game's retro tracks.[6] Baby Park didn't make a follow-up appearance until the second wave of DLC for Mario Kart 8 in 2015, alongside other new and returning tracks.[16][17] The track's most recent appearance was in 2022 when the track was featured in the "Cat Tour" update for Mario Kart Tour.[18]

Reception

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Baby Park has gained generally positive reception, with the track topping lists of Mario Kart tracks and many publications declaring it as one of the best tracks the series has to offer.[2][12][19] Screen Rant's Scott Baird commented that what made the track work well was it's simplistic and cramped layout, which meant that no position was safe from any other player's barrage of items. He stated that Baby Park "[encapsulates] what makes Mario Kart fun in only a tiny arena".[12] CJ Andriessen from Destructoid commented that Baby Park was like no other track, describing it as a "baby-themed thunder dome". He likened the track more to the Battle Mode commonly featured in Mario Kart instalments, adding that he preferred the Double Dash version of the track because of that game's character exclusive items making the track a lot more hectic.[6] GamesRadar+'s David Roberts felt that Baby Park is the best track for item-based races, adding that it's the source for consistent chaos and madness but doesn't get old thanks to its short length.[3] When correcting mistakes in their Double Dash review, Edge Online recounted Baby Park as being the series at its "brilliant, chaotic best", feeling this was as mad as the series got.[20]

Writer Kate Gray wrote about how she believed Baby Park to be the series' one true track thanks to its chaos and tight turns requiring a good understanding of drifting. Gray further equated the track to a battle of survival, describing it as the "perfect microcosm of equality".[21] Later writing for Nintendo Life, she praised the track as being a combination of what she believes makes the series great, describing it as being like "a sprint, a hurdle race, and an obstacle course". Gray further asked that the series include more tracks like Baby Park, believing Mario Kart lacks fast, simple tracks.[22] Conversely, Mike Diver of Waypoint disputed Gray's praise when comparing the track to the tracks featured in Mario Kart 8's Star Cup, marking it as being repetitive and lacking memorable moments, though stated the track was still great in isolation of the comparison.[23] Zachary Miller from Nintendo World Report praised the track for its chaotic nature thanks to the combination of items and a simple layout, commenting that it makes the track more about luck rather than skill. Miller also praised 8's version of the track, describing it as being magical.[24] Game Rant's Kirsten Moreton shared similar sentiments, believing that the track's reliance on items embraced what made the series stand out amongst other titles in the genre. Moreton continued that the track coupled with items made Baby Park unpredictable, offering players something unique from every other track in the series.[9]

Notes

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  1. ^ Japanese: ベビィパーク, Hepburn: Bebī Pāku
  2. ^ Other iterations of the track are capped at five instead.[9]
  3. ^ Bowser shells only appear in Double Dash and Tour.[6][11]

References

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  1. ^ Irwin, Jon (21 April 2017). "The 15 Best Mario Kart Tracks". Paste Magazine. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Levene, Jeff (30 March 2023). "Best Mario Kart Tracks". The Escapist. Archived from the original on 22 May 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Roberts, David (9 May 2017). "The five best tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe". GamesRadar+. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  4. ^ "「マリオカート8」，有料追加コンテンツ第2弾の新コース/新マシンの情報が一挙公開。各コースの紹介動画もあり". 4Gamer (in Japanese). 15 April 2015. Archived from the original on 17 June 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b Nonoka, Nishina (22 December 2022). "第五回マリカにじさんじ杯本戦から見る、『マリオカート 8DX』の問題児コース「ベビィパーク」". Real Sound (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Andriessen, CJ (23 April 2017). "Baby Park in Double Dash is easily the best Mario Kart track". Destructoid. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  7. ^ Robinson, Nick (15 April 2015). "Watch a blazingly fast eight-second lap in Mario Kart 8's 200cc mode". Polygon. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  8. ^ Bramley, Nate (April 22, 2022). "Top 10 Mario Kart tracks of all time!". Happy Mag. Archived from the original on May 27, 2024. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Moreton, Kirsten (3 July 2023). "10 Best Mario Kart Tracks Of All Time". Game Rant. Archived from the original on 24 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  10. ^ Gray, Kate (18 April 2015). "Battlefront and Baby Park fight for our attention - and our favourite GTA 5 movies so far". TechRadar. Archived from the original on 14 April 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  11. ^ Craddock, Ryan (2 September 2019). "Mario Kart Double Dash's Special Items Are Making A Comeback With Mario Kart Tour". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 26 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  12. ^ a b c d Baird, Scott (9 May 2017). "Mario Kart's 15 Best Tracks (That Are Way More Fun Than You Remember)". Screen Rant. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  13. ^ Mejia, Ozzie (20 April 2015). "Mario Kart 8 previews six new tracks ahead of April 23 DLC release". Shacknews. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  14. ^ Nintendo (7 November 2003). Mario Kart: Double Dash (GameCube). Nintendo. Directors: Yasuyuki Oyagi, Futoshi Shirai, Daiji Imai Designer: Tsuyoshi Watanabe
  15. ^ "キノコカップ". Nintendo (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 3 April 2023. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  16. ^ Hillier, Brenna (15 April 2015). "Mario Kart 8 DLC trailer confirms Baby Park track". VG247. Archived from the original on 21 May 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  17. ^ Powers, Rory (15 April 2015). "Baby Park and Neo Bowser Coming to Mario Kart 8 - IGN News". IGN. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  18. ^ Reynolds, Ollie (27 May 2022). "Mario Kart Tour Is About To Get One Of The Franchise's Best Tracks". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 3 June 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  19. ^ Maddock, Bryson (3 November 2023). "5 BEST Mario Kart Maps, Ranked Worst to Best". Insider Gaming. Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  20. ^ Edge Staff (27 July 2024). "Ten controversial Edge reviews". Edge Online. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  21. ^ Gray, Kate (17 May 2017). "Baby Park Is Obviously the Best 'Mario Kart 8' Track". Waypoint. Archived from the original on 8 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  22. ^ Gray, Kate (4 August 2022). "Soapbox: All I Want From Mario Kart 8's DLC Is More Tracks Like Baby Park". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 28 July 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  23. ^ Diver, Mike (2 June 2017). "Star Cup Is the Very Best Cup in 'Mario Kart 8'". Archived from the original on 15 March 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  24. ^ Miller, Zachary (17 May 2015). "Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 Review Mini". Nintendo World Report. Archived from the original on 5 September 2023. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
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