Desert Hills is the first track of the Flower Cup in Mario Kart DS. The course reappears as a retro course in Mario Kart Wii as the first racetrack of the Leaf Cup.
In Mario Kart DS[]
Wario racing on the track
Desert Hills takes elements from Desert Land from Super Mario Bros. 3, including Pokeys and the Angry Sun shooting Fire Snakes, hills, pyramids, and pipes and blocks appearing in the background. Near the start of the course, there is also an oasis.
This track has bad cornering if turned regular, however, if the player powerslides, cornering becomes easier. Driving into darker sand either slows players' karts or makes them go out of bounds, having Lakitu drag them out. The Angry Sun can also be seen in this stage sending out Fire Snakes that can spin players around when coming in contact with one.
R.O.B. in the ROB-LGS is used as the Staff Ghost for this track.
Missions[]
In Mission Mode, Missions 2-6 and 4-4 also take place in this course, and Wario is the playable character in both of them. In Mission 2-6, Wario has to destroy 5 Pokeys with Bob-ombs, and in Mission 4-4, he must drive through 7 numbered gates within 45 seconds.
Glitches[]
If the player drives into the darker sand by the oasis at the right angle, they will fall into the water and there will be no splash animation.
In Mario Kart Wii[]
Dry Bones racing on the track
This track also appears in the Mario Kart Wii as the first track in the Retro Leaf Cup. Like with most retro tracks in Mario Kart Wii, this track receives graphical improvements. Some other changes were included to the track itself as well, such as karts or bikes spinning out instead of flipping when making contact with Pokeys, and the course map has been rotated 180 degrees.
If racers utilize Mushroom, they are able to bypass many of this course's walls and skip certain sections entirely.
The staff ghost uses Dry Bones, using the Standard Bike S and the Tiny Titan for the normal and expert staff ghosts respectively.
Tournaments[]
A single tournament took place on this track, as the first tournament of December 2009. Racers had to defeat 10 Pokeys with either Stars or Triple Green Shells, as quickly as possible.
Shortcuts[]
The first shortcut is among taking about half of the first turn and driving past the pyramid with Mushrooms, a Boo, or a Starman. The second shortcut can be taken right after the first, by boosting throufh another patch of sand, bypassing the first Pokey. Players can then take a series of shortcuts and skips by the groups of hills before the end of the track (ideally with Triple Mushrooms), though they must be careful to avoid the darker sand and going out of bounds.
Flavor text[]
Mario Kart DS[]
- Instruction booklet bio: "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy."
- Website bios
- North American: "This racetrack built in the middle of the desert tends to be quite bumpy. Watch out for fireballs and stray Pokeys!"
- European: "Bring plenty of sunscreen and seat cushions for this race because the baking desert heat and bumpy terrain can give unprepared drivers serious sunburn and saddle sores. Watch out for the Pokeys too - walking cacti that can stop a speeding kart in its tracks and cost you precious seconds."
Mario Kart Wii[]
- European website bio: "If you can't stand the heat, then stay away from the desert hills! Fireballs falling from the sun make it even tougher to negotiate the high turns snaking through the dunes."
- Trading Card bio: "Desert Hills is not a very difficult course to get around, but it provides a perfect canvas for you to paint a racing masterpiece upon. Spend time on this track dialing your cornering techniques. Be sure to use Mushrooms (if you've got them) to blast over the tall dunes before the start/finish line."
