London Loop
London Loop in Mario Kart Tour
View of Big Ben and the starting line
Information
Appears in Mario Kart Tour (2019 (1), 2020 (2), 2021 (3))
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Booster Course Pass, Wave 3) (2022)
Tour(s)
Based on London and Westminster, England
Online play Available (Switch)
Music sample
Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (frontrunning)
Course map
Mario Kart Tour
London Loop
London Loop from Mario Kart Tour
London Loop 2
Map of London Loop 2 from Mario Kart Tour.
London Loop 3
Map of London Loop 3 from Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Map of Tour London Loop in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Staff ghost(s)
8DX 150cc Nin★Frank
2:20.500 Mario's head icon in Mario Kart 8Comet body from Mario Kart 8SlimSuper Glider from Mario Kart 8
8DX 200cc Nin★Alice
1:38.896 Red Yoshi iconSports Coupe body from Mario Kart 8StandardSuper Glider from Mario Kart 8

London Loop is a race course in Mario Kart Tour. It is set in London, England, and makes its debut in the city’s namesake tour, the London Tour. London Loop has three routes, named London Loop, London Loop 2, and London Loop 3, each with its own R, T, and R/T variant. The second route made its debut in the Baby Rosalina Tour, due to Baby Rosalina's detective outfit, which is a reference to Sherlock Holmes, a fictional resident of London, while the third route debuted in the 2021 Halloween Tour. The course features various landmarks from the cities of London and Westminster, with the first route focusing on the main metropolitan areas, the second route focusing on the outskirts, and the third route focusing on the River Thames. The first and second routes have the racers go around London clockwise; however, the third route has them go around counterclockwise instead.

The first route of this course is a favorite of Red Koopa (Freerunning), Daisy (Holiday Cheer), Luigi (Classic), Peach (Wedding), and Dixie Kong. The second route is a favorite of Baby Rosalina (Detective), Mario (SNES), Mario (Racing), Mario (Golf), King Boo (Gold), Kamek, Waluigi (Vampire), Dr. Bowser, and the Donkey Kong and Wario Mii Racing Suits. The third route is a favorite of Birdo (Black), Daisy (Holiday Cheer), Fire Rosalina, Mario (Baseball), Luigi (Golf), Dr. Mario, Cat Mario, Waluigi (Vampire), and the Gold Mii Racing Suit.

The music for this course bears similarities to that of Rock Rock Mountain, as well as being a reference to 1960s British rock music.

London Loop appears in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass as the first course of the Rock Cup.

Mario Kart Tour

Course layouts

The city course's routes in relation to each other.

London Loop

The course begins to the right of Big Ben, followed by a gradual right next to a double-decker bus. The road then weaves its way around Nelson's Column, then makes another gradual right through Charing Cross and a part of Trafalgar Square before making a sharp left at St Paul's Cathedral. The player then reaches Leadenhall Market, which they exit after making a single slight right. After another sharp right with a Chain Chomp in a green space in front of the Tower of London, the player crosses Tower Bridge, then takes another sharp right past City Hall and The Shard with the London Eye in the background. After a left sigmoid curve, the player returns to the finish line.

The course also appears as London Loop R (reverse), London Loop T (with ramps), and London Loop R/T (reverse and with ramps).

This specific route was the only European city course route that was not brought back in the Metropolitan Tour.

London Loop 2

The course begins to the right of the Big Ben on Westminster Bridge. Players take a slight right to enter St James's Park in front of Buckingham Palace. A few Chain Chomps are located in the green space, one in the very center and one outside the palace. Racers drive down a long street shortly afterwards, driving past the British Museum, eventually leading to a ramp with The Shard visible in the far background. Racers take a right to Trafalgar Square before eventually driving across Waterloo Bridge, passing the London Eye. A U-bend to the right is taken, which leads racers back on to Westminster Bridge before arriving at the finish line.

The course also appears as London Loop 2R (reverse), London Loop 2T (with ramps), and London Loop 2R/T (reverse and with ramps).

London Loop 3

The course starts on the Westminster Bridge, though it faces away from Big Ben, the opposite direction of London Loop and London Loop 2. Racers take a left turn and travel past the London Eye before taking a right by the River Thames, passing The Walkie-Talkie and the City Hall. Two boats can be seen floating on the river. Shortly after, the racers must take a U-bend to the left to cross Tower Bridge. A wide bend to the left around the green space of the Tower of London follows, with a Chain Chomp in the center. Players then drive back to The Walkie-Talkie before taking a right to access a path besides the River Thames. After driving below a bridge, the player takes one last left to reach the finish line, passing Big Ben.

The course also appears as London Loop 3R (reverse), London Loop 3T (with ramps), and London Loop 3R/T (reverse and with ramps).

Appearances

For this course's tour appearances, see List of London Loop tour appearances in Mario Kart Tour.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

 
London Loop in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

London Loop returns in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the third wave of the Booster Course Pass. It is the first course of the Rock Cup. The course has received significant visual upgrades, and is now set in cloudy weather. The London Eye now moves, unlike in Mario Kart Tour. The various barrels and crates on the course have been removed. The minimap is rotated 90 degrees clockwise and features multiple paths that are unused in Mario Kart Tour, such as one to the right of Leadenhall Market and one going beneath the Admiralty Arch. This makes London Loop the second Mario Kart Tour city course to include roads that were unused at the time of their appearance in the Booster Course Pass, after Sydney Sprint and alongside Berlin Byways.

The first lap is based on the first London Loop route. Racers begin on Westminster Bridge, facing Big Ben. An arrow field immediately directs them to turn right and drive through Charing Cross. Unlike in Mario Kart Tour, racers can perform tricks off of the center of the roundabout. They can also drive the long way around the roundabout, though there is no benefit to doing so. Either way, players then drive around the front of St Paul's Cathedral and come to Leadenhall Market. They can still drive through it, but there is now also the option to drive on a straighter path to its right, which is unused in Tour. From there, they drive through a right curve past a Chain Chomp chained outside the Tower of London, across Tower Bridge, and back to the starting line taking the route past The Shard.

The second lap is based on London Loop 2. As such, racers go straight ahead and enter St. James's Park. There is another Chain Chomp there, and an additional one chained near the left side of the gate. After leaving the park, an arrow field directs racers left through a long road, with exits with a ramp pointed toward the front door of the Bush House. Players then drive across Waterloo Bridge before taking two right turns to reach the starting line again.

The third and final lap is a combination of London Loop 2 again and London Loop 3R. Players once again drive through St. James's Park. However, the Chain Chomp has broken loose and is now roaming around, occasionally crossing onto the road. The Chain Chomp outside the park's gate has also freed itself and gone through the Admiralty Arch to circle the Charing Cross. Racers, too, drive under the Admiralty Arch and go straight through Charing Cross towards the River Thames (where an unchained Chain Chomp is swimming, of no consequence to the player). Players drive along the Thames and under the Waterloo Bridge before taking the right turn near the Tower of London again, whose Chain Chomp has also broken loose. They drive over the Tower Bridge again (although there is no Glide Ramp like there is in Mario Kart Tour), turn right to drive on the other side of the Thames, and then head for the finish line to end the race.

This course being positioned in the Rock Cup may be a reference to the course's music, which is based on British rock music from the 1960s and 1970s. It is also one of two courses in the third wave to utilize rock music for its theme, alongside 3DS Rock Rock Mountain. Both of these courses are in the Rock Cup. During the beginning of this course's music, a second guitar plays a few notes, panned to the left; this guitar is absent in all subsequent loops of the song.[1]

Unlike other courses using arrow fields in the Booster Course Pass aside from N64 Kalimari Desert, London Loop can be driven in reverse from the beginning without Lakitu picking up the player. However, this loads the third lap layout with the unchained Chain Chomps, meaning that if the player turns back around and resumes following the course normally, the Chain Chomps will rechain themselves, only to be unchained again once Lap 3 is triggered properly.

London Loop is one of three Mario Kart Tour courses in the third wave overall, alongside Tour Berlin Byways and Merry Mountain.

Profiles

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

  • Official Nintendo social media accounts: Take a tour of London Loop, coming in Wave 3 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass. Every lap is a new route through the city, each with its own sights to see: the London Eye, Tower Bridge and more![2][3]
  • Nintendo Switch Newsfeed (US):
    • This course first appeared in the Mario Kart Tour game.
    • As you can guess from the name, it's modelled after the city of London in jolly ol' England. If you look around, you can see familiar buildings lining the course.
    • The course will change depending on the lap and there are also different routes you can take. Explore around and choose wisely!
  • Nintendo Switch Newsfeed (UK): Find a roundabout route to victory in London Loop! Race through the streets of London and enjoy the mix of historic and modern architecture this charming city course, which debuted in the smart device game Mario Kart Tour, has to offer! How many landmarks can you spot? Thankfully you'll have plenty of opportunities to see the sights from different angles, as one of the highlights of the course is the fact that the route you'll take changes from lap to lap. If you're keen-eyed enough, you might even find some special paths to the top of the podium!

Sponsors

Gallery

Mario Kart Tour

London Loop

Course icons
Screenshots

London Loop 2

Course icons
Screenshots

London Loop 3

Course icons
Screenshots

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Names in other languages

Language Name Meaning
Japanese ロンドン アベニュー
Rondon Abenyū
London Avenue

Chinese (simplified) 伦敦环线
Lúndūn Huánxiàn
London Loop

Chinese (traditional) 倫敦環線
Lúndūn Huánxiàn
London Loop

Dutch Londen-Ronde
London Tour
French Détour à Londres
London Detour
German London-Tour
London Tour
Italian Giro di Londra
London Loop/Tour
Korean 런던 루프
Leondeon Lupeu
London Loop

Portuguese (NOA) Arrancada em Londres
London Sprint
Portuguese (NOE) Ronda por Londres
London Round
Russian Лондонское турне
Londonskoye turne
London Tournée

Spanish Ronda por Londres
London Round

Trivia

  • In the course icons and promotional pictures posted on social media by Nintendo for Mario Kart Tour, the Elizabeth Tower is depicted with extra details on it, such as windows and spires. These details are absent in both Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
  • Coincidentally, this course shares its name with a walk located in Outer London, the London Outer Orbital Path (also known as the London LOOP).

References

  1. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZaNsUFBqUA
  2. ^ NintendoEurope (November 22, 2022). Twitter. Retrieved November 29, 2022. (Archived December 8, 2022, 20:17:32 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
  3. ^ MarioKartUK (November 22, 2022). Facebook. Retrieved December 8, 2022.