Battle Mode
There are two modes in Battle Mode including:- Balloon Battle - Balloons are the lives of the driver. Players can pop balloons by hitting the drivers with items. The last player standing wins.
- Shine Runners - The player to collect the most shine sprites scattered across the course wins. Players can hit each other to make their opponent lose their shine; it is then scattered across the course.
Balloon Battle Tips
Remember, you will receive better items if you have less balloons blown up. So it is best at the start of each battle to boost into an item box and then blow up your balloon. You're more likely to receive a good item like a star, red shells, or 3 greens for example. Just be careful, and only do this if you are confident or you could risk being out of the game.
Don't always go in for the kill. Stay out of the way sometimes, so other opponents can battle out themselves if you feel unconfident, and then go in after they have both used their items.
If you get a mushroom or three, if you use them to ram into your opponents you'll steal one of their balloons as long as you don't have three balloons yourself. If you do have three balloons, you obviously can't get one of their balloons, however one of theirs will burst. There is a manouvre that I call the "Hit and Run" If you are dangling a green or red shell and have a mushroom, hit an opponent then run into them as soon as you hit them. Two of their balloons will disappear.
Shine Runner Tips
Shines fall in a certain pattern on each course. Remember the pattern and try to create a path to follow to get them. Use the shine sprites shadow to estimate where the shine will land once you've hit it out of an opponent.
Arenas
In total there are 6 arenas in the Battle Mode.
Nintendo DS
This arena was inspired by Double Dash!! Gamecube arena. This is open, and it is very easy to knock opens off, so it is advisable to use heavy characters on this arena. There is a certain order in which the shine sprites appear. The first shine sprite appears in the top-right hand corner, and from there look on the touch screen to see where all the others appear in order to get those sprites before your opponents. If you follow the path, you should easily get the shines.
Twilight House
This scary house is quite hard to master. Use the touch screen to see where your opponents are, and use the walls in the mansion to rebound and hit your opponents if possible. Use the outside area of the mansion to plan for the next move, then enter the house once you have a good item.
Palm Shore
A very open course, therefore you must be able to get as many items possible. Beware of the rising waters that slowyou down, and try and stay in the middle or around the edges where the water doesn't rise, in order to shoot at your drowning opponents.
Tart Top:
The item box is on the top of the cake If possible to gain height, use the momentum of the boost and hop to increase your jumping height to increase your chances of getting an item from far way. Be careful of the small fillings on the cake, because these cover your screen with pieces of cake if you run into them.
Block Fort:
This is a very big arena which gives players a good sense of freedom. Try and stay at the top, and then go down on the lower floors for the kill on your opponents. Block the small bridges that link up the forts using bananas, fake item boxes. It is possible to dodge red shells quite easily on this arena.
When a red shell is homing in on you, drift right next to the wall of the fort, then as soon as you're about to get it release the R button, and hopefully the shell will hit the wall. Sometimes if you hit the wall at incredible speeds the red shell will just hit the wall right behind you and miss you, as long as you're moving forward at the same time.
Pipe Plaza:
Use the pipes in this arena for your advantage. As an example, if an opponent has a red shell, wait near the pipe and soon as they shoot it at you, go through the pipe to avoid the shell. Try and stay at the top so that you can aim weapons at opponents below. Remember to leave bananas and fake item boxes where the opponents land after going through the pipe; this will guarantee a hit if placed correctly.