Courses - Waverace 64

Dolphin Park

Dolphin Park is a quiet, peaceful stunt park with all kinds of wildlife. This is a "special" course, in the sense that it's your warm up area and the place where most of the game's secrets are found. It's also a great stunt track.

There's a "secret circle" in the park, where if you go far enough out of bounds you can just barely make it to a very strange ring that doesn't seem to have any purpose ... it's a fun easter egg nonetheless.

Sunny Beach (Sandy Beach)

Sunny Beach (known as "Sandy Beach" in the Japanese version) is the first course in the game. Depending on the difficulty, there will be little spiky balls, and the waves happen at just the proper moment to really mess you up!

The music in the Japanese version is quite a bit different than the music in the other versions of the game. You can hear both on our music page.

Sunset Bay

One of the prettiest courses in the game ... man, when I first saw that orange water I was pretty blown away with my new N64. Watch for the animals in the water, too.

This is the first racing course that features a mandatory ramp ... if you're in the lead and not worried about a top time, have some fun with it!

The little maze of buoys and spikes can wipe you out, so be careful at the end.

Drake Lake (Milky Lake)

Drake Lake (also known as Milky Lake in the original version) is the most peaceful course in the game ... the kind of place you'd want to go walking or camping. Especially if there was a jet ski race going on!

The island in the middle of the course really forces a new player to start to think strategically ... it forces an interesting choice on you. If you've got a lightweight player, maybe hitting the land part isn't so bad ... or is it? Do you go to the right or the left? How much speed does hitting the brush really take off?

And just to get the adrenaline pumping, there's a maze of sticks jutting out at the end, which provides maybe the most harrowing part of the game.

Marine Fortress

From the stormy sky to the rock music track, this course shows a first-time player the depth and the variety that the game is going to offer them. This level, Sunset Bay, and Twilight City provide a lot of interesting atmosphere for the player.

This is also the first course to have a major shortcut depending on the difficulty level.

Watch out for floating debris, and be smart about jumping over and going through stuff!

Port Blue (Port Pirates)

Port Blue is similar to Marine Fortress in the sense that you're in a man-made complex, there's some debris here and there, a shortcut opens depending on the difficulty, and the music track is more rock-influenced than jazz.

Master the shortcut and you can make quick work of your opponents. Be careful at the ramp near the end ... don't catch too much air and make sure you do a proper amount of turning or you'll blow the race.

Try not to get too wet ... the water looks filthy!

Twilight City (Castle City)

The first of the unlockable courses is Twilight City, a level I was pretty excited to get to when I first made it there. I love the night-time atmosphere and the spotlights under the buoys, and thought that the dark water was really cool.

There are gates that show a small world beyond the course ... I've tried in vain to get through them but so far to no avail.

If you're playing it for the first time, you're probably going to mess up the shortcut at the beginning unless you think quick. Watch other racers first. Also, there are some obstacles here so be careful.

Glacier Coast (Cool Wave)

Brrr! This is the hardest course to get to (you have to make it to the end of Expert mode), but it's one of the ... er ... coolest (sorry). You don't want to fall off your machine here or you'll freeze your giblets off!

This has the highest ramp in the game ... really gun it and reach for the sky!

One of the cool things in this course is the giant sheet of ice near the middle ... if you're feeling playful you can ride it for a different kind of physics than anywhere else in the game.

Look out for penguins and other wildlife.

Southern Island

Southern Island is the final frontier in every circuit ... your ability to excel on this course could mean the different between first and fourth place.

What's almost magic about this course is how the tide rises and falls as you get through each lap. The more creative player may set it to nine laps to see if they can make the tide fall all the way to the sand, but alas, they can't.

The pirate ship and the whale are iconic components of this course ... respect them!