What is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe about?

Pretty much the same as every other Mario Kart instalment; you race around as whatever character you want completing every Grand Prix in each CC class. Of course, you also get to test your mettle against friends, family or players around the world in Online Mode.

What’s new to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe?

Like every game, the latest instalment in the Mario Kart series has its pros and cons. Some of the new features make racing much more fun than before; others simply dampen the mood.

Appreciated new features

Racetracks from previous Mario Kart games make a revival in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe while new tracks are born. The revived race tracks include N64 Yoshi Valley, SNES Rainbow Road and Wii Grumble Volcano; Mario Kart Stadium and Cloudtop Cruise are among the new ones.

What made me really happy was seeing the return Baby Park back! Gosh, I loved that course as a kid, so it’ll always hold a special place in my heart. I believe I find this track much more fun than it really is, but I don’t care. Another new feature I appreciate is the customisations players can make to their karts. Mixing wheels, karts and gliders allow more control over the karts performance. Depending on what cup you do and any personal preferences, you may want a kart that offers considerable acceleration and speed over one with really good handling.

Unappreciated new features

If you haven’t noticed, there’s an additional feature in the Grand Prix called smart-steering – perfect for beginners and children who are likely to hit a wall on every turn. However, for me, it’s really annoying when I want to make a last-second turn in the shortcut routes. I even miss accidentally driving off the edge of the road in Rainbow Road!

GCN Baby Park

In this race track, you simply turn right, then right again… then right many more times and eventually you’ll finish the track. Yes, I described in a tedious way but it really is an exciting race. Especially when you consider the fact that you’re driving at full speed with 11 opponents, an endless stream of items and the overlapping of the slower drivers. Those who’ve played Baby Park know that it’s just seven laps of absolute chaos and honestly, seven laps still aren’t enough for me.

DS Tick Tock Clock

Mario Kart DS was my first experience in the Mario Kart series and so I enjoy seeing the pendulums, clock hands and moving gears with an awesome facelift. The gears, rotating cogs and clock hands give some pretty useful speed boosts too.

Mount Wario

I love it! In Mount Wario, you race through a cave, speed along the side of a dam, swerve through trees (which is harder than it sounds) and finish by making your way through the ground and air-borne slalom section. It’s brilliant and unique – it’s one of the few that have sections instead of proper laps. The scenery, soundtrack and cheering crowd as you near the end will put a smile on your face.

Hyrule Castle

I mean, who doesn’t love anything Zelda related? In Hyrule Castle, Piranha Plants are replaced by Deku Babas and the gold coins are replaced by rupees. To top it off, the race track is accompanied by an awesome cover of the main theme.

Overall opinion of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

The best way to play is to play with others. Whether you’re having a Switch party at your house or you’re playing online, each race becomes excitingly unpredictable once other people are involved. Of course, if you want to practice the race courses, you should complete every Grand Prix in your free time.

Signed,

Xinterra