Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Pass review – a complete kart racer
After 10 years being Nintendo’s leading system-seller, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe goes out as one of the most complete packages ever.
I never owned a Wii U. But if I did, I can guarantee you that Mario Kart 8 would have been my most played game on it. Fortunately I picked it up day one on Nintendo Switch as the mightier, more bountiful Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. With four new cups, 16 new courses, and multiple characters like The Legend of Zelda's Link and the Inkling from Splatoon added, I couldn’t imagine this already great kart racer getting any better. And yet, slowly but surely throughout the course of 2023, Nintendo treated us to 48 new tracks across six waves, by way of the Booster Course Pass. The result? Simply one of the best games on the console, and one of the most complete-feeling kart racers ever.
It's important to mention that, even without the Booster Course Pass added, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe is a generous offering. Right out of the box you get instant access to the two paid DLC packs that released on the Wii U before – including tracks like Hyrule Castle, F-Zero’s Big Blue and the Excitebike Arena – alongside the totally revamped Battle Mode that’s more reminiscent of how the head-to-head gameplay functioned in Mario Kart Wii. Buy the Booster Course Pass, though, and you’ll never stop enjoying the best tracks the series has to offer.
For just £22.49 / $24.99 / AU$37.50 when purchased as a standalone, or by subscribing to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack, you get six brand-new cups, with four remastered courses included in each, to effectively double what was available in Mario Kart 8: Deluxe. And sure, the vast majority of tracks are either ones we’ve seen before, or those brought over from the extremely subpar Mario Kart Tour mobile game. That said, when combined with the incredibly tight driving mechanics of the base game, event the later tracks still look and play great.
The Booster Course Pass’ initial wave got off to a great start, especially for a Mario Kart Wii defender like me, seeing as it added my beloved Coconut Mall. Zooming up escalators, boosting over fountains and then screeching around that final corner while trying to avoid the two moving convertibles is still readable and immensely thrilling – aka the recipe in my book for a successful Mario Kart track. It was Wave 1 that also saw Mario Kart Super Circuit’s Sky Garden and Maro Kart 64’s Choco Mountain added, both off which take off the ill-taste of the perfectly fine Paris Promenade.
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In terms of the Mario Kart Tour tracks, it’s not that anything is wrong with them per se; it’s just that by basing their routes and scenery off real-world cities, some of that classic Mario Kart magic is dulled. Combine this with the fact that most of them almost always have you racing back on yourself during the final lap, and it’s a lot to get your head around. Wave 1 did also set one important precedent, however, in that it introduced a totally new track in the infinitely awesome (and superior) Ninja Hideaway.
Speaking of which, all six brand-new tracks added as part of the Booster Course Pass are brilliant, as even if the circuit layout disappoints, you can guarantee it’s made up for by theme. Squeaky Clean Sprint, for instance, is just as crazy as it sounds, setting Mario and co. off within an oversized bathroom to see them burn rubber through baths, sinks, and plugholes. It places you more in mind of an old Micro Machines game or the recent Hot Wheels Unleashed; though here it's encapsulated by the usual Mario Kart madness.
These six tracks are a mere peek into the window of what Nintendo players can expect from the next full Mario Kart game which, let’s be honest, by this point is surely destined for the Nintendo Switch 2. But for as hurried-together a package that Mario Kart 8: Deluxe has slowly become, it’s kind of a miracle how great it’s ended up being. Not because Nintendo isn’t capable of placing great invention and joy into its creations (it is) but simply because the Japanese gaming giant has made no secret that transforming this Wii U gem was never the original plan.
If there’s one aspect I will be picky on – in addition to the mostly underwhelming Mario Kart Tour courses – it’s the absolutely baffling extra characters choices. Now, does this end up mattering in the long run? No, spread across three weight classes, the character you choose is purely cosmetic. But it’s weird to see more obvious and more beloved Nintendo characters like the Hammer Bros. or Luigi’s Mansion’s E. Gadd make way for Peachette – yet another twist on an existing one. Link was added to Mario Kart 8 back on the Wii U, so it’s especially odd to not have Zelda here too.
With all that said, there’s no universe where the Booster Course Pass doesn’t make Mario Kart 8: Deluxe an even more enticing prospect. For half the price of a new game you get double the amount of courses, more characters to play as, and even more reasons to race alongside family and friends. This game’s 10-year journey from Wii U saviour to Nintendo Switch powerhouse is now fully complete. And aside from a few lacklustre Tour tracks, a handful of fresh ones and a boatload of fan-favourites easily renders Mario Kart 8: Deluxe the best game in the series and one of the best games on Nintendo Switch.
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