There will be no new race tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the slightly revamped Wii U port of Mario Kart 8 for the forthcoming Nintendo Switch. The game, however, will offer new characters and weapons, among other things.
It's one of the most anticipated games to be released for the Nintendo Switch. It hits shelves late April, nearly two months after the Switch finds itself in retailers. The game, bearing a "Deluxe" suffix, is nearly identical to its Wii U counterpart, so it's safe to say that it isn't a true sequel — maybe just a port with touch-ups and minor appendages. Here are some of the additions that'll come with Deluxe, a new Mario Kart entry exclusively for the Switch.
New Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Racers
As reported by Nintendo Everything, Nintendo, during its Nintendo Switch Experience 2017, took to the stage to confirm the official number of race tracks in Deluxe: 48, the exact same number as the main game for the Wii U came with, after adding all DLC tracks.
Of course, many players are disappointed with the news, since many of them, if not all, expected the game to at least feature new tracks. While the number is quite sizable in and of itself, it would have been nicer if there were newly designed tracks to start high-octane races on. What's more, creating a truly new sequel will render Mario Kart 8 owners more likely to get Deluxe, so that's definitely a missed opportunity there.
Despite the lack of new tracks, there are new racers as a silver lining — the Inklings from Splatoon, another Nintendo IP, will cross over to the Mario Kart franchise, luring Splatoon fans to get interested in Deluxe, if they weren't already. King Boo, Dry Bones, and Bowser Jr. also become new racers in Deluxe, which is a plus. Also, the game runs in 1080p when the Switch is docked, and 720p during tablet mode, but both orientations will still have the game output 60 fps for buttery smooth gameplay.
Those disappointed at the number of tracks aren't hopelessly locked with them, thankfully. New tracks may still be pushed out by Nintendo down the line via DLC, but as it stands, players would just have to make do with the existing ones for now.
New Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Items
There are also two new items: Boo, to be used in races; and Feather, which can only be used during battle mode. Boo is an item brought over from Mario Kart 64, which, when used, steals the most valuable item from an opponent. On the other hand, the feather — which debuted on the original SNES Mario Kart — will allow a racer to leap into the air during battle mode.
Other Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Changes
Racers may also now carry two items at once, which adds a layer of sly maneuvering during races. Also, fans of multiplayer would be glad to know that the game supports up to eight players via local multiplayer and 12 via online race battles.
Additionally, three new vehicles have also been added apart from new characters. Two of them are Splatoon-inspired, the other one being Koopa Clown. Classic battle mode also returns with new and old battle arenas, so players wanting to hitch up a new combat may still do so with Deluxe.
The Nintendo Switch comes out March 3 for $299. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe comes out April 28.
