With rare exceptions, it always feels as though the most recent Mario Kart game is the best one yet. Mario Kart 8 feels like it was the definitive release, though. It brought back classic tracks from the series’ past, it incorporated previous gameplay ideas like the bikes and hanglider, and added new ones with the anti-gravity wheels, not to mention bringing characters from other Nintendo games into the fold through DLC.
Mario Kart 8 was going to be an incredibly tough act to follow, so Nintendo aren’t going to, or at least not yet. Instead, as was rumoured prior to last week’s Nintendo Switch Presentation, they’re pulling the old “HD Remaster” trick and porting Mario Kart 8 to Switch. That doesn’t mean that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a simple port of the Wii U game, though, as it makes some notable additions and changes to the game.
The biggest change to the gameplay is the return of being able to hold two items at once, as in Mario Kart: Double Dash from the Gamecube. It’s not an essential change, but when there’s so many items in this game – Deluxe brings back the item stealing Boo power up as well – it adds a few more tactical options. The downside is that, unless Nintendo see fit to make this change to Mario Kart 8 on Wii U, it means that the two versions of the game will be forever kept separate.
Deluxe takes Mario Kart 8 to some new places, quite literally. Many people will grab it just to play online or play split screen at home in 1080p, but that’s just one of the three play modes envisioned for the Switch. The game now has ad hoc multiplayer built in, allowing for eight systems and people to connect and play locally, and it’s nice and slick. The game’s art style is just as gorgeous now as it was in 2014, and it’s not harmed in the slightest by shrinking it down to the Switch’s 6.2″ screen.
Tabletop mode and split screen also go hand in hand, with the system’s kick stand and twin Joy-Con working surprisingly well for a quick multiplayer session. I can absolutely imagine people taking a Switch with them to work to challenge their colleagues to a Mario Kart showdown when they take a break for lunch – this is something that no previous handheld or portable console has ever thought to tackle. Perhaps the only real complaint is that splitting the screen in half does start to feel very small. It’s still playable, but it’s small.
All of the original game content is here, alongside the two DLC packs released in 2015, adding up to a quite staggering 48 tracks in total. While no new tracks are there to race on, there are some new characters, with the Splatoon Inkling kids, King Boo, Dry Bones and Bowser Jr. joining the list alongside a handful of new karts to drive.
That would probably be enough for many people, but Nintendo have seen fit to address one of the main complaints of the game, and reintroduce a proper Battle Mode. Mario Kart 8 didn’t feature the open arenas of previous entries in its Battle Mode, but instead had you chasing after each other around race tracks, which simply aren’t suited to the madcap mayhem that the mode can turn into. New and old arenas are being brought to the game, including Urchin Underpass, Battle Stadium, Luigi’s Mansion from Double Dash and Battle Course 1 from the SNES original.
It’s easy to look at the £50/$50 price tag on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and turn your nose up at it, and to be fair, that price is high when compared to other consoles and other remasters. However, having a Mario Kart game released on Switch within its first two months is a huge deal, when you consider how many people skipped Nintendo’s last console. This is still a fantastic game and this release is bursting at the seams with content.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to boot up the Wii U for a little bit.
