Since it premiered in 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been a star of the Nintendo Switch. Even though it's a port of the 2014 Wii U title, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold extraordinarily well, in-part thanks to its incorporated Mario Kart 8 DLC content as well as new feature like playable Inklings from Splatoon. After five years, Mario Kart fans may be hoping for a new game, but instead they'll have to take the new Booster Course Pass for a spin. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could definitely feel fresh with the help of remastered courses from throughout Mario Kart history.
Still, there are more ways to make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feel new again. For instance, it would be great to see some new items make their way into Deluxe as a part of the Booster Course Pass. Items are a crucial part of Mario Kart, giving players in all positions of a race the upper hand over their opponents. Throughout Mario Kart history, Nintendo has conjured up all kinds of creative items that add to the franchise's colorful chaos. Nintendo hasn't mentioned any plans to add items through the new Deluxe DLC, but they'd pair wonderfully with the Booster Course Pass' long list of courses.
Potential Mario Kart DLC Items
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has a robust roster of items, including some notable new ones like the Super Horn and the Boomerang Flower, but there's plenty of past Mario Kart items that didn't make the cut. For instance, the Fake Item Box appears in lots of Mario Kart games, but not in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. This franchise staple ought to get a new lease on life through Deluxe's DLC. The DLC could also add some flashier previous items, like the destructive Mega Mushroom or the dastardly Thunder Cloud, both of which could really shine on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's new and old courses alike.
Aside from reviving past items, the Booster Course Pass presents Nintendo with a great opportunity to test some possible new items. For instance, Super Mario 3D World could lend Mario Kart the Super Cherry, allowing players to conjure an illusionary duplicate that confuses opponents and absorb the impact of an item like a Green Shell. Then 3D World's Cannon Boxes also seem great for Mario Kart, letting players wildly fire cannonballs for a few seconds after using the item. There's plenty of older Mario items that could find a place in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe too, as long as Nintendo finds a creative way to integrate them.
Building on Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
An extra helping of items would be worth including in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's incoming DLC because they'll make the gameplay feel new on multiple fronts. Adding more courses to the game sounds great, but these courses won't do anything for the old tracks that players have been driving on for the last five years. Adding items to Deluxe would shake up gameplay on all of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's courses, rather than simply emphasizing a new line of racetracks.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains a great game after all this time, and the Booster Course Pass is a good way to celebrate its success, but overall tweaks to Deluxe's gameplay could be a better way to keep the Mario Kart Switch title alive. While there's no sign of items joining the DLC yet, the Booster Course Pass does create an opening for separate DLC that focuses on items and runs alongside the Booster Course Pass, or even appears after the pass is finished. For now, Mario Kart item lovers will just have to wait and see how much additional content Nintendo wants to create.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now for Nintendo Switch.
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