Which Retro Tracks The Switch Online Booster Pass Needs
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Pass already includes some favorites from years past like Coconut Mall. Here’s which retro tracks should be next.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is about to add 48 courses through its new Booster Pass, consisting of retro courses from Mario Kart Tour all the way back to Super Mario Kart. While it’s somewhat disappointing that fans won’t get a Mario Kart 9, this pass is a great way to tide them over until a proper sequel can be developed. Deluxe has great driving mechanics and its item system is fast and frenzied, so adding more retro tracks can only improve the already well-rounded package.
This is a great opportunity for Nintendo to rerelease courses that haven’t seen releases since their original versions. The retro courses available since Mario Kart: Super Circuit have done a great job of preserving the franchise’s history and bolstering the content available in each entry. Adding 48 separate courses will make Mario Kart 8’s tracklist absolutely massive and with them all being retro tracks, this Booster Pass could be the best way to preserve the history of the franchise.
Nintendo has already done a great job of putting fan-favorite courses in the Booster Pass, such as the addition of Coconut Mall and Choco Mountain. Even the base version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe included Wario’s Gold Mine, Baby Park, and Tick Tock Clock. Still, there’s more to be done and there are quite a few tracks from Mario Kart’s history that should be included in the new DLC.
Wuhu Island, Maka Wuhu, & Wario Coliseum Should Appear In Mario Kart 8
Wuhu Island and Maka Wuhu from Mario Kart 7 were the start of the practice of splitting a course into three sections rather than simply going around a course for three laps. Despite being tied thematically to Wii Sports Resort and Pilotwings Resort, these tracks would still feel at home in the expanding world of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Wuhu Island is a fun trip around the island while Maka Wuhu lets players explore the center of the map more in-depth. These haven’t been released since their original appearance on the 3DS and would be great to experience again in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Wario Coliseum is another course that has a unique layout and lap system. The track already has only two laps due to its length and its layout takes full advantage of 3D course design. It twists, turns, and winds up and down a dome-like map and would be a great candidate for an update with anti-gravity. This track for Double Dash hasn’t been remade most likely due to its cramped design, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could mark its return, redesigned to work with the new driving physics.
More Bowser’s Castle Variants Shout Return in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been lazy and currently only has one Bowser’s Castle variant, whereas the addition of retro courses in the Wii version brought the number up to three. The history of Bowser’s Castle in Mario Kart goes all the way back to the SNES version but only a few have been brought over to modern systems. The Mario 64 entry has been remade in Mario Kart Wii, but the two that haven’t been remade yet are the GameCube variant and the DS variant.
Bowser’s Castle is nearly always the penultimate track of a Mario Kart entry’s course list, providing a much harder track with lava pits, lots of twists, and enemies galore. The GameCube version has a mechanical Bowser that shoots fireballs toward the track. Players must decide whether to go after the shortcut or play it safe, making it an interesting obstacle that could be reimagined in the new Mario Kart 9-like Booster Pass. The DS variant similarly has a strange cylinder that spins on top of the castle that players have to traverse that could make it hard for Nintendo to port the level to Switch, but it’s not intended to be crossed, and if there was an anti-gravity padlocked on it, it might make the track more interesting with its branching pathways.
Mario Kart 8 Booster Pass Could Add More Rainbow Roads
Rainbow Road for Super Mario Kart has been remade twice now, in Mario Kart 7 and in Mario Kart 8. There are plenty of other Rainbow Roads that deserve remakes as well and could benefit from anti-gravity. The GameCube version has a treacherous ascent and descent that relies heavily on drifting, but would be perfect for a recreation in the HD style of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Surprisingly, the Wii version has also been left out despite its winding nature and its natural jumps and tricks to pull off. It’s a tough course with lots of tight turns that would have to be adapted to match 8 Deluxe’s driving style, but with an anti-gravity section this track could be a fun throwback to the wacky and wild nature of the Wii. Lastly, the Game Boy Advance game Super Circuit had a flat Rainbow Road much like Super Mario Kart, but the abundance of shortcuts and a few alternate pathways make the GBA version much different. Sky Garden from Super Circuit is already being remade with an updated track layout, so a remake of Rainbow Road from the same game could be possible.
Not too many tracks are left to recreate, but that’s both a good thing and a bad thing. For a Mario Kart 9, creating all new courses might be necessary rather than rely on well-worn nostalgia. Mario Kart 9 hasn’t been confirmed by Nintendo and while there are probably reasons as to why the Booster Pass is being created in its place, it would have been nice to see new track designs even without a new gimmick like anti-gravity in Mario Kart 8.
Nintendo should definitely support the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Pass with more than just Mario Kart Tour tracks, and these few picks are a great way to set the DLC apart from other entries in the series. Tracks like Sky Garden and Coconut Mall are great, but they’ve already been remade once before. More “new” retro courses like the already-announced Shroom Ridge should be included to fill in the gaps past entries have left behind. Even if there are delays in seeing all-new courses, having Mario Kart 8 Deluxe be a full compendium of previous tracks is great since many of the retro games themselves are hard to find and play on modern consoles.
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