We’ve all been there. Racing ahead in first place after some perfect corner drifting and expertly timed green shell throwing, you’re slammed with a blue shell ahead of the finish line and drop back into last place. Is there anything more infuriating?
No more! A new update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch adds a custom item option and it’s the best thing to happen to the game.
Honestly I’m surprised it’s taken Nintendo this long to implement. Yes, items are used to even out the skill levels of racers as well as increase the mayhem, but item customisation was included in Super Smash Bros years ago. Finally Mario Kart gets the same treatment.
That means blue shells are out, if you want to remove their cheapness. Or maybe you want to embrace them and select only blue shells, turning races into pot luck. Further still, you could remove items altogether and turn Mario Kart into a pure racer for a completely different (if arguably less fun) experience. More than double racers or anti-gravity courses, the custom items option has the potential to drastically change the game – for better or for worse. It’s up to you.
Last night I played a cup with friends with only bombs and blue shells. It was absolute carnage.
Of course, this new option comes alongside the next wave of DLC tracks and it’s a decent selection.
Maple Treeway is a clear highlight, with its looping tree branches, gorgeous autumnal palette, and Wigglers pottering around. It brings back memories of tilt-controls on the Wii with friends – how was that almost 15 years ago?
Peach Gardens is another returning favourite. It’s the perfect setting for a Mario Kart track (dodge the Chomps in the maze!) and I particularly like how the track is reversed in the final lap.
That’s a big reason why I’m partial to the Mario Kart Tour tracks already added to the DLC – the likes of Tokyo Blur and New York Minute. Switching up the course layout each lap keeps you on your toes and allows you to see more of the detailed background designs. More of this in Mario Kart 9 please!
Looking at details, I’m quite fond of London Loop for its take on England’s capital city. It begins by Big Ben and the House of Parliament and includes Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square complete with statue lions, telephone boxes and London buses, the London Eye (much downsized), Buckingham Palace, a Tower Bridge that rises and falls, and even The Shard skyscraper in the distance – even if these are all totally out of place. Perhaps most London of all is the fact there’s a chain cafe on every street corner.
I haven’t visited Berlin so I can’t account for Berlin Byways’ authenticity, though I did enjoy seeing the commuting Yoshi’s in the Bahnhof. It’s a shame there’s no Mario leather bar though, and the falling Whomps at the Berlin Wall is maybe a step too far.