Part four out of six of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC released a couple weeks ago, and honestly, these new additions to the game have been an absolute blast. The maps coming from Mario Kart Tour, the hit mobile game, being added into the mainline series is much more fun than I thought it would be, and the occasional brand-new map that gets added is a nice treat as well. And of course, who can neglect the addition of maps from previous installments in the series, like Coconut Mall and Waluigi Pinball, to name a few. However, there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the recent tracks, so I’m going to break down my thoughts on this surprise DLC pack.
For those who don’t know, DLC stands for “Downloadable Content”, essentially boiling down to a method that a lot of video game companies use to make more money off of a game, without making a whole new one. This DLC in particular adds 48 new maps to the popular racing game, released in six parts over the course of 2022 and 2023. Part four released over Spring Break, and added eight new maps that are very fun overall. Not the best part of this DLC in my opinion, but still some fun tracks in there. Returning tracks like DK Summit and Waluigi Stadium come back to the series with updated graphics and designs, along with tracks from the mobile game Mario Kart Tour such as Bangkok Rush and Amsterdam Drift.
When I first heard that the most recent Mario Kart game on the Nintendo Switch was getting DLC maps, I was very happy, as I’ve played this game for years. However, that happiness was quickly replaced with confusion as to why this DLC was being released now of all times. Typically, DLC for games is released a year or two after the release of the base game, but this game has been out for almost six years now. It seems strange that a game this old (although not obsolete by any means) was getting a DLC pack so late. It also seemed strange that the graphics quality took a swing down instead of up or on par with the base game. The graphics for the new maps seem very stylized and smooth, rather than the very realistic visual style used in the base game. I wouldn’t say the new graphics are bad at all, but it seemed weird after the incredible style of the base game.
Something else I was worried about going into the releases of this DLC was the inclusion of maps from Mario Kart Tour, the only Mario Kart game to be released on mobile. I played Tour for the better part of my Junior year of High School, only to get bored of it around the time of the COVID lockdown. I wasn’t completely sure how well the custom maps featuring cities from around the globe would translate to the high power console of the Switch. On this note, I was pleasantly surprised. Racing through the streets of famous cities such as Paris, Bangkok, London, and New York in Mario Kart seemed so surreal, but also really fun.
Overall, I think this DLC is a great addition to the base game. There are some very fun tracks being added, some of my favorites in the whole game, very good variety too. It’s also a pretty good price point, essentially doubling the content in the base game for half the price of the base game. I would highly recommend getting this DLC to anyone who has Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
