Undoubtedly, kart race lovers will always have a soft spot for Nintendo as a result of this colorful, fun, and engaging title. The developers successfully introduced ingenuine ideas to their two decades plus franchise by taking arcade racing to a whole new level. Even though the risky and deadly aura of “double dash” outweighs what we have in Mario Kart 8, it still stands tall with new features like the blistering speed sense, appealing tracks, and online support. The game guarantees hours of engaging fun as you get immersed in its gorgeous design and graphics. 

A very important point of note in this title is the incredibly fast pace of everything. You get to unlock the characters and rides without time wastage, and healing is now faster than ever. The balance, despite the palpable improvement, is incredible. Not long after I started the game, I couldn’t help but notice the antigravity transformations. This feature allows you to enjoy the unique mechanics of moving against the gravitational pull. You can bump nearby opponents in this mode, but the timing must be impeccable; else, your opponents get a speed boost. In essence, everything in the game screams skill, fun, and uniqueness. 

This title has done incredibly well on and off the download charts, and since its release, it has garnered substantial praise for its graphics, rides, tracks, and characters. As a result of its wide acceptance, Nintendo released a deluxe version three years after. 

Gameplay: Modes, Weapons, and Tips

The game falls under the arcade racing genre, and the developers will provide you with a variety of Mario characters to choose from at the beginning. You also have to choose a favorite go-kart or bike, which you can customize as you wish. You can go for karts with gliders or simple tires as you wish. The race takes place on colorful tracks obtained from different titles. What you’re gunning for, like every other race game, is to outwit and outspeed your opponents to the finish line. However, you must be equipped with adequate driving and drifting knowledge if you want to have a fulfilling experience.

Driving around the colorful tracks is one part of the game that you must master. In addition to that, you must employ deadly weapons like grenades or mild ones like banana peels to swing the race’s outcome in your favor. You can always get these items on the road as you race. Other special techniques include the ink smearing attack that you can use to block other racer’s view and the power star that could help you scale through a crowd. One frustrating part of the reward system that you must watch out for is that the race leaders get weak items like green shells while last-placed racers get to pick up powerful items at the race end. 

For most parts of the game, you will enjoy riding the wheels of your choice. You can go up in the air for long jumps as long as you activate the glider if you wish to gather rare items or take a shortcut to gain some advantages. You can also ride up a vertical road or up a wall if you can successfully flip the tires sideways. 

This title comes with eight cups with four tracks each. Together, you have a total of thirty-two tracks. Not long after, the developers released two more cups plus new drivers from other Nintendo games as part of downloadable content. 

A Delightful Deluxe Version And its Benefits

The deluxe version, which launched in 2017, has comfortably risen to be the most extensive kart racing game and one of the must-buys on Nintendo switch, second only to legend of Zelda: breath of the wild. It came as a fix for the flaws in the original game and contains all the downloadable content produced before its release. You can also play on the go in this iteration compared to what we saw in its predecessor.

The reason you should be picking up the deluxe version is the upgraded battle mode. There are five new unique modes with eye-catching objectives. You can pop your opponent’s balloons in the balloon battle to score more points and get rare items. The most eye-catching of the new modes is the renegade roundup. Here, you have to skillfully rescue some outlaws from some cops under a carefully placed timer. However, do not let the cops catch you as the last man standing; else, you lose the match. All these modes are available offline, where you play against bots, but the real fun is when you go against your friends online.  

There’s Fun To Be Had in Mario kart 8

The game supports up to thirty characters with different mascots available for each race. The different play options are also remarkable as the game runs effortlessly on a single and double player split-screen. The graphics are undoubtedly top-notch and one of the best to feature in a Nintendo title. You can watch highlights of your impressive skills in slow motion, and the attention to minute details didn’t go unnoticed. The online mode, which adds to the unending fun, can accommodate up to twelve players. It also allows players to upload race highlights to social media sites. You can easily join a race and set up tournaments with friends, but this feature is not free of some minor hiccups.

Some Issues and Glitches

There are some bumps with the chat options as you can only converse with friends in the lobby with no message notifications. You can’t invite a friend, and the only option is to arrange your friends outside the game if you all wish to have a great time together. Also, the new tracks are not completely different from what we used to know.  

Verdict

This title could easily pass as the best kart racing game in Nintendo’s inventory. It gives players a sense of delicate balance between enjoying traditional race features and modern programming improvements. The stunning graphics and sound also added flavor to its impressive overall outlook. Even though you’re bound to get lost in self amazement when you watch your skills in slow motion, the game’s fast pace will have you pumped for a new race every time.