Mario Kart 8 Deluxe + Booster Course Review

Nintendo’s approach to the Booster Course Pass has been a solid one. Adding eight new racetracks in six waves over two years keeps the game fresher for longer than dumping them all into the base game all at once.

London Loop, Berlin Byways, and Merry Mountain are all inventive tracks that offer a challenge for players. Similarly, revisiting retro tracks like GBA Riverside Park and Boo Lake adds new depth to the gameplay innovations in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Wave 1

The basic courses in Wave 1 are solid recreations, with the new textures and HD graphics blending well into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. However, some of the tracks don’t necessarily stand out. For example, Choco Mountain feels like a more simplified take on the N64’s Grumble Volcano, and Coconut Mall’s reversing escalators seem to copy features from Sunshine Airport and Super Bell Subway.

Despite that, the DLC still refreshes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, giving players new reasons to consistently return to one of the best multiplayer racers on Switch. It also adds a much-needed feature for inexperienced players, with Smart Steering and Auto-Accelerate helping to prevent them from running into walls and crashing into ledges.

Wave 2

As a whole, the Booster Course Pass adds hours of new content and reasons to consistently return to one of the best racing games available. The lack of some specific retro courses (ahem, Delfino Square), however, makes it a bit less compelling as an expansion rather than a full-on replacement.

The DLC isn’t cheap, but it isn’t a total waste. And for those with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership, its access is free. Those without one can purchase it separately. Courses from the DLC can be selected in friends and rivals races or via roulette when playing global and regional races.

Wave 3

With Wave 3 came a new batch of tracks to race on. While they’re good, I can’t help but feel like a full-on Mario Kart 9 would have been more appropriate at this point.

These eight courses give a welcome refresh to those who have slogged through Rainbow Road, Toad Harbour, and GBA Cheese Land over and over again. While it’s a bit of a shame that Wii Coconut Mall and GCN Waluigi Stadium didn’t cut, they still add to an already impressive set of tracks.

So does the Booster Course pass make Mario Kart 8 Deluxe feel like a brand-new game?

Wave 4

With Wave 4 adding Amsterdam Drift, Riverside Park, and DK Summit to the Fruit Cup, GCN Waluigi Stadium and Singapore Speedway to the Boomerang Cup, plus Yoshi’s Island to the new Classics Cup, this is a strong set of courses. It also adds Birdo as a playable character to the game.

It’s easy to dismiss the re-release of retro tracks as slightly less exciting than all-new ones, but Nintendo’s done a good job here of modernizing them. Even tracks like Koopa Cape which I played hundreds of times on the Wii seem fresh with their new jumps, hazards, and zero gravity sections. It’s a fine way to keep the races going.

Wave 5

Considering that no expansion pack is meant to be a fully-fledged new Mario Kart, this package does a great job of doubling the game’s racetrack options. The format that Nintendo has chosen, with eight courses added in six waves of eight tracks each until 2023, is a good one.

Standouts include Waluigi Stadium, GCN Waluigi Stadium, and Boo Lake – though it’s hard to say whether their inclusion is more or less justified based on the prefix data mine from Wave 2. Also good are classics like Coconut Mall and Mushroom Gorge, which feel like solid additions even when compared to their Tour counterparts.

Wave 6

As with Wave 5, there’s a fair bit to enjoy here. Even if you’ve played Rainbow Road and Toad Harbour a hundred times, this is the kind of expansion pack that adds fresh layouts and some new scenery to refresh your experience.

Both Coconut Mall and Mushroom Gorge are faithful remasters of their Wii debuts, while Sky High Sundae and Ninja Hideaway offer some fun new areas to race in. Both of the latter tracks take advantage of anti-gravity racing, which is a nice touch.

Still, a lot of people were hoping for something more substantial than this course pass — a new game, perhaps?