Mario Kart 8 is back for another race around the track. By reviving the Wii U era game with minimum additions, it seems Nintendo thinks that it was the Wii U console — not its software — that caused the system to sell so poorly, and it’s trying to bring the nearly 3-year-old game to what it hopes is a wider audience on its $300 hybrid console.
Initially released in 2014 for the Nintendo Wii U, Mario Kart 8 is being re-released on Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition, just missing the $300 console’s March 3 launch date and coming out on April 28. An updated version of the original title, the Deluxe Edition is adding some new features, but doesn’t seem to be bringing that much more to the racetrack.
It is, however getting one thing right: Dry Bones, the skeletal turtle-like Koopa Troopa (and my go-to racer in the series), is back as a playable character.
His bony awesomeness isn’t the only new addition. The Deluxe Edition includes all of the original Wii U game’s content — yes, even the DLC — as well as new characters (the Inklings from Splatoon), returning Mario-universe denizens (the giant ghost King Boo, Bowser Jr.), and a tweaked Battle Mode.
Switching things up
It has a sprinkling of other new features: Racers can now hold two items at the same time; it has two new Battle Mode courses (Urchin Underpass, again from Splatoon, and Battle Stadium) and returning courses (Luigi’s Mansion from the GameCube and SNES Battle Course 1); three new vehicles; and a Smart steering feature that assists drivers. But even added together, it’s not a ton of new content, especially if…