Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

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Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an upcoming racing game for the Nintendo Switch. It is the first enhanced port of the Mario Kart series, being a port of Mario Kart 8 from the Wii U. It has additional features such as several new characters and features more options for Battle Mode. First hinted in the Switch's announcement video in October, the game was formally announced as part of the Nintendo Switch presentation on January 13, 2017. Characters can now carry up to two items at once, even if they don't drag the first item, and the game features the return of the Double Item Box from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The game also introduces "Smart Steering" for beginners, which makes driving and staying on the track easier.

The game will feature all of the default and DLC content of Mario Kart 8, with the same 48 racetracks.

Battle Mode

Battle Mode now features arenas that were not present in the Wii U version of the game. New Battle Courses include Urchin Underpass, a Splatoon-themed Battle Course, and Battle Stadium. Returning Battle Courses include SNES Battle Course 1 and GCN Luigi's Mansion. Bob-omb Blast, first debuting from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, returns as an option for Battle Mode, alongside the returning Balloon Battle mode. In Bob-omb Blast, the player can carry up to ten Bob-ombs at once. Unlike Mario Kart games before this, each player starts with 5 balloons, as opposed to the normal amount of 3. Another addition to Battle Mode is that the character in the lead now wears a crown, unlike Mario Kart 8 where the crown is displayed only on the HUD in the map. Additionally, players now start out with 0 points instead of Mario Kart 8's default 3 points, and their balloons do not serve as the remainder 3 points. Returning from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 is the ability to respawn after all balloons are popped; this causes the player's total score to halve. A new addition to this mode is the feature to tell exactly which character hit whom, which appears on the bottom of the screen.

There will be five different Battle Mode types, including Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast. The rest will involve coins, Shine Sprites, and Potted Piranha Plants.

Battle courses

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  Battle Stadium

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  Urchin Underpass

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  SNES Battle Course 1

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  GCN Luigi's Mansion

New characters

Character select screen of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The "?" is Mii, not yet unlocked.

All default and DLC characters from Mario Kart 8 are present in Deluxe. Additionally, Deluxe features new characters not present in Mario Kart 8, some of which are veterans that did not make the cut in Mario Kart 8. New characters include additional non-Mario characters with the inclusion of the Inklings from Splatoon. Players can choose either the boy or girl Inkling, and they include three selectable colors each.

• King Boo
• Dry Bones
• Bowser Jr.
• Inkling Girl
• Inkling Boy

The two Villagers have also been separated, allowing both of them to be active as CPU characters in the same race.

New vehicles

Three new vehicle body parts are confirmed. One of them is the Koopa Clown, returning from Mario Kart 7, while two new vehicles themed after Splatoon are the Splat Buggy and Inkstriker; both vehicles are ATVs.. Computer characters now also choose from a wider variety of kart parts than the vanilla version, such as the Flame Rider and the Sports Coupe. However, they are still restricted to a set amount of body parts, like in Mario Kart 7.

New items

The Feather and Boo items make a return in this game, functioning as they had previously. All other items from the Wii U version return as well.

• Feather (only in Battle Mode)
• Boo

Graphical differences

• Motion blur when boosting is present in LAN mode and split-screen mutiplayer (with reduced quality).
• The game now renders in native 1080p on TV mode, instead of the 720p in the original Wii U version; however, it will still render in 720p on handheld mode.
• The shadows present are of higher quality in multiplayer.
• If a Blooper is about to ink the player as they cross the finish line, the player will still get inked. This is unlike the Wii U version, where the Blooper disappears instead.
• If the Smart Steering mode is on, the player's vehicle will have an antenna sticking out the rear end of their vehicle.

References to other games

• Super Mario Kart: Battle Course 1 reappears as a retro battle stage. The Feather item returns from this game, with the same function.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Luigi's Mansion reappears as a retro battle stage. Also the Double Item Boxes and the Bob-omb Blast Battle sub-mode return.
• Mario Kart DS: An arrangement of the theme song of Luigi's Mansion is used in GCN Luigi's Mansion.
• Mario Kart 7: The Koopa Clown kart part returns from this game.
• Super Mario 3D World: The crown mechanic in Battle Mode is similar to the mechanic in this game's multi-player, where the player with the highest score from one stage will be wearing a crown in the next stage.
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: The Koopa Clown's propellers in zero-gravity sections emerge from circular panels on the side of the vehicle, much like the Junior Clown Car's weapons. Also, the Koopalings' Koopa Clowns match the Clown Car colors they use in this game.

Gallery

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  Logo

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  European packaging

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  Main visual used for the game packaging

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  Mario

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  Orange Inkling, Link, Mario, and Isabelle in Battle Stadium

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  Bowser Jr. (in the Koopa Clown) and Mario in Battle Stadium