My first Switch game reviewBack in April 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe came out on Switch. As someone who bought MK8 on the Wii U along with the DLC packs, I was disappointed to find out that I'd essentially wasted more money than I should've on the Wii U version, yet I knew I absolutely needed to buy Deluxe. I never got around to reviewing MK8 on Wii U, so I've decided to instead review Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and make it my 1st Switch game review. Hopefully this will help anyone who's not yet gotten a switch, but still has the wii u decide if they too should buy this game.
Graphics: 10/10 - The visuals in this game are about the same as they were in the Wii U version. Even so, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still the most visually stunning racing game I've ever played. Whether you're getting ready to drive off an aircraft carrier onto a snowy mountain on Mount Wario, racing along the streets of Toad Harbor, or making your way through the fire and lava of Bowser's Castle; you'll find yourself enjoying the sights in each track no matter how many times you end up racing on them. All the tracks in the game look fantastic, so the graphics for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are more than worthy of a 10.
Sound: 9/10 - The Mario Kart franchise has always had some of the catchiest music you'll find in racing games, and MK8 Deluxe is no exception. There's a lot of variety found in this soundtrack featuring some great jazzy tunes with a lot of emphasis towards the saxophone, plenty of electric guitar, and other various instrument sounds can be heard in this game.
Some of the big music highlights found in MK8 include Big Blue and Hyrule Circuit, which both contain a perfect mix of saxophone and electric guitar. Mute City, Dragon Driftway and Mount Wario are also worthy of being mentioned as highlights for the soundtrack. In addition, there were plenty of tracks brought back from older games, some of which got remixes as well. While a majority of the soundtrack is fantastic, there's 1 remix that Nintendo didn't get right at all, and that was N64 Rainbow Road. That's one theme that didn't need a jazzy remix, yet that's what it got, and it ended up suffering as a result. Overall though, this is still a brilliant soundtrack that's more than worthy of a 9.
Addictiveness: 10/10 - Mario Kart games have always been some of the most addicting racing games out there, and MK8 Deluxe is no exception. The anti gravity sections are an interesting mechanic that encourages you to bump into other players, which is something I've always liked to do anyways. The addition of 200cc provides the fastest gameplay the series has ever seen. While not as fast as F-Zero, it's clear from those 2 features that Nintendo wanted to provide players with the closest experience to an F-Zero game as possible without actually making a new F-Zero game... (Seriously Nintendo, just give us another F-Zero game already PLEASE!)
The best new feature and the thing that makes Mario Kart 8 Deluxe far superior to the Wii U version is the vastly improved battle mode. Unlike the Wii U version, this game actually has real battle courses. This makes a huge difference because in the Wii U version, you had to do battles on actual race tracks and most of the time you wouldn't hardly run into any opponents. Now battle mode works the same way it's worked in every other game since the series' beginning.
There are 5 different types of battles to choose from in MK8 Deluxe. You have the standard balloon battle and coin runners that have always been series staples. There's also Renegade roundup, where players are split into different teams and you either have to catch your opponent with a piranha plant, or you have to avoid the opposing team and free teammates that have been caught. There's also Bomb-Omb Blast, which works the same way as Balloon Battle except you only get bomb-ombs as items. Finally there's Shine Thief, a mode where you have to grab the shine star and hold onto it for as long as possible while everyone else is coming after you. That mode in particular is absolute chaos in 12 player online multiplayer.
A revamped battle mode is exactly what MK8 needed to be the absolute best game in the series, and that's what it got. This is easily the most fun I've ever had with the Mario Kart series, and this is coming from someone who's played all of them (not including the arcade games). For these reasons, I'm giving the addictiveness a 10.
Story: N/A - None of the Mario Kart games have storylines, and this one's no exception. For that reason, I'm leaving this category blank.
Depth: 9/10 - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has the most content of any game in the entire series. It has a total of 12 grand prix, 48 race tracks, and 8 battle courses to drive on. No other kart racing game has that many tracks. In addition, with the addition of 200cc, there are a total of 5 different difficulty levels to complete for each grand prix.
There are a grand total of 42 characters to play as, 6 of which were added exclusively for Deluxe (King Boo, Dry Bones, Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy, Gold Mario, and Bowser Jr). This game has the biggest roster the series has ever seen. Unlike MK8 on Wii U, all but 1 of the characters are automatically unlocked from the start. While this change almost guarantees that the player will be able to choose who they want to play as from the get go, it takes away the sense of accomplishment found in the Wii U version, where you had to unlock a majority of the characters by finishing first in various grand prix.
When also taking into account the multiplayer content this game has (which I want to once again state includes a REAL battle mode), there aren't many racing games that can compete with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in terms of content. For these reasons, I'm giving the depth a 9.
Difficulty: 3/10 - I've played every game in the Mario Kart series (aside from the arcade games), so trust me when I say that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (as well as the Wii U version) is by far the easiest game in the series to complete in single player mode. The only time single player can be tricky is in 200cc, and even then beating what is easily the worst AI in Mario Kart history isn't super difficult after you get the braking on turns while drifting part down. In addition, when you fall off the track, you almost immediately get picked by Lakitu. In previous entries, falling was significantly more devastating than it is in Mario Kart 8. If you're looking for a challenge, online multiplayer is the way to go. With all of this in mind, I'm giving the difficulty a 3.
Overall Score: 9.7/10 As someone who bought Mario Kart 8 on Wii U along with the DLC packs, I don't regret buying Mario Kart 8 Deluxe at all. This isn't just a straight up port with the DLC included, it's a true definitive version of MK8. With Battle Mode thankfully getting fixed this time around, additional characters that weren't in MK8, and the ability to take this masterpiece on the go or simply go to another part of your home without having to worry about the game not working within a small distance from your TV, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an absolute must buy for every Switch owner. Overall, I'm giving Mario Kart 8 Deluxe a score of 9.7 / 10.
Graphics
10 Sound
9 Addictive
10 Depth
9 Difficulty
3
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