TheMario Kart 8 DeluxeBooster Course has concluded with its final and sixth wave! Over the course of two years, the number of playable tracks has doubled in the now decade-old racing game. With Wave 6 being the final wave, the pressure was on for the selection of tracks to be perfect, withno other chances left for favourites to be includeduntil the next iteration in the series.
The selection of tracks has some amazing choices, but some that are more questionable for this grand finale. So, what stands out, and what should have been passed over for a better option?
8Rosalina’s Ice World
7 - Special Cup
Mario Kart7 introduced a strong selection of new tracks to the series, but one that is never really brought up too often is Rosalina’s Ice World. It’s not because the track is awful, but more that it is easily overshadowed by better choices.
The trackhas some challenging sectionsthat make it worthy of being in later cups, but without any memorable set pieces, it lacks a focal point to keep it memorable. It is a shame since Rosalina is such an iconic character, so she really deserves some better courses to be inspired by her.
7Rome Avanti
Tour - Night Tour
The Tour courses that are based on real cities can be really hit-and-miss, especially with how they are adapted from the mobile game onto the graphically superior Switch. Unfortunately, Rome Avanti ends up being one of the less memorable options.
With how dark the stage is, certain areas tend to blend together, with only a few sections of the course being that nice to look at. It is a shame — if the course took place during the day, the colours might have stood out more and made this course a much more enjoyable experience to race through.
6Piranha Plant Cove
Tour - Exploration Tour
Similarly to Rome Avanti, the choice for Piranha Plant Cove to take place at night holds it back. Like many of the courses adapted from Mario Kart Tour, the track shifts depending on what lap you are on, but with how all the colours in this stage blend together, the changing course lacks a significant impact.
With courses that take place predominantly underwater, they need to really have a distinct visual flair since these tracks can all look quite similar. So, even though the shifting paths should help this track stand out from the rest, it unfortunately isn’t enough.
5Bowser’s Castle 3
SNES - Star Cup
With tracks from the earlier Mario Kart titles, Nintendo has shown that it is willing to show off how much it can add to courses that were originally much simpler. There is no better example of this than Bowser’s Castle 3.
The course takes full advantage of modern Mario Kart features like antigravity and tricks to help this course stand out and be a lot of fun. While some courses can get repetitive after multiple laps, the pacing of Bowser’s Castle 3 is perfect for keeping up momentum and not being able to look away for a second.
4Madrid Drive
Tour - Summer Tour
Madrid Drive is definitely one of the stronger Tour real-life city adaptations, and part of the reason for this is the vibrant design and the impressive shifting course layout. While some of the shifting track layouts can feel a lot more subtle, that is not the case with Madrid Drive, which has every lap feeling like a brand-new race.
The highlight has to be in the latter half of the final lap, where you drive through a football stadium, dodging giant footballs and boosting through the goal to a matching sound effect. The pacing of this course is astounding and makes it one of the best city adaptations.
3Daisy Circuit
Wii - Star Cup
Daisy Circuit is a beloved classic for a reason, with the sunset giving this relatively simple course a beautiful atmosphere. The layout is quite quick, but there are plenty of different options that make it feel a lot less straightforward than other courses from this era.
Whether you choose to race on the pavement near the end of the course for some slightly quicker turns, or risk going for the flying section over the towering statues of Daisy and Luigi, this course will always make for an interesting race.
2DK Mountain
Double Dash - Star Cup
The layout of DK Mountain catapulting you up to the top of the hill, followed by a chaotic journey back down again, is done so well here that it is a surprise that the layout has not been repeated more often.
The subtle changes made to this course for the Booster Course DLC help perfect the experience that was so fun in Double Dash and Wii, making it a joy that this course is now playable on more modern systems. The bright colours are still reminiscent of the original design as well, giving this course a sense of nostalgia too.
1Rainbow Road
Wii - Special Cup
Perhaps the most requested course throughout all of the Booster Course DLC was Wii Rainbow Road, and luckily it was added as the very final course in the pack. The course was done justice with how well the original layout is retained, while adding new graphical polish to make the track look like it could be brand new.
Some changes have been made, with the most obvious being that the whole track is in antigravity, adding an extra layer of depth to playing through this iconic track.
