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The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass[lower-alpha 1] is a downloadable content season pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The pass contains six waves, each featuring two cups with four courses remastered or remade from previous entries[lower-alpha 2] in the Mario Kart series. The first wave was released on March 18, 2022, and the final wave is scheduled to be released by the end of 2023.

It has been suggested that this article be merged into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. (Discuss) Proposed since November 2022.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass
Key art, as of Wave 1
Developer(s)	Nintendo EPD
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Series	Mario Kart
Platform(s)	Nintendo Switch
Release	Wave 1 WW: March 18, 2022 Wave 2 WW: August 4, 2022 Wave 3 WW: Q4 2022 Waves 4–6 WW: 2023
Genre(s)	Kart racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer

Gameplay

The Booster Course Pass is a collection of twelve cups featuring four tracks each, totaling to 48 more courses than the base version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. After all waves of the Booster Course Pass release, 8 Deluxe will have 96 tracks, over half of the tracks ever featured in the Mario Kart series.[1]

Like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and the rest of the Mario Kart series, the Booster Course Pass courses see characters from the Mario franchise[lower-alpha 3] racing in go-karts while trying to sabotage other players with items. Though, unlike Mario Kart 8 and 8 Deluxe, many courses do not make use of the anti-gravity or underwater racing mechanics.[2]

A feature introduced in the Booster Course Pass is dynamic course layouts, where the routes of some courses are altered between laps; this is most notably used for courses originating in Mario Kart Tour, allowing for the condensation of these courses' multiple reroutes (a staple of Tour courses) into a single racetrack.[3]

Marketing and release

The Booster Course Pass was revealed in a Nintendo Direct on February 9, 2022. The reveal showcased the pass's release model, being eight courses included in each of six waves, totaling in 48 courses by the end of 2023.[4] The announcement of the Booster Course Pass came amidst high fan anticipation for the reveal of a new entry in the Mario Kart franchise.[5][6]

The Booster Course Pass can be obtained either by being purchased on the Nintendo Switch's eShop or by having an active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscription.[4] The courses can also be accessed via online play, even if the player doesn't own them.[7][8]

Wave 1 released on March 18, 2022, containing the Golden Dash Cup and the Lucky Cat Cup.[9] Shortly after the release of Wave 1, dataminers discovered that the unreleased tracks had hidden data detailing which entry in the Mario Kart series they originated from.[10] After the announcement of Wave 2, these datamines were proven to be correct.[11] Later, an updated version of the Booster Course Pass's key art was found in the game's files, depicting several unrevealed courses.[12]

Wave 2 was announced on July 28, 2022, including Sky-High Sundae, an original course.[13] Wave 2 released on August 4, 2022, containing the Turnip Cup and the Propeller Cup.[14] Alongside the release of Wave 2, an update to the Wave 1 course Coconut Mall was released that made the Shy Guys present near the end of the course do donuts rather than remain stationary (except during time trials, where they remain motionless).[15] This change was widely praised, especially after many were critical of the movement being removed from the Booster Course Pass after being present in the course's previous incarnations.[16][17] After the release of Wave 2, an additional datamine occurred, revealing music files that pointed to possible future tracks for the Booster Course Pass.[18]

In a Nintendo Direct on September 13, 2022, it was announced that Wave 3 would release in Q4 2022. The trailer also detailed two courses appearing in Wave 3, being Merry Mountain from Mario Kart Tour and Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS.[19]

Reception

Upon announcement, the Booster Course Pass received mixed reception from fans. Many fans disliked that additional content for a previous game was being prioritized over a new entry in the series, citing how it had been nearly eight years since Mario Kart 8 first released on the Wii U.[20] GamesRadar+'s Heather Wald and Josh West said that while it's "disappointing that 2022 won't bring Mario Kart 9", 8 Deluxe is a "damned good racing game", and "48 additional tracks over the next two years is going to bring [them] plenty of satisfaction".[21] The graphics of the tracks in the Booster Course Pass were also a point of contention, with some saying that they fall short of the standards set by the base 8 Deluxe.[20]

Critical reception

Digital Foundry's Oliver Mackenzie claimed that because Booster Course Pass courses were built off their versions in Mario Kart Tour, a mobile game, rather than being built from scratch, many textures and courses looked worse than their base game counterparts, and that the pass as a whole "fell well below the standards" of the base game. He noted that many courses have a more clay-like art style with more basic textures. He also drew comparison between elements in the base game and the Booster Course Pass, noting that nearly all elements in the Booster Course Pass looked simpler and more bare than those in the base game. Mackenzie referred to the new tracks as "sedate in comparison [to the base game], with laid-back layouts, less interesting track features, and little in the way of vehicle transformations".[2]

Wave 1

Wave 1 of the Booster Course Pass received "mixed or average reviews" according to review aggregator Metacritic.[22][lower-alpha 4] GameSpot's Steve Watts said the courses in Wave 1 were "inconsistent", and that while they ranged from "very good" to "absolutely fantastic", Toad Circuit in particular was the "weakest link". He criticized Toad Circuit for feeling "bland", despite being "well-made". However, he called the tracks originating from Mario Kart Tour were "among the best-looking and most polished" of the Wave 1 cups. Despite praising the tracks, saying that they "were all we ever needed" if the quality present in Wave 1 continued, he lamented the lack of new kart options or characters included in the DLC.[25] Thomas Whitehead of Nintendo Life praised Wave 1, saying it gave the "modern classic a thrilling new spark of life". He said that the courses present in Wave 1 are "recreations of fun courses but not the creative overhauls some might expect". He said that there was a "tinge of disappointment" over Nintendo's "B-Team effort", but that the courses fit well into Mario Kart 8 as a whole. Likewise, he criticized the wave's presentation, saying that while the audio is "a delight", the visuals gave just "decent results".[24] Ranking the Wave 1 courses, Destructoid's CJ Andriessen ranked Ninja Hideaway first, calling it an "absolute masterclass in stacked track design".[23] GamesRadar+'s Heather Wald, having never played Tour, praised the inclusion of courses originating from it, saying that they "felt wholly new". She praised Ninja Hideaway in particular, saying that "every turn and leg of the race [threw] something new in [her] way", and that the alternate paths and visuals of the course had "a simple kind of joy".[26] Neil Flynn of Cubed3 also felt that the courses from Tour were the best of Wave 1, and while the other courses weren't bad, they were "lacking in creativity" compared to reimagined courses in the base game.[27]

Wave 2

Wave 2 of the Booster Course Pass received "generally favorable reviews" according to Metacritic.[28][lower-alpha 5] Destructoid's CJ Andriessen ranked Mushroom Gorge first place of the Wave 2 tracks, saying that the changes to its iteration in 8 Deluxe made it "a phenomenal track". Overall, he said that the courses in Wave 2 were a "stronger selection" than Wave 1, and that "there isn't a single dud" in Wave 2, expressing his satisfaction with the Booster Course Pass so far.[3] On the contrary, Cubed3's Neil Flynn said that the track selection in Wave 2 was "perhaps not as strong", though it was "still very good".[30] Nintendo Life's Ollie Reynolds called the courses in Wave 2 "a mixed bag", praising the visuals, audio, and nostalgia factor of many courses, though saying most of them "feel like 'b-side' filler", and that Sky-High Sundae in particular had "lots of style but little substance", likening it to a Fall Guys level.[29]

Notes

References

External links

• Official site (archived version)

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