If you had told me Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would still be getting updates after its 2017 release on the Nintendo Switch, I’d have called you crazy. First released in 2014 on the Wii U as Mario Kart 8, it received new content through May 2015. Most other game ports receive new features from the start, then are left to rot by their developers as they pursue newer ventures. The same can’t be said for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as in early 2022, it was announced that through the Booster Course Pass, 48 more courses would be added to the game across six waves of eight for the next two years. This came as a surprise to many, as this much attention had never been given to a port of an older game. What surprises waited on the horizon?
Wave 1, revealed in early February 2022’s Nintendo Direct, was released in the middle of February 2022, complete with fan-favorite tracks such as Mario Kart Wii’s Coconut Mall and Mario Kart 64’s Choco Mountain, among six others. This wave was slammed with negative reviews, unfortunately, as the graphics seemed to be slightly upscaled in comparison to Mario Kart Tour, the mobile game Nintendo had pivoted to after Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s initial release.
Nintendo heard these complaints and improved the graphical quality of Wave 2, which was released in the summer of that same year. The consistent graphical upgrades would continue as the remaining waves were released. Waluigi Pinball from Mario Kart DS and Mushroom Gorge from Mario Kart Wii were among the courses brought back from Nintendo’s backlog, while a new course, Sky-High Sundae, was unveiled to the world for the very first time. This wave brought speculation and rumors for the next four waves, as some of the data for future courses was left in the files of this update.
The entirety of Wave 3 was spoiled, along with some tracks from Waves 4, 5, and 6. Or, at least, that was the case. Nintendo switched around the order of some of the tracks, as Mario Kart: Double Dash!!’s Waluigi Stadium, initially planned for Wave 3, was shifted to Wave 4 in favor of fan-favorite Maple Treeway from Mario Kart Wii. Wave 3 was released in the late fall of 2022, and it was the last wave of that year. Not only was Maple Treeway included in the eight, but Peach Gardens from Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 7’s iteration of Rainbow Road also graced fans with their presence.
Wave 4 brought numerous curveballs, as the aforementioned Waluigi Stadium would debut alongside seven other tracks, like Mario Kart Wii’s DK Summit and Mario Kart DS’s take on Mario Circuit, which hadn’t seen the light of day in over a decade. A new track based on the Yoshi’s Island games would also debut, along with the first of eight new characters: Birdo, who hadn’t been in a Mario Kart title since Mario Kart Wii, unless you count Mario Kart Tour.
Wave 5 brought the biggest surprises to the game yet, as the first unpredicted track from the data leak was brought in: Mario Kart Wii’s Moonview Highway. It debuted alongside a whopping three city tracks from Mario Kart Tour, based off of Amsterdam, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, respectively, as well as Mario Kart Wii’s Koopa Cape and a new track called Squeaky Clean Sprint. Petey Piranha and Wiggler, who appeared in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart 7, respectively, were two of the three characters added to the game with this update, alongside Kamek, who had been scrapped from not one but two Mario Kart titles prior. With Wave 5’s surprise additions, all eyes were on Wave 6 to top it. And it delivered.
Just a few short days ago, on November 8, 2023, Wave 6 was released. This wave brought the final two city courses from Tour, based on Rome and Madrid, alongside heavy hitters like Double Dash’s DK Mountain and Mario Kart Wii’s Daisy Circuit. Bowser Castle 3 from Super Mario Kart got the biggest overhaul a track from that game had ever received, and as such, was one of the most well-received of the wave. However, the pièce de résistance of the wave was Mario Kart Wii’s Rainbow Road, a track notorious for its tight corners and numerous places to fall off of. The final wave also added Diddy Kong and Funky Kong, making their return from Mario Kart Wii, along with Pauline and Peachette, making their returns from Mario Kart Tour.
With that, the Booster Course Pass came to a close, and with it, Mario Kart 8’s nine-year tenure did as well. Apart from Mario Kart Tour getting numerous tracks across all six waves, Mario Kart Wii, unsurprisingly due to its immense popularity, was the most represented game in the Booster Course Pass. Mario Kart: Super Circuit was the next-highest represented game, with tracks like Sunset Wilds and Boo Lake being added. On the lesser-represented side of the spectrum were both Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart 64, the oldest games in the franchise. Both games received two tracks each. Now, as Mario Kart 8 rides off into the sunset, fans of the franchise can wait with bated breath for Nintendo to announce the next game in the series.
