Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a kart racing game from Nintendo EPD, taking the Switch rerelease through a full 150cc Grand Prix tour. The complete run covered the base and DLC cups, racing as Shy Guy and aiming for first place.
The music is persistently praised, with the courses’ songs a highlight and most of the run spent humming along. The track design lands well, with the N64 Rainbow Road’s barriers and the DLC cups’ courses standing out.
The roster offers plenty of choice, with the kart selection cycled and Shy Guy settling in as the character of choice. The blue-shell dodge tech is a highlight, with a well-timed mushroom whooshing the racer out of the way.
The item cruelty is the dominant complaint, with at least one blue shell and one lightning bolt hitting every race. Being knocked out of first is a recurring frustration, with the blue shell arriving right at the finish.
The rubber-band economy bites when trailing, with the trailing racer stuck on triple bananas while the top items never appear. The one mechanical wish is holding two items at once, with the switch between them absent.
The handling holds up on 150cc, with the racer keeping pace through the full Grand Prix. The DLC cups’ trophy is a minor presentational letdown, and one race shows a bugged sky.
Overall, the track variety, the soundtrack and the arcade fun make this a very fun racer even solo. The relentless blue shells and the first-place sabotage are the caveats.