Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just launched on Nintendo Switch and has become a roaring success. Nobody quite knows where Nintendo will go with Mario Kart next, but supposing they want to take the road less travelled we decided to look at our aspirations for future DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!
Following the format I detail in my video, “Could Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Get DLC,” I believe that there would be two packs once again, with a similar format to the original set of DLC for Mario Kart 8. This would be two packs, each with three characters, four vehicles, a grand prix (four courses), and two battle tracks. Each pack would have one of the two battle courses be a retro track. I think each pack could consist of a brand new Mario character, a returning character, and a new crossover character.
Pack 1 Characters: Kamek (Medium weight), Birdo (Medium weight), Kirby (Light weight). I’d personally like to see Kamek be one of the new characters, as he was not only planned for Mario Kart 64, but the original Mario Kart 8 as files suggest. Birdo is one of the only characters to have been in multiple Mario Kart games, yet did not return for Mario Kart 8. King Boo, Bowser Jr, and Dry Bones were among the others, and they were brought back, plus, Birdo can be found on posters in the game, which feels odd with her absence. As for Kirby, I don’t think I could give any greater justification that believing he would be fun to play as!
Pack 2 Characters: Paper Luigi (Lightest weight), Petey Piranha (Heaviest weight), Samus (Zero Suit Samus as an alternate) (Heavy weight). As a nod to Paper Mario: Color Splash, I would love to see Paper Luigi. There are already quite a few versions of Mario and Peach, and if there are to be more, at least let it be of somebody else. Petey Piranha is a fan favorite character, and was planned for Mario Kart Wii, but was scrapped during development. It would be very amusing to bring him back, since his Double Dash partner, King Boo, has returned as well. As for Samus, I believe she could make another interesting female character, a larger weight class for stats equal or similar to Rosalina and Link.
Pack 1 Vehicles: 2 new karts, 1 new ATV, 1 returning bike: the Flame Runner from Mario Kart Wii.
Pack 2 Vehicles: 2 new bikes, 1 new kart: Samus Gunship, 1 returning kart: Birthday Girl (Royal Ribbon) from Mario Kart 7.
New Course picks: Kirby themed course, Mario Odyssey inspired course, Mario Galaxy inspired (Comet Observatory?), Paper Mario Color Splash Course. I believe it would be a great idea to have a course themed to Kirby if he were to be a crossover character, though I’m not sure as to what its contents could include. With Mario Odyssey coming soon, it would be a good idea to have a new course referencing it as well. The anti-grav mechanic would be great for a Mario Galaxy themed course, even if it was a mixture of Good Egg Galaxy and the Comet Observatory, or something experienced early in the game. With Paper Mario Color Splash heavily referencing Mario Kart, it only feels appropriate to have a course for it.
Retro Course picks: Wii Coconut Mall, GCN Wario Colosseum, DS Luigi’s Mansion, SNES Vanilla Lake 2. I don’t have much reason for picking these courses other than that they would be fun to bring pack, and they make for a good variety. DS Luigi’s Mansion already has its theme used for the GCN Luigi’s Mansion battle track, GCN Wario Colosseum would look amazing with anti-gravity, and Wii Coconut Mall can fit the “Mario Sunshine” theme that Sunshine Airport already has going for it.
Battle Tracks: Metroid-themed, DreamLand, Wii Funky Stadium, N64 Block Fort. Having a couple more crossover battle tracks wouldn’t be a bad idea, and could be likely, given that there’s already a Splatoon battle track. N64 Block fort is one of the most iconic battle courses of the Mario Kart series. Wii Funky Stadium would also be a neat choice, as it is a relatively large track, and would help add to the amount of DK representation in the game.
Fawful in a kart would make my day and I’d race as him all the time. Other than that I really don’t have any serious wishlist characters for MK8D.
While there are characters I’d like to see return (Birdo, Wiggler) or join the series for the first time (Goombella, E. Gadd, Foreman Spike), I maintain that the series is about courses first and foremost. So along with retro courses I’ll list below (along with new and old battle courses), I’ve got some ideas on new ones. Among them are Mario Odyssey creepy forest or frozen desert, Switch Scramble Circus or Beep Block Skyway from 3D World, and Galaxy levels that could play with micro-gravity. It’d also be nice to have levels based on more kinds of Mario games, like the Paper series or even Donkey Kong. Beyond that, I’m interested in levels that feel different, with stormy weather, different times of the day or night, or wild layouts to play with the anti gravity concept. As for non-Mario series, Metroid, Kirby, Kid Icarus, Pikmin, and Pilotwings would all be neat.
Retro Tracks: Banshee Boardwalk (64), Sunset Wilds (Super Circuit), Wario Colosseum (Double Dash!!), Waluigi Pinall (DS), Toad Factory and Koopa Cape (Wii), Rosalina’s Ice World (7)
Battle Tracks: Nintendo Switch, Ruddy Road, Snowball Park
Retro Battle Tracks: Twilight House (DS), Sherbert Rink (7)
I’ve discussed this a lot but I personally don’t want DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, I would rather have the team focus on Mario Kart 9. But if I had to pick new DLC I would argue that we get something similar to Mario Kart 8’s DLC but replace the second cup of courses in each pack with more battle maps. I could also see a free update with a new battle map. So let’s tackle this piece-by-piece, starting with characters.
Characters Pack 1: Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Fox McCloud. The Kong family is severely lacking this time around and bringing forward Wii racers seems to be a thing so I could see both Wii Kongs coming back. Then Fox is here because he is one of Miyamoto’s creations and is also made internally at NCL themselves (which I think is important).
Character Pack 2: Captain Toad, Captain Olimar, Alph. Captain Toad has seen ever-growing popularity and his creator even asked for him to be added to Mario Kart 8. He seems like an easy creation, just editing Toad, and I was surprised he didn’t get into Deluxe. As for Olimar and Alph it follows the same logic that Fox did.
Vehicles: Arwing Car, Bulborb Car, S.S. Dolphin Bike, Minecart ATV, Barrel Train, Tiny Titan. Here we have different vehicles for each of the new racers while the Barrel Train comes back from Mario Kart 7, both as a popular vehicle and one for the Kongs. Lastly the Tiny Titan from MKWii is added as it references another Nintendo series: 3D Hot Rally.
Race Courses: I don’t know which would go with which pack but I reckon it would be 3 new overall and 5 returning. Corneria would be the stage for Fox but a Pikmin stage will be held off in exchange for the return of Wuhu Island Loop 3DS. The other new stages could be based on navigating an underground cave system with waterfalls and crystals and maybe a stage based on a Circus. As for returning I think Luigi’s Mansion DS would be good to mesh with the battle map and Toad’s Factory Wii hasn’t come back yet. I loved what they did with the two GBA levels in Mario Kart 8 so I would like to see that again, this time with an SNES level as well. My choices would be Choco Island 2 SNES and Riverside Park GBA.
Battle Maps: finally the battle maps. I think 8 new battle maps make sense here, split with 5 new and 3 returning. This is where Garden of Hope comes into play as a Pikmin battle map but it is not the only other Nintendo series. Arms also gets a new stage based on one of it’s stages. Same team after all. As for the other 3 new maps they would be based on existing courses. Electrodrome, Water Park and Sunshine Airport seem like the most logical bets for this as all 3 are fairly unique locations. Now the returning levels. I would love to see Block Fort from 64 come back. Then the other two are from Double Dash and Super Circuit, with the latter getting a big face-lift. The DD stage is Pipe Plaza while the SC stage would be Battle Course 2, which is themed around Bowser’s Castle.
I covered what I’d most like to see in 5 Things for Mario Kart 9. Ironically, as a contrast to Nantenjex I would much rather see DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe than a Mario Kart 9. I feel like Mario Kart 9 would split the fanbase between two games. I just bought Mario Kart 8 and then Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a Mario Kart 9 doesn’t interest me for the foreseeable future.
That being said there are a number of characters I would really like to see for 8 Deluxe as DLC.
But most of all I want some more damn dirty apes. Seriously, there is a single Kong on Mario Kart 8D. Considering Funky’s popularity and Diddy being a regular in Mario cross-overs I feel like both of them should return. It’s also time for Dixie to make her presence felt.
Additionally, the heavy characters in these games tend to feel a bit samey or lackluster. Why not add K. Rool?
Besides some Characters, Vehicles and extra Tracks, my most wanted option would be glorious return of the Boss Battles, from Mario Kart DS.
Just imagine: Having a Balloon Battle against King Bomb-omb on a Battle Stadium, Racing a rampaging Wiggler on Toad Harbor, or going as a group hunting for King Boo on the Twisted Mansion.
Not everything has to be racing. Right? So a Multiplayer “Boss Mode” would make the game a real party experience.
What would you like to see as DLC in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe? Let us know in the comments section!
I’d really like to see them transition from Mario Kart to Nintendo Kart. They could build on the roster they already have and just add the obvious first party characters, but also throw in Paper Boy, Mach Rider, Excite Biker, etc.
My picks as far as characters are concerned.
Likely choices:
-Diddy Kong
-Birdo
-Petey Piranha
-Kamek
-Professor E. Gadd
-Toadsworth
-Nabbit
Unlikely choices:
-Pauline
-Foreman Spike
-Donkey Kong Jr.
-Mouser
-Wart
-Tatanga
-Captain Syrup
Guest choices
-Captain Falcon
-Samus Aran
-Kirby
-Pit
-Fox McCloud
-Ness
-Sonic the Hedgehog
Block Fort is already in Mario Kart DS.
In fact, the only battle track left to be remade from Mario Kart 64 is Double Deck. Why wasn’t it mentioned?
Because DLC can have returning tracks, and Block fort is the best battle map of all time, according to the fandom, at least
To be honest I never liked the idea of supposed “complete/deluxe/ultimate” editions having even more DLC. I mean, I guess Deluxe isn’t supposed to a complete edition but it has all the DLC from the Wii U version so it does give off that vibe.
I really don’t know how to decide on which will include in certain seasonal packs, so I’m gonna give out some choices that I think they should join in as DLC, if they plan though. I may be repeating myself since I’ve expressed this in the past articles, but here are my list of choices.
New Racers: Magikoopa, Hammer Bros., Nabbit, Ashley
Magikoopa has been planned to join Mario Kart 64 before, but declined as it was switched to DK instead. I think it should be the best time to give him the spotlight, since Magikoopa is part of the main cast of the series in some point, rather than a common enemy, but Bowser’s strongest supporters. Nabbit has been in a spotlight a lot, being in Smash for Wii U as a gimmick character, and even playable in Mario & Sonic in Rio Olympics. It wouldn’t be too odd for bringing Nabbit in the game. But I do wish to add in Hammer Bros. If Lakitu had a chance, then I believe Hammer Bros. should too. I mean, he even became playable once in Mario Party series. He really needs a spotlight and love to join for the first time. Finally for Ashley…I know her inclusion is impossible, but since Wario’s in the game, I thought bringing somebody from the Wario franchise would be interesting, especially for Ashley since she’s the most popular character from WarioWare series.
Returning Racers: Diddy Kong, Petey Piranha, Birdo
Although there’s not much characters who I think should return, I think these three should be the best choice so far. Diddy may still be part of the Donkey Kong franchise, but he’s still part of the Mario series, so his return should be favorable. Petey Piranha and Birdo has been fan favorites as well, so they should return too.
Nintendo Crossovers: Captain Falcon, Kirby, Fox
Think about it; they’ve brought F-ZERO stages and Blue Falcon in the game, but the main character haven’t even join yet! Of course we do have a Mii costume as we can imitate him, but that wouldn’t be enough as it doesn’t count. Bringing the actual Falcon in the game is something he should deserve the most. Fox’s inclusion can be an interesting thing to see, as we can imagine him riding on an Arwing, something like he did in…uh…you know…Star Fox Command? Kirby’s inclusion may depend, but since HAL gave permission to you him as a Mii costume, I think his chance being in the game may be possible. Just like how he appeared in Rainbow Road in Rosalina’s Smash for 3DS/Wii U’s entry trailer, his entry may be a dream come true.
3rd Party Crossovers: Sonic, Mega Man, Pac-Man
Now I know this is 100% impossible as they’re all third parties. However, their companies allowed to use their appearances as Mii costumes, so having them being as a racer should be pleasing if possible. Sonic can ride on his blue car from Sega All-Star Racing, while Mega Man will ride on Rush Roadster from Battle & Chase, and Pac-Man will maybe ride on the kart from Rally-X. Their tracks should include Green Hill Zone as they can use the loops for anti-gravities, Wily Castle for unique gimmicks, and Pac-Maze for a maze stage that’s like Yoshi Valley.
New Tracks: Splatoon-based, Paper Mario-based, Nintendo-based
Since Splatoon’s Inklings and their Battle stage have been included, they don’t have the actual racing stage. They should add in a racing stage based from Splatoon. Probably the skating arena from Splatoon 2’s should be an interesting choice as they can use anti-gravity on certain tracks if possible. A Mario Kart reference was used a lot in Paper Mario series, so I think it should be interesting bringing the Paper Mario-based stage in this game, making 3D racers drive through a 2D paper-made stage for the first time (besides Smash). Finally, the Nintendo-based stage should be a collection of NES game stages, bringing 8-bit stages as race tracks.
Returning Tracks: Daisy Circuit, Wuhu Loop, Figure-8 Circuit
I was thinking bring a Daisy-based track should be an interesting return, so I’ve chose Daisy Circuit for this list, as I really loved to see that coupling statue of Daisy and Luigi. I’ve also chose Wuhu Loop because since we have the Wuhu Island’s battle stage returning, I thought it’ll be nice to bring another Wuhu Island-based stage again with better graphics. Finally, since this is Mario Kart “8”, I thought bringing the Figure-8 Circuit back would make a lot of sense.
Returning Battle Stages: Delfino Pier, Double Deck, Tart Top
I thought bringing a Sunshine-based stage would be interesting, so I’ve chose Delfino Pier for this list, as having the water gimmick should be something they should use since we have the propeller. I wanted the Double Deck to be quite irritating when look for the opponents in a big maze, while having Tart Top being the replacement of Cookie Land, since that stage’s already been used twice.
And that’s quite it for my choice!