Ah, Mario Kart, endlessly entertaining and enraging. Though the Switch's entry - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - is a few years old by now, it has just received the first wave of remastered tracks.The Booster Course Pack will add waves of new (or technically, old) tracks to the game via the Nintendo Online Subscription. These tracks are remastered favorites from past games and have fans in a frenzy waiting to get back onto their old nostalgic raceways. The first set of tracks comprises the Golden Dash Cup, and Lucky Cat Cup, with four tracks in each. Let's rank them, shall we?
8 Choco Mountain From Mario Kart 64 - Golden Dash Cup
Choco Mountain is a fond memory for a lot of seasoned Mario Kart players, as it was originally in Mario Kart 64, released way back in 1997. The vast majority of drivers have played it, zoomed around in the chocolatey caves, and back out again.
The mountains are a relatively safe track aside from the one stretch before the finish line that literally throws giant chocolate rocks out of the sky and onto unwitting drivers below. To counteract this, game creators have added a guard rail to a previously hairy section, which meant players may zoom off the edge to their doom. Now, they're nicely hugged by a fence to keep them on track.
7 Tokyo Blur From Mario Kart Tour - Lucky Cat Cup
This course is a nice little tour around the streets of Tokyo, allowing players to casually drive around without a worry, as there are barely any real threats to speak of. There is a distinct lack of sharp turns, wily enemies waiting to pounce, or any giant drops into an unending abyss. There is a lot of straight pieces of roads, which to some will be a welcome break from the rage-inducing likes of Rainbow Road.
Tokyo Blur suffers as it is not the only Japanese-inspired track that came from Mario Kart Tour. Ninja Hideaway (which we'll get to in a bit) excels where this course does not.
6 Toad Circuit From Mario Kart 7 - Golden Dash Cup
The gigantic inflatable Toad that looms menacingly over this track is absolutely terrifying. Apart from that, though, there isn't much going on. That's not to say it's a bad thing!
Toad Circuit is definitely a 'safe' Mario Kart track. It provides an easier experience, a pleasant drive around a track that isn't created by the Devil itself and can give a chance to perfect drifts or try out a new Kart set up. There are still the usual Piranha Plants waiting to pop out and snatch up players, so do keep an eye out for them.
5 Paris Promenade From Mario Kart Tour - Golden Dash Cup
It shouldn't be a surprise that Mario Kart Tour has stages that are themed after real-life tourist locations. The first of which is Paris Promenade, which does feature a giant Eiffel Tower. Out of the two 'tourist' tracks featured in this first wave, this is the more entertaining option.
Like some others, the map changes slightly for each lap of Paris Promenade and, interestingly, on the third lap of this track drivers will be doing the course backward - which can be a big issue for anyone not caught up. Head-on collisions are a hazard here along with Piranha Plants littering the streets.
4 Shroom Ridge From Mario Kart DS - Lucky Cat Cup
Shroom Ridge is, essentially, a pleasant drive along some sheer cliffs with everyday cars weaving in and out. Hailing from Mario Kart DS, it doesn't look like too much on the surface. However, if you're anything like this writer, then those constant bends and naked corners will send fear down your spine.
The new and improved Shroom Ridge in the Booster Courses has had some changes to it - there are some nifty new shortcuts, so players can try and avoid some of those crushing cars.
3 Sky Garden From Mario Kart: Super Circuit - Lucky Cat Cup
Don't let the nice clouds and the cute name 'Sky Garden' catch you out - this track is a doozy. There are no guardrails of any kind here. There are so many open drops into thin air. There are tons of corners and bumps to add some extra stress to drivers' performance.
There is a chance it will be easier on Switch, however, as Mario Kart: Super Circuit was released for the Game Boy Advance many moons ago. The small handheld with its clicky D-pad buttons wasn't exactly conducive to easy drifting. But given that these tracks have been somewhat remastered, it may mean that there are new threats and tricks abound in this cloudy car chase.
2 Ninja Hideaway From Mario Kart Tour - Lucky Cat Cup
Amazingly, while this track comes from the mobile app, it has quite the difficulty rating. There's a lack of guard rails in this, even though the app had unforgiving controls. Within this innocent-looking course are spike traps, air vents, and plenty of sharp turns to catch players out on top of the usual Mario Kart items of destruction. Oh, and there's the Shy Guy ninjas that will attempt to derail drivers.
The atmosphere is pretty nice to look at, what with the bright Japanese setting and buildings looming over the roads.
1 Coconut Hall From Mario Kart Wii - Golden Dash Cup
Coconut Mall features one of the more 'normal' settings in Mario Kart; most other tracks are say, in the sky, or a dragon's castle. But not this one. And now it's been brought up to scratch for 2022's booster courses, albeit with some changes.
Putting behind us the questions like "why is there a mall in Mario anyway", this course is a classic. While it may not have the hardest challenge in terms of its corners or drops, there is a need to be good at drifting to make moves around this mall successfully. Let's not forget that Coconut Mall's theme song is one of the most popular songs from the games' history.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is currently available on Switch.