A fan-favorite dinosaur is joining Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and bringing some style. Players owning the Booster Course Pass will be able to play as Birdo in the now-released Wave 4 update of this racing game's massive expansion.
First joining the Mario Kart cast in the GameCube Double Dash title as Yoshi's partner, Birdo returned in Mario Kart Wii as a standalone racer, but was oddly absent from the Wii U's Mario Kart 8 roster. The injustice has finally been corrected in Wave 4 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course Pass DLC, which not only brings back the egg-spewing dino, but spruces her up with a fresh coat of paint. In fact, she now comes with 9 coats!
A Practical Pack of Prehistoric Pride
Once players have downloaded Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Wave 4 update with the Booster Course Pass active on their Nintendo account, they'll be able to find Birdo in the top-right corner of the character selection screen. She is only the first of six Mario Kart alumni that will return to the roster this year, but while the wait on the identities of those mystery racers, Birdo comes with enough customizability to shake up the landscape herself.
Selecting Birdo from this screen brings up a submenu, displaying the nine options for how she will appear in the race. In order, the available colors are:
- Pink (default)
- Light Blue
- Black
- Red
- Yellow
- White
- Dark Blue
- Green
- Orange
Yoshi and Shy Guy mains will no doubt recognize this color selection menu, as those characters gained the same color-select option beginning in the Mario Kart 8 DLC for Wii U. It seems only appropriate that the racer who debuted as Yoshi's tag-team partner would go on to gain the same palette-swapping ability that makes the dinosaur that much more charming.
The Yoshi comparisons are not only skin-deep, as a cursory glance will show that Birdo has identical stats to Mario's trusty steed. Players used to racing as the game's middleweight drivers should find steering as Birdo remarkably familiar, making it no trouble at all to swap between the dinos as a preference pick.
Accessing the Booster Course Pass
As Birdo is a character added by the Mario Kart 8 Booster Course Pass, players will not be able to race as her without the DLC installed.
The Booster Course Pass is available at no additional charge to all active Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers. This premium edition of Nintendo's online multiplayer service may be accessed via the Nintendo Switch eShop, where it can be purchased electronically or redeemed via gift card code. The Expansion Pack bundle may be purchased for $49.99 for one year of service, and is not currently available for different increments of time.
Nintendo additionally sells Family Membership plans for the Expansion Pack, allowing buyers to grant up to 7 other Nintendo Switch users the full benefits of the Expansion Pack, including the Booster Course Pass. Friend groups itching to flood the tracks with a rainbow of Birdos may find that pooling funds for a single $79.99 plan comes out to be more affordable than each buying the Expansion Pack.
For those who'd prefer to say they own the DLC rather than subscribe to it, players may alternatively purchase the Booster Course Pass from the eShop. This standalone Booster Course Pass costs $24.99, and permanently unlocks all current and announced downloadable content for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe without the need for the Expansion Pack.
Subscribing to the baseline Nintendo Switch Online service do not grant players access to the Booster Course Pass. Players currently using this version of Nintendo Switch Online must either upgrade their service to add the Expansion Pack, or purchase the Booster Course Pass from the eShop to access the characters and courses added in the DLC.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available for play on Nintendo Switch.