Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has officially received an update that promises to turn the chaos of races up to eleven. The free update was announced by the Nintendo Europe Twitter account, showcasing a new feature for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe owners that allows players to customize which items can appear in offline VS races, as well as a selection of online modes. The feature also enables players to choose different items to be available for each side in a team battle.
The level of customizability for online and offline play is in many ways unprecedented. Nintendo's games are known for their often careful level of feature curation, sometimes to the point of creating games that feel incredibly limited upon initial release. In games like Animal Crossing: New Horizons, the slow crawl of updates was at times frustrating, but when each feature did arrive, they were all thoroughly designed and tested to ensure a polished, high quality experience. That being said, this update does have some precedent behind it.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Item Customization And The Benefits Of Player Freedom
Giving players a broad array of freedoms, at the slight expense of Nintendo's usual curated gameplay experience, seems to be an increasingly common approach at the company. Breath of the Wild brought all the variety and inconsistencies of open-world gameplay and now Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is finally beginning to explore the deep potential for player and race customization that has remained mostly untapped before now.
Giving players additional freedoms is almost always a pro-consumer choice and Nintendo's decision to open up new possibilities and gameplay options bodes well for the longevity of Mario Kart. The PC modding community is the greatest example of just how far players will go to tweak or customize games to suit their needs or interests. For many, these kinds of options and variations are what keep them playing for far longer because players can avoid repetitiveness through creativity. While consoles and especially Nintendo games will never make such complete customization accessible, this feature is a notable step in the right direction.
How The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Item Customization Might Make For Beautiful Mayhem
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There are an immense number of item combinations now available to players, but some stand out for their potential to create chaos. One key way that item customization option will create mayhem for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is that it allows players to work around Nintendo's rules about how items are distributed. Blue Shells, Bullet Bills, Golden Dash Mushrooms, and many of the most powerful items in the game are generally unavailable to players in the lead. The game follows this rule to keep players from getting too far ahead and to create surprising catch-up opportunities that keep the race close. Giving players control of which items can spawn does not entirely remove these rules, but if players limit the item pool enough, powerful items can be used by any player, regardless of race position.
The ability to create new gameplay handicaps for players of differing ability, age, or experience is also an exciting prospect. Increasing the likelihood of receiving items like Blue Shells, Bullet Bills, and Stars for players who would struggle to win against their friends normally would help bridge the skill gap and encourage closer competition. While this may not appeal to everyone, for adults who often race against their younger family, being able to restore the challenge of Mario Kart while still giving younger players a fighting chance is a welcome feature.
Increasing the likelihood of certain chaotic items for evenly matched players also leaves a lot of potential for absolute chaos. Players could be crashing into each other as Bullet Bills vying for first or spamming Dash Mushrooms to get an edge on a final stretch. Competitive players and gaming influencers are sure to push this feature to its hilarious extremes. The opportunity to create challenge runs using item limitations would also be a fun spin on the feature for players and influencers alike. It is reassuring to see that Nintendo remains committed to producing new content and gameplay options for a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe so long after its initial release.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on Switch.
