Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a racing game for the Nintendo Switch, and the first Mario game overall for the console. It is the first port of the Mario Kart series, being a port of Mario Kart 8 from the Wii U. It has additional features such as several new characters and features more options for Battle Mode. First teased in the Switch's announcement video in October 20, 2016, the game was formally announced as part of the Nintendo Switch presentation on January 13, 2017.

Differences from the original
Characters can now carry up to two items at once, even if they don't drag the first item, and the game features the return of the Double Item Box from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!. The game also introduces smart-steering and auto-accelerate for beginners; the former makes driving and staying on the track easier, the latter makes the vehicle automatically accelerate.

200cc engine class for Time Trials has been added (separately recorded from the 150cc Time Trials), and there is an additional level of Mini-Turbo, called Ultra Mini-Turbo, denoted by purple sparks that appear after the orange sparks. This new level of Mini-Turbo can only be obtained if Smart Steering is off.

The game also features a different in-game guide, directly accessible from the game's menu. There is also an option to change character and vehicle combinations during an online lobby without having to leave; this is done by pressing the "Y" button (left button when playing with a single Joy-Con) during the course selection screen of an online lobby. The game also has reduced loading times when compared to the Wii U game.

Some of the vehicle parts that are exclusive to downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 (i.e. parts included within the Mercedes-Benz × Mario Kart 8, The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8, and the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 add-on packs) are now randomly unlocked by collecting coins during gameplay.

There are more character weight classes when compared to the Wii U game, with several returning characters having different statistics. Also, the statistics of some vehicle parts have been altered.

The game features most of the base and DLC content of Mario Kart 8. Content excluded includes the battle mode in the Wii U game, Miiverse compatibility (possibly due to it being discontinued after November 7, 2017), stamps, and the ability to upload highlight reels on YouTube. The same 48 race courses are present.

Red Shells and Spiny Shells are now slower when they lock onto their target, meaning players are able to outrun them in 200cc when they have any kind of speed boost. The pathing and drifting patterns for the CPU racers have been adjusted to accommodate for the 200cc engine class.

CPU players now have a chance to pull Triple Red Shells from item boxes. However, it primarily happens in the Shells Only item setting.

Online lobbies are also changed. Players playing Worldwide or Regional VS Race between 1000 VR and 3000 VR will be randomized either a 100cc or 150cc race, and starting at over 3000 VR, players will now be randomized a 150cc, Mirror, or even 200cc race.

Battle Mode has been significantly altered (further detailed below), and characters that are unlockable or exclusive to downloadable content in Mario Kart 8 are available from the start in this game.

Battle Mode
The biggest change made between the port and the original release of Mario Kart 8 is the introduction of a proper Battle Mode. Battle Mode now returns to the traditional arena-based battle and unlike previous games, each player starts with five balloons, as opposed to three. Another addition to Battle Mode is that the character in the lead now wears a crown, unlike in Mario Kart 8 where the crown is displayed only on the HUD map. Additionally, players now start out with zero points instead of Mario Kart 8 ' s default three points, and their balloons do not serve as the remaining three points. Returning from Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 is the ability to respawn after all balloons are popped; this causes the player's total score to halve and the player respawns with three balloons instead of five. A new addition to this mode is the feature to tell exactly which character hit whom, which appears on the bottom of the screen. Furthermore, after getting hit, players now have about 1.5 seconds of invincibility frames, unlike in Mario Kart 8. The item options also appear to have been updated; alongside the "Frantic Items" option, a "Skilled Items" option is also available for selection; in this mode, powerful items appear less frequently, similar to Mario Kart Wii ' s "Strategic" ("Basic" in the PAL version) item option.

There are five different Battle Mode types:
 * Balloon Battle: The classic mode where players use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. This mode now uses the point-based set-up seen in Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, rather than the last man standing set-up of Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart DS, and Mario Kart 8.


 * Renegade Roundup: A "cops and robbers" type game, with the racers being divided into two teams. One team, known as "The Authorities", has to use Potted Piranha Plants (which are permanently attached to the front of their vehicle and only serve to capture the opposing team; they do not operate like the regular item) in order to capture players from the other team, known as "The Renegades". Captured Renegades are placed into one of several jail cells floating above various points on the stage. Remaining Renegades can free their teammates by driving over a key switch placed below the jail cells. The Renegades win if at least one member is still running free when time runs out, and the Authorities win if all of the Renegades get captured. All Authority team members also temporarily lose their ability to capture after being hit by an item and Renegades receive a speed boost when they are freed from the cells.


 * Bob-omb Blast: A returning mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, in which players attack one another using Bob-ombs to score points and can carry up to 10 Bob-ombs. This version follows all of the same rules as Balloon Battle, the difference being that the only items are Bob-ombs.


 * Coin Runners: Originating in Mario Kart Wii, this mode was last seen in Mario Kart 7. Players must collect Coins scattered across the course in order to have the most by the end of the match. Plays more akin to the Mario Kart Wii version of the mode, with players having no limit to the amount of coins they can collect, as opposed to the 10-coin limit in the Mario Kart 7 version.


 * Shine Thief: Another returning mode from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, one player must retrieve a Shine Sprite and keep hold of it for about 20 seconds, while the opponents use items against whoever has the Shine to force that player to drop it. The driver holding the shine sprite has a slightly reduced top speed. In Team play, one team must collectively manage to hold on to the Shine for about 30 seconds.

There is also the option to randomly select one of the five available modes by choosing "Random Battle".

Battle courses
Eight battle courses are present in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; five new and three retro, replacing the repurposed racetracks used for Battle Mode in the Wii U version.

Similar to regular races, a course introduction scene is now added at the start.

Characters
All base and DLC characters from Mario Kart 8 are present in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Additionally, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features 6 new characters not present in Mario Kart 8, 4 of whom are returning from past games in the series. New characters include additional non-Mario characters with the inclusion of Inklings from Splatoon. Players can choose either the Inkling Girl or Inkling Boy, and they include three selectable colors each; similarly, the two Villagers have also been separated, after being present in the same character slot (with the female villager being considered a variant of the male one) in Mario Kart 8. Excluding character variants, there are a total of 42 playable characters in this game, the largest number of playable characters thus far in the series.

Characters playable in this game that are not playable in the original Mario Kart 8 are listed below.

Rival order
Like in Mario Kart 8, characters have set rivals that consistently appear when racing in Grand Prix races. They are once again restricted to Grand Prix only, not appearing in single player versus or battle mode. Unlike the previous game, more characters have rivals: the twelve characters from the previous game who had rivals retain their rivals in this game, while other characters range from having one to two rivals each, or even none at all.

Vehicle parts
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features three additional vehicle body parts. One is the Koopa Clown, returning from Mario Kart 7. The other two new vehicles are Splatoon-based ATVs Splat Buggy and Inkstriker. All three change their colors for certain characters: the former for the Koopalings, and the latter two for all Inkling variations.

Computer characters now also choose from a wider variety of kart parts than the original version, such as the Flame Rider and the Sports Coupe. However, they are still restricted to a set amount of body parts per character. A computer Baby Daisy has the tendency to choose a Wild Wiggler with Wood wheels, for example.

Available parts
The parts available are listed here in the order shown in the vehicle customization screen, with the following notation:


 * Bold = Part is available at the start.
 * * = Changes color, depending on the character.
 * ** = Changes color for the Koopalings.
 * *** = Changes color for Daisy, Baby Daisy, Rosalina, and Baby Rosalina.
 * **** = Changes color for the Inklings.
 * (DX) = Part is not available in the original Mario Kart 8.
 * (NEW) = Part is introduced in this game.

The "8" logos on the parts are replaced with the character's symbol, except on the Gold Standard and Gold Glider.

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

 * For the in-game tables from which these values were derived and for the tables to translate those values into the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart 8 Deluxe in-game statistics.

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features different statistics with respect to Mario Kart 8.

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen
Just like Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8, the game uses "points" ("PT") which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts to determine the final values of the game's statistics. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called "Level" ("Lv") which is then used by a table to convert the level into appropriate physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:


 * Speed: The top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
 * Acceleration: how fast the speed increases when holding the acceleration button until top speed has been reached.
 * Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
 * Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper.
 * Traction (Grip in British English): The grasp of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding three points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 0.75 to 5.75. As an example, the process through which the statistics of a certain combination of character and vehicle parts are calculated and displayed is shown below:





Drivers' statistics
Drivers are still grouped into small groups of characters sharing the same statistics, the number of groups has been increased with respect to Mario Kart 8.

In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:


 * Water Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while driving underwater.
 * Air Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while gliding.
 * Anti-Gravity Speed: The top speed of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
 * Water Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while driving underwater.
 * Air Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while gliding.
 * Anti-Gravity Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
 * Mini-Turbo: The length of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts.

Just like in Mario Kart 8, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight.

The statistics are shown in points.

Parts' statistics
The number of groups of vehicle parts sharing the same statistics has increased as well when compared with Mario Kart 8.

The statistics are reported in points.

Gold Mario
The only unlockable playable character in this game is Gold Mario, who is unlocked by winning all twelve gold cups at 200cc. Once unlocked, he replaces Metal Mario on the character select screen. Metal Mario is from then on treated as a color variant of Gold Mario. The two differ only in their color scheme and the voice clip used when selecting them. Their other voice clips, horn sounds, animations, and statistics are identical.

Vehicle parts
A vehicle part is randomly unlocked every 30 coins. Once reaching 450 coins this changes to every 50, and once reaching 1500 coins this changes to every 100. Eventually, the last non-gold vehicle part is unlocked on reaching 3100 coins.

Special parts
Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:
 * Gold Standard: Unlocked by achieving at least 1 star ranking on all Mirror Cups.
 * Gold Tires: Unlocked by defeating all 48 staff ghosts in 150cc Time Trials.
 * Gold Glider: Unlocked by collecting 5,000 coins.

150cc Staff Ghosts
In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the times for staff ghosts in 150cc are slightly different from the original Mario Kart 8. Also, unlike the original game, players will not unlock any stamps if they beat the ghosts.

200cc Staff Ghosts
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features a new option for players to race in Time Trials in the 200cc engine class. This option also features entirely new staff ghosts for each of the 48 courses.

New items
The Boo and Feather items make a return in this game, functioning as they had previously. All other items from the Wii U version return as well. Also, the item distributions have been altered beside the addition of the new items.

New amiibo compatibility
In addition to all of the compatible amiibo in Mario Kart 8 with their respective Mii Racing Suits, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe adds compatibility with amiibo from the Splatoon line, which unlock a Mii Racing Suit based on Splatoon. Additionally, more amiibo can be used to unlock the returning Mii Racing Suits, as all Animal Crossing related amiibo being compatible and unlocking the Animal Crossing Mii Racing Suit, and the Pikmin amiibo unlocking the Pikmin suit.

Between versions

 * Motion blur when boosting is present in LAN and online mode. In earlier builds, it was also present in splitscreen.
 * The game now mostly renders in native 1920x1080 resolution in TV mode (sometimes switching to native 1728x972), and always renders at native 1280x720 resolution in Tabletop and Handheld Mode, instead of the dynamic 1280x720/1152x648 rendering resolution used in the original Wii U version.
 * The shadows present are of higher quality in multiplayer.
 * If a Blooper is about to ink the player as they cross the finish line, the player will still get inked. This is unlike the Wii U version, where the Blooper or the ink disappear instead.
 * If the Smart Steering mode is on, the player's vehicle will have an antenna sticking out its rear end. The antenna blinks and will tilt and bend when Smart Steering is activated.
 * The course map color on the race tracks is now white instead of blue, including the maps of all three Rainbow Roads and GCN Baby Park, which originally had multiple colors. Some of the Battle stages have color shaded areas and lines on their maps.
 * The character icons on the course map are now slightly larger, more detailed, and are of a higher resolution.
 * All courses that feature confetti flying around the start/finish line, such as Mario Circuit, now have confetti on the ground of the course near the start/finish line.
 * When using the rearview mirror, the characters will move their eyes a little to the left to look back, like how they do in Mario Kart Wii; however, their eyes will stay looking to the left as long as the rearview is active, rather than switching back after a second like in Mario Kart Wii.
 * Inkling Girl, Isabelle, and Link now appear on the loading screen.
 * When a Bob-omb or Spiny Shell explodes, its explosion is now shown on the course map.
 * Characters no longer react when they are inked by a Blooper.
 * When playing with teams, the flags of the corresponding colors are added behind the vehicle.
 * These flags don't appear in Balloon Battle and Bob-omb Blast, as the balloons show the teams in these modes.
 * When in an online lobby, the Miis now wear the racing suits that they wear during a race.
 * During online race lobbies, the engine class for the upcoming race is shown as the course is selected, via "100", "150", a mirrored "150" (for Mirror) or "200" icons in the bottom right of the selected course icon. This extends to online battle lobbies, as it will display a yellow balloon (Balloon Battle), a potted Piranha Plant (Renegade Roundup), a Coin (Coin Runners), a Shine Sprite (Shine Thief), or a Bob-omb (Bob-omb Blast) to denote which battle mode is about to be played.
 * Players can now see the lap count or timer when spectating an online race or battle.
 * Players can no longer see the lap count when crossing the finish line and full results in multiplayer (including online lobbies) at the end of the race while watching replay videos via Mario Kart TV.

Between characters

 * When Iggy, Larry, or Lemmy wear the crown, its top with the Shine Sprite is missing in order to accommodate for their tall and thick hair.

Updates
Note that in order to play online, players must have downloaded the most recent software update.

Ver. 1.1.0
An update was released on May 17, 2017. The following changes were made:
 * Opponents’ names are displayed in the rear view mirror view in online matches.
 * Invincibility period after a spin-out or crash is longer in online matches.
 * Up to two players can spectate a friend group while they wait to join.
 * “Worldwide” and “Regional” modes add players to Mirror and 200cc matches less often.
 * Players can now properly create a friend lobby when having 100 or more friends.
 * The starting positions in online races now properly reflect the order in which the players join (just like the original).
 * Miis now properly show facial expressions during matches.
 * The Tournament clock now properly reflects real-world time.
 * One of Inkling Girl's animations has been modified.
 * The original animation was considered by some to resemble an obscene gesture.

Ver. 1.2.0
An update was released on June 28, 2017. The following changes were made:


 * Players can use Pikmin-themed amiibo to unlock a Pikmin Suit for the Mii driver.
 * Race rules and course name are now displayed on loading screens for online and wireless play, as well as Mario Kart TV.
 * Players who are behind in online matches will receive items geared toward catching up more frequently.
 * In online matches, no more than two Piranha Plants will be granted as items at the same time.
 * Controls are no longer unresponsive when the timer runs out when choosing a Mii racing suit for online matches.
 * When a player uses an item right after the Super Horn in online matches, that item will now remain available for other players.
 * Item wheel no longer spins continuously in online matches.
 * Online matches now end as intended 30 seconds after the first place racer finishes.
 * The Boomerang now returns to the first slot, if possible, after a player catches it.
 * Items shown in a player’s item slots now display correctly when holding an item behind them.
 * No longer possible to use an item after it has been used to block an attack.
 * Communication errors no longer occur frequently while spectating or after spectating online matches.

Ver. 1.2.1
An update was released on August 9, 2017. The following changes were made:
 * Corrected an issue that prolonged the time to return to the lobby after races near the start and end times of online tournaments.

Ver. 1.3.0
An update was released on October 18, 2017. The following changes were made:
 * Video capture compatibility added. Hold the Capture Button to capture up to 30 seconds of the previous footage.
 * This system must be updated to Ver. 4.0.0 or higher to use this feature.
 * Now more difficult to float down using the glider when Smart Steering is ON.
 * Blue Shells no longer hit the second place player when the first place player hasn’t yet crossed the finish line.
 * Extended the invulnerability period after spinning out or crashing.
 * Changes made to Online Play prior to Ver. 1.2.1 now apply to Wireless Play and LAN Play as well:
 * When further back in a race, will receive better items to help catch up to other players.
 * No more than one Piranha Plant will appear at a time.
 * Updating to Ver 1.3.0 will prevent users from Wireless Play or LAN Play with users on Ver. 1.2.1 or lower.

Ver. 1.4.0
An update was released on December 12, 2017. The following changes were made:


 * Language support for Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, and Korean has now been implemented.
 * Players can change languages in Settings on the console.
 * An issue has been resolved that prevented background music from playing after players reach the finish line.
 * Updating to Ver 1.4.0 will prevent users from Wireless Play or LAN Play with users on Ver. 1.2.1 or lower.

Critical reception
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has been received with universal acclaim, garnering higher aggregate scores than the original Mario Kart 8. The game has been praised for being well-suited to the Switch's portability, the increased performance, and particularly the redesigned Battle Mode, although several reviews noted Deluxe would not be as appealing of a proposition to players who already own Mario Kart 8 and its downloadable content.

Sales
In the United Kingdom, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe debuted at No. 1 on the sales chart, making it the first Nintendo game to be No. 1 in the UK since 2011's Pokémon White Version, and the first Mario game to place such since Mario Kart Wii.

The game sold 459,000 copies for its US launch day, making it the fastest-selling Mario Kart game in the US and meaning 45% of US Switch owners purchased the game.

As of December 31, 2017, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had sold 7.33 million units worldwide. On March 31, 2018, it reached 9.22 million units, exceeding the original Mario Kart 8's 8.42 million and making it the second best-selling game on the Nintendo Switch behind Super Mario Odyssey.

Awards and acknowledgements
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was nominated for the "Best Family Game" and "Best Multiplayer" awards at The Game Awards 2017. However, it won neither, losing the former to Super Mario Odyssey and the latter to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

References to other games

 * Super Mario Kart: The Feather item returns from this game, with the same function. Battle Course 1 reappears as a retro battle stage; a billboard in the course background is modeled after the player select screen from this game.
 * Mario Kart 64: Similar to this game, all courses in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are unlocked from the start.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Luigi's Mansion reappears as a retro battle stage. The Double Item Boxes and the two Battle sub-modes, Bob-omb Blast and Shine Thief, return.
 * Mario Kart DS: An arrangement of the theme song of Luigi's Mansion is used in GCN Luigi's Mansion.
 * Mario Kart Wii: Dry Bones's voice clips are reused from this game.
 * Mario Kart 7: The Koopa Clown kart body returns from this game. Wuhu Town reappears as a retro battle stage. Lunar Colony has a moon section with low gravity just like Rainbow Road from this game.
 * Super Mario 3D World: The crown mechanic in Battle Mode is similar to the mechanic in this game's multi-player, where the player with the highest score from one stage will be wearing a crown in the next stage.
 * Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U: The Koopa Clown's propellers in anti-gravity sections emerge from circular panels on the side of the vehicle, much like the Junior Clown Car's weapons. Also, the Koopalings' Koopa Clowns match the Clown Car colors they use in this game.