Wave 5 of the Booster Course content for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is here, with eight new tracks spread across the Feather Cup and Cherry Cup for players to challenge each other on. Each of these DLC packs has built upon the foundation laid by Mario Kart games in the past by bringing updated versions of several of the favorite courses of previous games, as well as introducing some new surprises. Wave 5 of MK8 DLC means there is just one more Booster Course wave left from the announced content updates for the game, but there are lots of tracks to enjoy with this round.
Every track and character added to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Wave 5 gives the nearly ten-year-old game new life by offering players a round of fresh courses to race on, and fun new drivers to try out. All but one of the tracks added in Wave 5 are updated versions of some fan-favorite tracks that were introduced in older Mario Kart games and the current mobile edition of the game, Mario Kart Tour. Here are each of the eight new tracks in order of worst to best, with some information about each of them.
8 Athens Dash From Mario Kart Tour
The Athens Dash track is originally from the Mario Kart Tour and starts out strong with historical representations of the Parthenon, Hadrian's Arch, and more. Unfortunately, despite its location and interesting monuments, much of the course feels a bit copy-paste. The buildings that are visible in the background are surprisingly devoid of any detail and leave a very plain and low-budget feel to the course in general. It is fun that the track changes with each lap and the boulders falling onto the track are exciting, but ultimately Athens Dash is not of the same quality as the other tracks.
7 Sunset Wilds From Mario Kart: Super Circuit
Sunset Wilds from the Game Boy Advance Mario Kart: Super Circuit has been beautifully remade for Mario Kart 8, yet somehow is even more simplistic than its original version. The sunset features pretty colors and the track layout has some muddy pools and Shy Guys, but otherwise, there isn't too much to this track. The biggest disappointment, however, comes when players enter the final lap. Previously, this final lap had the sunset finish and the last lap was completed in the nighttime darkness, yet this time the sky remains locked in a perfect sunset.
6 Koopa Cape From Mario Kart Wii
Stylistically, Koopa Cape from Mario Kart Wii is a beautiful track with raging waters, cartoony trees, and clever uses of giant shells for design. The eye-catching track has a lot of variety in its elevation as well, besides the changing driving conditions with the use of water. What hurts it is the strange use of antigravity physics combined with a half-pipe that is entirely underwater before shooting into a waterfall area. A longer pipe with better abilities to enjoy it outside the underwater area would have greatly helped in this case.
5 Daisy Cruiser From Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart Double Dash!! had some fun tracks, and one of the best for that game was the Daisy Cruiser track. For Wave 5 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's Booster Course it has been redesigned and updated, and a lot of changes have been made. Besides the confusing addition of making the storage room flooded, which makes one wonder about the safety of the ship itself, many of the original hazards of the track have been simplified, which is both good and bad. Several areas of the track also feel a bit plain, as though they needed to add some cheering NPCs or decorations.
4 Los Angeles Laps From Mario Kart Tour
Another addition from Mario Kart Tour is Los Angeles Laps. There are many fun gimmicks with this track, that are particularly fun for anyone who has spent any time in the real world of Los Angeles, such as the major league baseball park, the Santa Monica Pier, half-pipe on the beach, and more. Though the inclusion of the Inglewood Oil Field is still a bit strange, the course has so much variety in addition to terrain changes and obstacles, that it is a very fun track to race.
3 Moonview Highway From Mario Kart Wii
Moonview Highway from Mario Kart Wii gives a bit of the street racing vibe with the dim moonlight glow of racing in the night combined with oncoming traffic and bright city lights. The colors feel more vivid and the shading is of higher quality than was felt in the Mario Kart Wii edition of the game. There are also new randomized dash s and ramps that provide some exciting new track mechanics that are fun to experience.
2 Squeaky Clean Sprint New For Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Squeaky Clean Sprint is the only track that is completely new for Wave 5 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and is a unique and cheerful course that instantly gained a lot of attention from fans. Shrinking racers down to toy size and letting them race through a giant bathroom with bath bombs and soapy obstacles is a clever way to reskin what could otherwise have been a basic track. Then adding in giant sponges, shower curtains, and bath towels makes everything about this driving experience creative and cheerful.
1 Vancouver Velocity From Mario Kart Tour
Vancouver Velocity from the Mario Kart Tour is by far the best of the tracks added with Wave 5 to Mario Kart 8. The music is a perfect fit for this incredible track which has everything from dense forests, snow-capped mountains in the background, and even northern lights visible in the sky. The suspension bridge section at the beginning is a fun and beautiful place to drive, and the entire track is just a work of art mixed with a perfect amount of obstacles and terrain changes.
Mario Kart has a large history of tracks to choose from throughout the many games in the series, particularly with the new Mario Kart Tour which has new experiences from around the globe. It does feel slightly disappointing that Wave 5 of the Booster Course content did not include more unique creations for new tracks to add to the game, but the Squeaky Clean Sprint is a fun and engaging one, and the redesigned versions of other tracks are all beautiful. Each of the new tracks feels like a good fit for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe game and provides longtime players a fresh, and squeaky-clean, reason to come back to the ten-year-old game.
