Booster Course Pass Wave 5 – Kamek makes the cut at last (Picture: Nintendo)

The penultimate set of new DLC courses for Mario Kart 8 includes three new characters and a brand new track… as well as unexpected controversy.

At just over 50p a track, the Booster Course DLC for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is almost impossible to criticise in terms of value for money. There are two long-standing complaints against it but given the final set of tracks will be out sometime this autumn, it’s now obvious that neither issue is going to be addressed. Everyone knows what to expect by now and yet Wave 5 still manages to pack in some surprises – both positive and negative.

Those two complaints, in case you’re new to this, is that the DLC courses have a noticeably more cartoonish art style than those in the main game, even though the majority are remastered tracks from previous entries in the series. Nintendo has never explained why but the assumption is that it’s because that’s the way mobile game Mario Kart Tour looks and since the majority of new courses are from that game everything has been made to look more like it, rather than the other way around.

The other issue is that none of the Booster Course tracks feature any kind of anti-gravity element, despite that being the main gimmick of Mario Kart 8. Although that’s not technically true here, as the Vancouver Velocity track does feature a very short section where your kart’s wheels fold away and the anti-gravity generators come out and it’s a bit of shock to even remember that used to be a thing.

Wave 4 from March was a particularly good one, not just for the selection of tracks but the fact that it added a new character, in the form of Birdo and her many colour variants. Wave 5 goes one better by adding three new characters, all taken from Mario Kart Tour. There’s Petey Piranha and Wiggler, who first appeared in Double Dash!!, and Kamek who has, surprisingly, never been in a console version of Mario Kart before (he was going to be in Mario Kart 64 but got bumped for Donkey Kong).

They’re all cutely animated, with Wiggler getting red with anger when he gets hit and Kamek casting a magic spell, with his signature PlayStation style symbols, when he jumps. He also makes his signature noises when you beep the horn.

For various reasons, the Feather Cup is by far the best of the two tournaments, starting with a Mario Kart Tour track set in Athens. Predictably, it’s a fantasy version of Athens, where every building is either an ancient temple or a cute little picturesque home, but it’s a fun track, as you make your way up what we imagine is supposed to be Mount Olympus, in an usually vertical course for Mario Kart.

Daisy Cruiser was always one of the best Double Dash!! courses, with its dining room full of sliding tables and a brief underwater section if you fall down an open cover or into a Goomba-filled swimming pool. By contrast, Moonview Highway is basically a boring version of Toad’s Turnpike – which was always one of our favourites – as you race along a motorway filled with ordinary cars and vans, none of which seem as interested in getting in your way as they should.

The final track is the brand new Squeaky Clean Sprint, which is just as clever and inventive as the new Yoshi’s Island course from the previous wave. It’s one of a small number of Mario Kart tracks where you’re shrunk down to the size of a mouse, as you race around a bathroom, through a sink, down a plughole, and along some discarded towels. Not only does it look great, but it’s filled with unexpected shortcuts and cute references, like a bottle of fabric softener with a Blooper on it.

The Cherry Cup starts okay, with Los Angeles Laps barrelling through an impressive array of different LA locations, without ever seeming overly gimmicky. The layout isn’t terribly interesting though and you can race through it on autopilot without doing anything but gawping at the scenery.

Squeaky Clean Sprint is a great new addition (Picture: Nintendo)

Sunset Wilds is already causing consternation online because although it looks nice, as an upgraded Game Boy Advance course, the original version saw the sun set over the course of the race, until it was completely dark and the moon was out on the final lap.

That’s no longer the case, which seems disappointing for what is otherwise a fairly unremarkable track. Koopa Cape is an old Wii course, and one of the hardest in the game, with some deceptively tight turns that will have you washed off the side of a cliff if you don’t time it right. It’s a really great design and easily the best of the Cherry Cup tracks.

The final course is Vancouver Velocity, which apart from a brief jaunt through an ice hockey game comes across as a fairly generic modern city. One which, like Los Angeles Laps, has nothing very interesting going on in terms of track design. The music is nice though, in fact the music is very good for all the tracks, including those that have been upgraded from lower tech hardware.

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Feather Cup is one of the best selections in the whole of the DLC line-up, while Cherry Cup is one of the worst. That term is always relative when it comes to Mario Kart, though, and even the most boring course is still fun if you’re playing with other people.

And besides, given the price, it really is impossible to feel ripped off. Especially as there’s still two extra character slots to be filled by the final wave, so we can’t wait to see who they’ll be. We’re hoping for Donkey Kong Jr. and Fawful.

Formats: Nintendo Switch
Price: £24.99 for all 48 tracks or free with Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack
Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Nintendo EAD
Release Date: 12th July 2023
Age Rating: 3

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The penultimate set of new DLC courses for Mario Kart 8 includes three new characters and a brand new track… as well as unexpected controversy.