Trick

Donkey Kong performing a Trick.

A Trick, renamed in Mario Kart 8 as a Jump Boost, is a very useful technique introduced in Mario Kart Wii. As the name implies, they are stunts that characters can perform during jumps/air time. After the karts or bikes take to the air off a ramp or other incline, the player can shake the Wii Remote (or press the D-pad on the Classic Controller/GCN controller) to make the character do some form of stunt in the air. The higher the jump, the more intricate the stunt is, although the direction that the Wiimote is shaken in is also a factor in the stunt performed. Depending on the character, there are several stunt animations: Bowser and other Koopas sometimes recede into their shell and do a spin, Mario and others do handstands, Peach and the other princesses blow a kiss, and several other animations. Yoshi sticks his long tongue out. The stunt performed does not affect the speed boost gained.

The methods for performing a trick with other controller methods are as follows:

• Mario Kart Wii, 8 (Sideways Wii Remote/Wii Remote + Nunchuk): Shake the Wii Remote right before becoming airborne.
• Mario Kart Wii (Classic Controller/GameCube Controller): Press the D-pad any direction before becoming airborne.
• Mario Kart 7, 8 (Wii U GamePad + Wii U Pro Controller) and 8 Deluxe (Dual Joy-Cons/Pro Controller): Press R/ZR before becoming airborne.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Sideways Joy-Con): Press SR right before becoming airborne.

Princess Peach performing a Trick on Maple Treeway.

As well as their aesthetic value, aerial Tricks are crucial to posting good times and ratings and getting in to the top ten. Upon landing a Trick, the racer gets a boost comparable to a Mini-Turbo. These can be gained on even the smallest of inclines, including the shifting terrain in Bowser's Castle. This allows the player to attain much greater speeds than if they simply rode through the course without performing aerial Tricks. Additionally, the more Tricks a player performs during a Grand Prix, the better their chance of receiving a star rating in Mario Kart Wii. This is in addition to the time gained by performing Tricks; if two players posted the same times (assuming both got 60 points), the one who performed more aerial Tricks would receive the higher rating for the cup.

In Mario Kart Wii, when using a Classic Controller/GCN controller, which D-pad button you press will cosmetically change what your character performs. In addition, when using the Wii Remote + Nunchuk combo, you can use the steering stick to change what your character performs. The same goes for Mario Kart 7, 8 (when using Wii U GamePad or Wii Remote + Nunchuk) and 8 Deluxe.

You also want to be careful with your tricks as they can extend your air time and additionally, if you trick on a half-pipe in Mario Kart Wii, you will need to make sure your character finishes performing the stunt before the boost is granted. Otherwise, only the boost from the half-pipe will be used. This may be the case for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass tracks that have half-pipes.

Red Yoshi performing a Trick on Dragon Driftway.