Mario Kart 8, stylized as MARIOKART8 and abbreviated to MK8, is a kart-racing game exclusive to the Wii U. It's the eighth Mario Kart game in the series (eleventh overall if including the arcade games). A port for the Nintendo Switch, which is called Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, was released on April 28, 2017.
Mario Kart 8 was released on May 29, 2014 in Japan, May 30, 2014 in North America, Europe, and Brazil, and May 31, 2014 in Australia.
A new feature, anti-gravity, is introduced to the Mario Kart series while past features such as gliding, underwater driving, vehicle customization, and bikes return.
The original feature for this game was going to be drills, but the idea was ditched in favor for anti gravity racing as stated below.
Contents: |
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Gameplay |
Controls |
Racers |
Vehicle Parts |
Statistics |
Courses |
Items |
amiibo |
DLC |
Updates |
Trivia! |
Gameplay[]
In the eighth installment of the Mario Kart series, Anti-Gravity is introduced. In certain sections of courses, racers are able to drive on surfaces that are upside-down or tilted at a steep angle. This feature is heavily emphasized, with anti-gravity sections being present in every course, including old maps in Retro Cups.
The ability to glide in midair and drive underwater returns from Mario Kart 7, as well as Coins and vehicle customization. Bikes, last seen in Mario Kart Wii, make a return. The game also introduces ATVs, which are a new category of vehicle.
Battle Mode returns, however in this installment, players battle on race tracks rather than specially-made battle maps. Stamps are a new collectible in the game and can be posted to Miiverse when unlocked.
Online modes also return and can be played by up to two people on the same console. Mario Kart TV, or MKTV for short, is a new feature where players can watch highlights posted by other players. Players can also share these highlights to Miiverse and YouTube.
Game Modes[]
Grand Prix[]
In Grand Prix mode, twelve racers compete for first place in one of 12 cups (comprised of four races each). Racers are awarded with points based on their placements at the end of races, and the racer with the most points at the end wins.
Point System | |
---|---|
Finishing Place | Points Received |
1st | 15 |
2nd | 12 |
3rd | 10 |
4th | 9 |
5th | 8 |
6th | 7 |
7th | 6 |
8th | 5 |
9th | 4 |
10th | 3 |
11th | 2 |
12th | 1 |
Engine Classes[]
There are 5 selectable Engine Classes:
Engine Classes |
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50cc: Slow, Low-Speed fun for everyone. |
100cc: Moderately Fast. Requires some skill level. |
150cc: High-Speed thrills. Requires some skill level.* |
Mirror: Mirror-Image Courses (150cc).*** |
200cc: Super Fast - Breaking is crucial. Requires Advanced Skill Level.**/*** |
*Available in Time Trials **Released as of version 4.0 ***Unlockable before version 5.0 |
Upon Completing a Grand Prix, you will receive a trophy for that cup if you placed in top 3 overall. You may also receive a star rating, based on how well you did:
Grand Prix Star System | ||
---|---|---|
⭐️ | ⭐️ ⭐️ | ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ |
54-55 Points | 57 Points | 60 Points |
Time Trials[]
Time trials allow players to race for the best time possible, either on their own or against a ghost. This mode is exclusive to single player.
For this game's staff ghosts, see Staff Ghosts.
VS Race[]
VS. Race allows racers to race with their own custom rules. It is not restricted to a specific cup, so racers can pick any course (if enabled). VS. Race can be played alone with up to four people locally at one time. It cannot be played online, however, tournaments fill a similar role. (Note: VS. Races will NOT count towards the progression of your cups in Grand Prix).
Vs Race Options | |||
---|---|---|---|
Setting | Details | Options | Default |
Engine Class | Select the Engine Class for the Vs Race. | See Engine Classes | 100cc |
Teams | Choose whether your Vs Race has Teams or not. | Teams, No Teams | No Teams |
Items | Set which Items Spawn during your Vs Race. | Default, Frantic, [Specific Item only], None. | Default |
CPU | Set the Difficulty of the CPU in your Vs race. | Easy, Normal, Hard | Normal |
CPU Vehicles | Select Which Vehicles CPU can use. | All, Karts, Bikes | All |
Courses | Choose how Courses are Selected. | In Order, Choose, Random | Choose |
Races | Choose how many Races there are in your Vs race. | 3, 4, 5 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32 | 4 |
Battle[]
Players use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. This time, everyone starts with 5 balloons (2 more than the original 3) and it you lose all your balloons, you are eliminated (you become a ghost, similar to time trial ghosts, and you are unable to earn any more points).
When played locally, Battle Mode has customisable options:
Battle Options | |||
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Setting | Details | Options | Default |
Teams | Choose whether your Battle has Teams or not. | Teams, No Teams | No Teams |
Time Limit | Choose how long Battles last for. | 1 Minute, 2 Minutes, 3 Minutes, 4 Minutes, 5 Minutes | 3 Minutes |
Items | Set which Items Spawn during your Battle. | Default, Frantic | Default |
CPU | Set the Difficulty of the CPU in your Battle. | Easy, Normal, Hard, Off (Cannot turn off CPU in single player) | Normal |
CPU Vehicles | Select Which Vehicles CPU can use. | All, Karts, Bikes | All |
Courses | Choose how Courses are Selected. | In Order, Choose, Random | Choose |
Rounds | Choose how many Rounds there are in your Battle. | 4, 6, 8, 12, 16, 20, 24, 30, 32 | 4 |
Online[]
Players can race and battle online with players around the world as long as they own Nintendo Switch Online. At the end of a race, players earn or lose VR (a continuous ranking/scoring system) based on how well they did the race. DLC Tracks can be played, regardless of whether players in the lobby own the DLC or not.
Controls[]
Gamepad:[]
Default Controls when using the Gamepad.
Controls | |||
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Button | Action | ||
Joystick | Steer (Left and Right), Launch item forward/backward (Up and Down) | ||
A/Y | Accelerate | ||
B | Brakes | ||
L | Use item | ||
X | Look Behind Racer | ||
R | Jump/Trick (R + Joystick = Mini-Turbo) | ||
+/Touch screen | Pause the Game |
Wii U Pro Controller[]
Wii Remote[]
Controls | |||
---|---|---|---|
Button | Action | ||
Motion/Joystick | Steer (Tilting Left and Right), Tricking (Flick Wii Remote) | ||
2 | Accelerate | ||
1 | Brakes/Reversing | ||
D-Pad | Use Item Forward (Up D-Pad) and Backwards (Down D-Pad) | ||
A | Look Behind Racer | ||
B | Jump (B + Tilting = Mini-Turbo) | ||
+ | Pause the Game |
Racers[]
36 characters are playable in this game (including Mii), making this the largest roster in a Mario Kart game to date. Baby Rosalina and Pink Gold Peach are introduced in this game. The Koopalings, consisting of Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Lemmy, and Ludwig also become playable for the first time.
Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link, Villager, Isabelle, and Dry Bowser are DLC characters, from the Legend of Zelda x Mario Kart, and Animal Crossing x Mario Kart packs respectively. Baby Daisy and Shy Guy, for the first time in the series, do not need to be unlocked and are playable from the start.
Default[]
Mario | Luigi | Peach | Daisy |
Medium | Medium | Medium | Medium |
Yoshi | Toad | Koopa Troopa | Shy Guy |
Medium | Light | Light | Light |
|| style="background:green" ||| style="background:deeppink" ||| style="background:orange" | | |||
Baby Mario | Baby Luigi | Baby Peach | Baby Daisy |
Light | Light | Light | Light |
Bowser | Donkey Kong | Wario | Waluigi |
Heavy | Heavy | Heavy | Heavy |
Unlockable[]
Rosalina | Metal Mario | Lakitu | Toadette |
Heavy | Heavy | Light | Light |
Baby Rosalina | Pink Gold Peach | Roy Koopa | Lemmy Koopa |
Light New |
Heavy New |
Heavy New |
Light New
|
Larry Koopa | Wendy O. Koopa | Ludwig von Koopa | Morton Koopa Jr. |
Light New |
Light New |
Medium New |
Heavy New
|
Iggy Koopa | Mii | ||
Medium New
|
Any |
DLC Racers[]
Pack | Characters |
---|---|
The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 | |
Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 | |
Color skins | |
Colored Yoshis * | |
Colored Shy Guys * | |
* - The CPU drivers do not drive as the different colored Yoshis and Shy Guys. |
Vehicle Parts[]
Karts:[]
Bikes:[]
ke]]Varmint | Mr. Scooty | Jet Bike | Yoshi Bike |
Master Cycle DLC
|
City Tripper DLC
|
ATVs:[]
Standard ATV | Wild Wiggler | Teddy Buggy | Bone Rattler <div style="border-radius:15px; background: #099e11; color:white; width:100px; te|} ATVs:[]
Wheels:[]Gliders:[]
Unlocking criteria[]Racers[]Unlike how the previous games have done, characters will unlock at random each time a cup is won. Characters that are not yet unlocked can still appear as CPU characters during races, unlike the previous Mario Kart games. Vehicle parts[]Vehicle parts are unlocked by collecting coins from Grand Prix, VS. Mode, Time Trials, and online races. Coins collected by additional players are counted. Coins will count towards the player's Coin total only for completed races -- if the player collects Coins then quits during a race, the Coins from that race will not be added to their Coin total. There are 38 unlockable parts, excluding golden parts. Players can unlock new parts for every 50 Coins, but once players have collected 1000 Coins, 100 Coins are instead needed to unlock new parts. Like in Mario Kart 7, players can see how many Coins they've collected by viewing the statistics screen from the main menu (this feature is available for only Ver. 2.0 and further of Mario Kart 8, however).
Special parts[]Special gold parts are unlocked with the following criteria:
Statistics[]Similar to Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, racers in a specific class have their own stats.
Racers:[]Karts[]
Bikes[]
ATVs[]
Wheels[]
Gliders[]
Courses[]Mario Kart 8 brings back 16 new and 16 retro courses. An addition of 16 downloadable courses are available for purchase or as a My Nintendo reward, bringing the total to 48 tracks.
Battle stages[]In Mario Kart 8, no unique battle stages are present. The mode is instead played on race courses rather than enclosed arenas. All the battle stages are playable from the start; regardless of whether the cup they appear in is or not. The only playable battle mode is Balloon Battle, making this game the sole game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to feature only one battle mode.
Staff Ghosts[]
Items[]This game brings back the Fire Flower from Mario Kart 7, as well as introducing 4 new items. Tip: Items marked as defence can be held behind your kart to block some incoming items.
Stamps[]
In Mario Kart 8, players can obtain stamps that can be used in Miiverse posts. There are 100 stamps in the game: 28 are available from the start, while another 62 stamps can be obtained by winning a Grand Prix with every non-DLC character and beating the Staff Ghost on each non-DLC course in Time Trials. In addition, ten more stamps were added with the version 4.0 update. However, beating a Staff Ghost on a DLC course or using a DLC character to complete a Grand Prix will not unlock a stamp. Amiibo[]As of the version 3.0 update, Mario Kart 8 includes compatibility with amiibo. By using certain amiibos, players can unlock one of ten costumes for use by Miis based upon the amiibo character. The amiibo was originally compatible for Mario, Luigi, Yoshi, Peach, Donkey Kong, Link, Toon Link, Kirby, Captain Falcon, Samus, and Fox. Nine more suits were later added with the version 4.0 update, which can be unlocked by using Mega Man, Sonic, Villager, Pac-Man, Toad, Wario, Olimar, Rosalina, and Bowser. DLC[]As of the version 2.0 update, the game includes an in-game shop feature through which players can purchase and pre-order downloadable content. Alternatively, players can purchase content through the Nintendo eShop. In April 2019 and several times in the past, Mario Kart 8 DLC was added as a reward option in My Nintendo. Nintendo has released free kart parts as part of a collaboration with Mercedes-Benz. Six racers are also downloadable, including three from other series. These racers come in forms of 2 themed DLC Packs containing a total of eight vehicles (with separate vehicle parts) and four cups consisting of four tracks each. Pricing for DLC is as follows:
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe includes Pack 1, Pack 2 and the Mercedez-Benz DLC content presented are instead merged into the core game. Mercedez-Benz × Mario Kart 8[]
Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 1)[]
Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 (Pack 2)[]
Pack 1 + Pack 2 Bundle Note: Bonus racers in the Pack 1 + Pack 2 Bundle are also available to those who purchase both packs individually, or use My Nintendo points to redeem both packs individually. Additional character colors include: orange, yellow, light blue, blue, purple, black, white, and pink. Yoshi is also available in red, while Shy Guy is also available in green. Development[]Development started in 2012. It was announced in the Wii U Nintendo Direct on January 23, 2013. Nintendo presented more information at E3 2013. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was hinted at in the debut trailer for the Nintendo Switch, and the official trailer for the game was later revealed on Nintendo's YouTube channel following the official Switch presentation on January 13, 2017. Updates[]Version 2.0[]On the same day as the release of the Mercedes Benz × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content pack (that being August 27, 2014), an update for the game was also released. Changes were made in the following:
Version 3.0[]On November 13, 2014, the update to version 3.0 was made available. Changes were made listed in the following:
Version 4.0[]The update was released on April 23, 2015, the same day as the Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8 downloadable content pack. Changes were made in the following:
Version 4.1[]Released on May 1, 2015, changes were made in the following:
Reception[]Mario Kart 8 has received mostly favorable reviews, and has been lauded as one of the best games in the series to date. General praise has been given to the game's graphics, the tracks, the music, and the overall gameplay. The addition of anti-gravity has also been praised, as has the online mode. The roster, however, notably the amount of baby and metal characters, and the lack of previous racer veterans, has received some criticism. The battle mode, however, has a universal negative reaction among reviewers, with most of reviewers preferring the traditional battle modes that the previous Mario Kart games did rather than this iteration. Mario Kart 8 won two awards at "The Game Awards 2014", being the "Best Family Game" and the "Best Sports/Racing Game". Gallery[]
Soundtrack[]
Trivia![]
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