The Tour passes through Tokyo: the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide arrives today at the Gattofortuna Trophy, among hills, skies and ninjas
Welcome back to ours guide at 96 piste from Mario Kart 8 Deluxein which we will review the 42 extra tracks of Additional Paths Pass. Today, in the Gattofortuna Trophy, we will see two tour circuits, although one of them is not declared as such, along with as many returns from two portable episodes of the series. The starting point will be Tokyo Neon Tour, and then move on to the DS Colli Fungo picnic. Continuing, we will return (in a somewhat distorted way) to GBA Giardino Nuvola, to then make a last eastern stop with Covo Ninja (strangely lacking the prefix “Tour”). Start your engines, people!
Tokyo Neon Tour
We have already talked about tracks with alterations between the various laps in our guide, but Tokyo Neon Tour combines three different tracks from the mobile title in its reappearance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Each tour will be different from the others, between a visit to the National Diet Building and a glimpse of the Rainbow Bridge. We will not focus on tourism as we did with the Paris Promenade, due to the three different layouts. And by the way …
- Layout: The race begins with a right and a left curve, then moves on to an underground section following a right hand bend. A left turn brings us back to the straight, and then two right turns one after the other lead to the finish line. In the second round, after the first turn to the right you will have to turn right again, avoiding the two Twomps on either side. Turn left and then right twice, before finding yourself in the presence of another curve to the right with the possibility of cuts if you have mushrooms. The last curve on the right leads to the finish. In the third lap, everything will initially be the same as the second one but, after passing the Twomps, you will have to go right and follow the straight uphill. The curve to the right precedes two more Twomps and a ring road to the left, after which the curve to the right will lead you to the final glide to the finish.
- Assessment: The more “square” urban planning of Promenade in Paris allowed perhaps fewer variations on the theme, while in this case it is evident how much the developers have indulged themselves with the capital of their homeland. The results are seen with an imaginative level design, but perhaps penalized by how confusing it is. 8.5 / 10.
DS Colli Mushroom – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide
It gives a certain sense of weird to see car traffic on other tracks not set in the real world, but anyway DS Colli Mushroom represents the welcome return of one of the “urban” circuits from Mario Kart DS. In that game it had a counterpart in GCN Mushroom Bridge, while the only other busy tracks here are (partly) Toad’s Riviera and N64 Toad’s Highway. That mushroom was really starting to give us doubts!
- Layout: You will be on the side of a mountain all the time, and (save for the occasional wall) you will always have a cliff on your right. After the first bend on the left, the traffic will start the slalom. You can practice in the two hairpin bends to come, one to the right and another to the left again, before the big straight. Watch out for the pen: if you have mushrooms, at the beginning of this section you can treat yourself to a scandalous cut by going up the ramp on the left. At the end of the straight, two bends await you, one to the left and one to the right, before the left-hand bend in the tunnel. Here you will be back on the cliff, where three curves (right, left, right) precede the finish line.
- Assessment: By observing the layout we have re-evaluated this path a lot, and we have noticed many details capable of teaching level design. From the initial overhang to the gradual introduction of traffic, passing through a shortcut with which to reward those who practice and concluding each lap with a combination of everything the player has learned over the course of the race. Only applause. 9.5 / 10.
GBA Giardino Nuvola – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide
The Big N has many detractors, but few of its choices are truly universally contrary to common sense. The redesign of GBA Cloud Garden in Mario Kart Tour he altered the original layout, at the time a real portable counterpart of Via Aria Calda from Crash Team Racing, but the real villainy is to re-propose this “new and improved” version in the Additional Paths Pass. Be that as it may, let’s analyze the track.
- Layout: After the first bend to the left, you will already find a potential shortcut on the right. Jumping on the leaves is possible, but if you want to get rid of any doubts, you already know that you need mushrooms. Otherwise, you will have to faithfully follow the left and right turns. Afterwards, the curve to the left will lead you to a straight line interrupted by a jump, with the complicity of a mushroom-trampoline. The left curve below allows for a cut, if you have a mushroom. The one on the right after the next short straight, however, no. You will find the most generous cut after the straight: the left-hand bend is wide, but with a mushroom you can tighten it dramatically. Finally, a glide concludes the route.
- Assessment: You can find the original Sky Garden in the Super Circuit Lightning Trophy, as well as in Mario Kart DS under the current name GBA Nuvola Garden. The layout of this variant has been significantly simplified to accommodate the simpler gameplay of the mobile title. This is why this incarnation tastes a little of “Giardino Nuvola light”. A few curves are missing, including one that features one of the most satisfying cuts in the whole saga. 7/10.
Ninja Lair
Oh, my goodness, Ninja Lair! You know our approach to N64 Yoshi Valley? Here, the track born in Mario Kart Tour presents an almost embarrassing amount of alternative streets, lanes and alleys, some of which are shortcuts accessible only through power-ups. We will still try to review the passable!
- Layout: After the first straight, one curve to the right and two to the left awaits you. After the first turn on the left, using the staircase you can go up to the ceiling. And you should do it: not going through the raised section will penalize you, as the latter is lowered with the risk of crushing the poor drivers below. However, if you’ve gone under and have a mushroom, you could use it to break through the Piranha Plant hardboards on the left, revealing a shortcut to the next glide. The latter is normally accessible by turning to the left, reachable once the two sections of the track converge. Beware of the Shy Guys disguised as bananas on the straight and you shouldn’t have any problems with the blue ramp. If during the flight you intercept the updrafts, you can access an elevated section that lasts almost to the finish (!!!), but you can fall back on the normal runway at the slightest distraction. Whether you pass over or under, a left turn awaits you after the straight. Following the next straight, a left and a right curve conclude the race. To stay aloft, you will need to make sure you take any updraft. The peculiarity of the track is that, while not altering the layout between one lap and another, it presents an alternative route only at the end of each lap. At the last curve to the right, if you stay on the left edge, you can take advantage of a blue ramp to fly to the elevated section on the first corners. However, the latter merely takes you right above the movable ceiling we have already described.
- Assessment: While not reaching the sheer madness of N64 Yoshi Valley, the Ninja Hideaway remains an intricate track capable of offering many alternatives to the most experienced players. Or those who are better at improvising, if nothing else. 9/10.
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