The DLC tracks of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe are not fruitful: here are the tracks of Super Circuit, Wii, Tour and Yoshi’s Island in our guide
Months go by, and with the Fruit Trophy it’s time again to dedicate a guide (which doubles as a fragmented review) of piste and gods traced introduced by the latest DLC of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Today we have four exceptional slopes: from Tour Amsterdam is back in Drift, from Super Circuit Parco Lungoriume makes its (re-)appearance and from Wii Pista Snowboard DK still peeps out. The grand finale, however, is the original circuit that closes the championship: Yoshi Island, with which the world of Yoshi’s Island makes its polygonal debut (apart from the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate scenario). Start your engines!
Amsterdam Drift Tour – driving Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Fruit Trophy)
The Dutch capital opens the guide to the Fruit Trophy with the first of the eight new tracks of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: the new tracks start with Tour Amsterdam in Derapata. Despite the missed opportunity to see the tulip-shaped Fire Flowers from Yoshi’s month-long trailblazer, this is a circuit that flourishes in more ways than one.
- Layout: By now you know how it works when driving in the environments taken from Tour. The layout of the track will change with each lap. The first begins with a right-hand bend and a left-hand bend, before an underpass that leads to a glide. After the parabolic curve on the left between the mills (watch out for the Tantatalpe) you will have to turn right again and, after the bridge, on the left. The straight after the right-hand bend that will follow has two ramps. In the long straight road that follows you will find a clearing: choose whether to take the turbo on the right or press hard on the left turn, however risking running into the tram. After the last left hander, the second lap will take you for a swim just after the first right hander. Turn left and try to make the most of the updraft to emerge on the boat – three item cubes and a ramp await you. Bend right and left before the bottleneck on the downhill straight. The right and left corners that will follow close the second lap. After the first bend to the right you will have to turn again in the same direction: the tram area is now to be crossed backwards. Turn right and left for another straight road. Once in the water, turn left to emerge on a ramp. A right and two left turns into the tulip field (watch out for the Piranha Plants on either side) take you to the last set of bends. Right, left, right, left, right and finish line.
- Assessment: Compared to other cities featured in the mobile episode, the Dutch capital doesn’t boast particularly ambitious level design (unlike the two cities in the next cup). It remains a pretty trail, but nothing more. 7/10.
GBA Riverside Park – guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Fruit Trophy)
Now that you can play Mario Kart: Super Circuit on Switch, you may recognize this track as Riverside Park. Unlike GBA Land of Snows, however, GBA Riverside Park failed to make it to 8 Deluxe before switching to Tour. Will little jungle come out unscathed?
- Layout: It’s not a complex track, so it won’t take long. After the first right turn, a semi-straight awaits you made up of two curves in opposite directions. The real bend will be the elbow one, again to the right, which precedes a small jump. Turning left you will notice a Singing Plant on the right side: the Blowing Mushroom can be yours by hitting it with an instrument. After the straight you will find a sharp bend to the right with a muddy interior: all the turns on the dirt road can be cut with a turbo. The left turn to follow is a continuous corkscrew into the cave, elevating you to the jump that precedes the finish line. Pay attention to the Singing Plants in this section.
- Assessment: Once again, Tour’s habit of simplifying Intelligent Systems’ level design to the point of distorting a track makes itself felt. Now that (if you have the Nintendo Switch Online Add-on Pack) you can do the necessary ritual checks, you will discover that the original Riverside Park boasted more curves, with all the vertiginous cuts that remained neutered. Such a pity. 7/10.
Wii Pista Snowboard DK – guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Fruit Trophy)
With the move to Mario Kart Wii, DK’s Mountains seen in Double Dash!! (and, ironically, also on Wii in their original incarnation, as well as… sigh… on Tour) filled with snow. Obviously we’re simplifying the concept, but it’s possible that the snowy world of Donkey Kong Country is the more direct inspiration behind Wii Pista Snowboard DK. Or maybe not, given how inhospitable Gorilla was at the North Pole (name of the world in Italian translations). We digress, though. Below with the analysis!
- Layout: The right hand bend leads directly to the cannon that will shoot you at the top of the mountain. The downhill parabolic left-hand bend, like other sections of the track, has edges similar to the platforms of the anti-gravity sections: in reality, they are used to perform tricks. Go down the straight and choose between going for the turbo ramp to the right or the snow bumps to the left. The left-hand bend has areas where the snow is too deep: avoid them to avoid getting bogged down. Go down the straight and you will find a turbo ramp in the centre, followed by two on either side and again one in between. A sharp right turn awaits you, with a chance for tricks (and items) on the left. Continuing you will find the exact opposite to the left, followed by a straight road with blue platforms on both sides and Timidi Skiers (as well as areas of deep snow) in the centre. The right-hand bend concludes the track.
- Assessment: We didn’t get mad at all with the previous track: while passing through Tour, this course is exactly as we remembered it in Mario Kart Wii. That is excellent. 8,5/10.
Isola Yoshi
Oh my! You can’t imagine how happy we were to see that the unreleased track of this DLC (the second half of which will be revealed shortly) would be an adaptation of Yoshi’s Island! Keeping the literal meaning of the name, Isola Yoshi marks the debut of this beloved setting outside of side scrolling (but not in the world of full polygons, as we have already mentioned). Let’s talk about it now!
- Layout: Try not to get hit by Yoshi’s Island with the drums at the beginning of the level and concentrate on the first three turns, which alternate left, right and left again. In the meantime, avoid the Shy Guys on stilts, the Piranha Plants and the less invasive Pienotti. The ramp precedes a short water straight, in which two geysers can give you the opportunity to perform a trick before your resurface after the left bend. After the hairpin, exit into the open air with a right and a left. A long upward glide will take you to a cloud, separated from its “big sister” by a ramp that you could even fly over. Turn right and follow the descent: during the second glide (in addition to Pos’Adone) you will also notice a winged cloud. It’s hard to touch in flight, but if you do, there’s a shortcut to the finish line up for grabs. Otherwise you will have to follow a longer version of the hairpin to the right before the final straight.
- Assessment: Of course, 100% replication of the graphics of the original would have been impossible without a crazy use of cel-shading, but we honestly have very little to complain about. This is a real love letter, addressed as much to the 1995 game as to the fans it has been able to conquer over the years, from the opening and closing tracks to the smallest details. Together with the 3DS Pista Arcobaleno, this track is one of the reasons (if not THE reason) to purchase the Additional Courses Pass. 10/10.
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: does our guide help you? Let us know below, and as always, don’t forget to stay on tuttotek for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Kinguin.