From Spain to glaciers, castles and the last rainbow: the Spiny Trophy closes the guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks
And finally the day came when i traced of the Thorny Trophy they put an end to ours guide by now 96 piste Of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe: quoting YouTuber Poketonx, “Let’s GO.” With today’s episode, at the end of which the writer will move on (appropriately, given the final circuit) to the review of Super Mario RPG (which could come out sooner or later, who knows?), the circle that began a year and about two months ago in Germany with the Mushroom Trophy. No more tears: today we’ll see it on the Iberian streets of Madrid Nightlife Tourthen moving on to the starry snows of 3DS Rosalinda Glacier. The Koopa King will give us one last bucket of lava with SNES Bowser’s Castle 3 and finally, it will be Wii Rainbow Runway to give the drive its technicolor finale. Three two one…
Madrid Nightlife Tour | Guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Part 24, Thorny Trophy)
Since the languages of the European localization of video games are historically five, it was clear that after the Tour in London, the Promenade in Paris, the Trip to Berlin and the brilliant Italianness of Romantic Rome it was Madrid Nightlife Tour to open the Thorny Trophy which concludes the guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks. The warm notes of flamenco will accompany us through the avenidas of the Spanish capital, which “smells” more like a capital to me than Mesapoli. Come on, Pedro, you can! Let’s go!
- Layout: It starts with a straight stretch, immediately followed by a hairpin bend to the left and a bend to the right. The downhill straight leads to a hairpin bend on the left, after which you go up the staircase in the centre. The double wide curve to the right will see us avoid a colossal Wiggler in Plaza Mayor. The next descending hairpin bend to the left heralds a short downhill straight, after which the right bend will see us go up again. The following descent will give us respite with a straight stretch, before a hairpin bend to the left. We will go straight before going up with a right turn, thus entering the Prado Museum. After the straight, a bend to the left, one to the right and another to the left, the straight will lead us to the first finish line. Second round. Turn right and follow the straight road under the bridge, then veer left and navigate your way through the stalls. The left curve again precedes two wide ones to the right, and then descends with a straight line between two consecutive left curves. Continue straight until the turbo ramp, then turn left, glide down the ramp, land and turn left again. Two ramps await you between the colonnades on the long straight, before you reach the finish line with a right bend. Third round! Turn right again and go down the straight road, then take the hairpin bend on the left and follow it a little longer than before. The long straight precedes two bends, one on the right and one on the left. A very long curve to the right will follow, with which you will enter the Santiago Bernabéu stadium. Turn right and dodge the balls: they hurt like the balls from Waluigi’s DS Flipper. Help yourself with the turbo platforms and exit the net in the center. Go down the straight and reach the final finish line with two right turns.
- Assessment: Are we considered iconoclasts if we say that we liked Madrid more than Rome? Maybe it’s because the mandolin of Romantic Rome is more evocative of Naples than of the Eternal City, or maybe it’s because we Italians are more football fans than our amigos from the south-west… but strangely enough we saw more of the Bel Paese here than on the official local track of the game. Go figure. Hey, anyway! 9/10.
3DS Rosalinda Glacier | Guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Part 24, Thorny Trophy)
The long layout descriptions kept us busy until the last episode: for the rest of our article we will be shorter. Originally conceived for the Mario Kart 7 Special Trophy, 3DS Rosalinda Glacier returns to break free from its predecessor’s lack of single-player Challenge mode (yes, that happened). A cross between the game’s (no longer) new glacial track and a loving reference to His Majesty Galaxy, it’s a track that could have a lot to offer.
- Layout: It starts with a straight and a right turn, followed by a left turn. Be very careful at the next hairpin bend to the right: it has no guard rail whatsoever on the internal side. Two curves follow, one on the left and one on the right, equipped with trick ramps on their external side. The ramp after the descent leads to a sheet of ice, which will disappear in the following laps. Try to stay above and avoid the Penguins, or you will have to navigate the dangers of the (short) underwater section. The latter rejoins the main road just before a bend to the right, which precedes another in the same direction. The hairpin bend on the left introduces the stalagmites; try to avoid them and proceed along the straight, which splits on the curve to the left. The fork consists of a “safer” road on the left side, because the outside on the right exposes you to the risk of being thrown off the edge with the turbo platform. The curve to the right rejoins the two roads. The last turn, to the left, presents a new cut which however requires a powerup.
- Assessment: The bittersweet musical accompaniment emphasizes the sense of finality that the original on 3DS aimed for twelve years ago. An aspect also emphasized by the greater number of total tracks (from 32 circuits in MK7 to 96 in MK8D), but context aside, the level design is perfectly balanced, dedicating the track to the more expert players without being excessively punitive. We appreciated the alternation between risk and reward on several occasions. 8/10.
SNES Bowser’s Castle 3 | Guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Part 24, Thorny Trophy)
Wow. Let’s just say this: wow. Initially it was a sarcastic “wow”, to express our (well, more that of the writer, but yes) dismay towards the inclusion of SNES Bowser’s Castle 3 despite the excellent (for once) work done by Mario Kart Tour with GBA Bowser’s Castle 4. But we had to think again: wow, seriously. We will talk more about why by evaluating the track.
- Layout: The initial straight soon gives way to the first of the track’s sharp curves, this time to the left. The straight includes an anti-gravity section, after which you will have to turn left taking one of the many crossroads. The bifurcation is irrelevant; the various pseudo-straight lines come together almost immediately. After the hairpin bend leaning to the left, a slight curve in the same direction will take you to a straight road where you will have to avoid some Thwomps. Do the same along the wide bend to the right and choose one of the roads at the three-exit crossroads. Between the three normal-height streets there are two very narrow raised shortcuts, which reserve object cubes for those who manage to walk along them without falling. After the last left hairpin, avoid the Skeletal Piranha Plants and Thwomps on the final straight.
- Assessment: Wow, they said. Proposing a “flat” track born in Super Mario Kart on SNES is one thing. Another, however, is to keep the layout intact while at the same time playing on the final battle atmosphere typical of Bowser’s various castles, and drawing a strong point in terms of level design from the restrictions of the path, rather than distorting it as has instead happened with all the Super Circuit tracks (GBA Terra delle Nevi aside, of course). Kudos for completely catching us off guard, Nintendo. Sincere congratulations. 10/10.
Wii Rainbow Runway | Guide to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks and tracks (Part 24, Thorny Trophy)
We would have sworn until the end that, with Pista Arcobaleno, N64 Pista Arcobaleno, SNES Pista Arcobaleno and 3DS Pista Arcobaleno, the Big N would have dedicated the entire last championship to multicolored tracks. Instead we will have to say goodbye to a possible DS Rainbow Track, a hypothetical GCN Rainbow Track and a possible GBA Rainbow Track up to Mario Kart 9. While waiting for that day to arrive, however, there is Wii Rainbow Runway to close the circle of the Additional Routes Pass. And, why not, to conclude the most repetitive paragraph of the entire guide.
- Layout: The starting straight extends along a soft descent, however dotted (literally) with turbo platforms. The turbo ramp leads to a hairpin bend inclined towards the left, which on the external side (i.e. the right; we take this opportunity to remember that the 24 episodes of the guide do not take into account the Specular mode) offers the possibility of performing tricks with the appropriate ramps. You can also do stunts on the undulating straight ahead, which precedes another mostly “straight” section. In reality the straight has two huge roundabouts, which unlike those seen in Wii Daisy’s Circuit are empty in the centre: avoid falling into them, of course. Instead, make use of the side ramps to perform other tricks, making sure not to lose your orientation (the camera doesn’t particularly help in this regard). The next bend is to the left, but is slightly sloped: take this into account when entering the next right turn too. The following straight will lead to a Maxistella Launch, which translates into a colossal upward glide. Turn right and take the uphill turbo ramp, equipped with multiple platforms. Be careful with the jump: you will have to turn slightly to the left, but (again) the shot will deceive you. The next crossroads divides the road into two different “biscioni”, full of curves and turbo platforms, which reunite immediately afterwards. The hairpin bend inclined to the left and the curve to the right conclude, all things considered, not only the track but also the entire game.
- Assessment: There are other Rainbow Tracks that better express the sense of purpose, but the one in Mario Kart Wii is still an excellent choice, albeit “convenient”. De gustibus for the fans listening who consider it the best possible choice; I appreciate it very much, but without being infatuated with it like many other fans of the brand. The dancing shots, already present in the trick ramps and in the infamous aerial curve of the original, have remained in an exercise of excessive fidelity which ends up penalizing an otherwise excellent track. 8/10.
Thanks for reading us!
We thank you if you have followed the guide to the tracks and tracks of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe up to this last episode, from the Mushroom Trophy to the Thorn Trophy. It’s been a year (plus three months) full of emotions and, as was the case with the guide to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, satisfactory for a completely autonomous and authorial project, free of editorial needs linked to the most recent releases. We’ll tell you now: There is no appendix, mainly because the Battle mode arenas are not linked in any way to progress. As for possible reviews… we have dedicated a short one…