Revisionism of retro cups is back in style: our Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide restarts with the Shell Trophy
They will also be over piste inedite, ma i traced ours guide a Mario Kart 8 Deluxe they are not even halfway through. Returning today are the first four glories of the past present in Shell Trophy, first of the retro leagues available in the base game. We will therefore go back to running through the pastures of Wii Green Prairie, the delightful two-dimensionality of GBA Mario’s Circuit, the radiant shores of DS Smack Beach and we will end with the ring road of N64 Autostrada di Toad. We will deal exclusively with “old” circuits up to the eighth episode, after which the contents will be more unpredictable.
Wii Green Prairie
And the guide restarts with the first of the nostalgic tracks that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has to offer, as well as one of the most… rural tracks in the game. Cows aside, Wii Green Prairie presents very few pitfalls: as we said in the last episode, here the difficulty starts practically all over again.
- Layout: Tranquility reigns supreme for most of the track, except where the cows graze. Expect to find them on the road between the second and third rounds. The penultimate corner has a raised part on the outside, if you want to reach a ramp for glides. Before the last corner, however, the track will open into a section where you will find yourself vulnerable to the assaults of the Tantatalps. If you are careful, the ramps in the center will give you a turbo boost each.
- Assessment: A slightly muted debut for Retro tracks. Do not worry, things will not take long to improve. 6.5 / 10.
GBA Mario Circuit – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide
Evidently, the circuits dedicated to the main cast (the most interesting ones, at least) were already taken from the previous chapters. At the level of … level design, GBA Mario circuit it was never the spearhead of the original Super Circuit, but at least the development team resorted to clever ploy to make its flatness a strength.
- Layout: After the first few curves, in fact, you will discover that a bend in the track has been (literally) elevated as a pretext to make good use of antigravity. For the rest, however, the track remains the same, leaving out the oil stains on the asphalt. After the two curves following the antigravity section, you will notice a blue ramp on the right: with a mushroom slowing down on the grass that surrounds it will not be a problem, and you will be rewarded with a generous glide. Just before the finish line, as in the original, there is a kind of shortcut: it doesn’t shorten much, but it has a turbo platform. Contrary to the original, there is also an object lock!
- Assessment: A good way to do Super Circuit justice, but to be the only representative of that game in the base version on Wii U this track could have done more. 7/10.
DS Smack Beach – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe track and track guide
The tropical Mario Kart DS track makes a radiant return here. With the addition of the dive guide, DS Smack Beach it is definitely a less difficult track… hence its placement in the first retro cup, of course.
- Layout: After the first corner on the pier and the second one that awaits you at the end of the glide, you will discover the highlight of the track. We are talking about a small archipelago of islands in the middle of the ups and downs of the tide. As we have said, with the underwater guide this danger becomes a simple nuisance, but it can affect the progress of the race. Also beware of the crabs waiting for you on the shore, and the mud on the side of the track on the last corner before the ramps behind the finish.
- Assessment: One of the best maritime tracks of the series, in its simplicity. There is nothing more to add. 8.5 / 10.
N64 Toad Highway
A well-established tradition for the series is to include a “GTA moment” between the various circuits. Well, back to the starting point: N64 Toad Highway has in fact kicked off this trend. Let’s find out the path together.
- Layout: The first corner already offers you an alternative to traffic, with an anti-gravity section on the right edge. Among the various vehicles you might find explosive cars (watch out!), Cars with a surfboard to use as a ramp and, if you’re lucky, trucks carrying actual ramps for gliding. The second, large curve to the right houses another anti-gravity section, this time to the left.
- Assessment: The new vehicle collision mechanics have solved virtually every problem with the original. The ear also wants its part: the introduction with that disturbing chorus of Mario Kart 64 will not be missed by anyone. 8/10.
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 TechGameWorld.com 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 Instant Gaming.