Nintendo tweeted the above image yesterday, teasing a new Zelda-themed motorcycle called the Master Cycle, in the upcoming November DLC pack for Mario Kart 8. It looks noticeably like Link’s trusty steed, Epona, aside from the fact that it is blue of course. The Hylian Shield is displayed prominently on the side of the bike, and the Triforce symbol appears on the hubcap of the tire. It’s certainly a sweet looking ride!
Zelda series Director, Eiji Aonuma, has even posted about the Master Cycle on Miiverse, saying that he was amazed by how great it looks and that he wants it to appear in games he works on (in other words, future Zelda games). Epona might not approve of that, though. Whether the Master Cycle finds its way into future Zelda games remains to be seen.
The Zelda DLC pack is coming sometime in November, but there doesn’t seem to be a specific date. Nintendo’s own Mario Kart 8 site says “advance purchase starting November 27th”. This must mean through the website because the advance purchase of these packs has been available on the Wii U eShop for quite some time now. This may mean the Zelda DLC will launch on November 27th, but we will have to wait and see.
Of course, the Master Cycle is not the only thing in the November DLC. It includes three new playable characters: Link, Tanooki Mario, and Cat Peach. The pack includes 4 new vehicles including the bike shown above, as well as the Zelda-themed kart shown below and the Blue Falcon from the F-Zero series. And of course, the pack also includes 2 new cups with 8 new tracks to race on! As stated above, this pack is coming out sometime in November.
There is of course a second DLC pack coming out in May of next year, which adds another three characters: the villager and Isabelle from Animal Crossing, as well as Dry Bowser. The Animal Crossing DLC pack also adds four new vehicles to the game and two new cups with 8 new tracks to race on. Of course, less is known about this pack since it is still so far off.
You can pre-purchase both packs on the Wii U eShop. There is also a bundle that gives you both DLC packs for less than if you bought them both separately, which is nice. Getting both DLC packs gets you 8 new colors of Shy Guy and Yoshi to use in-game right away as well. The two DLC packs are $7.99 each. The bundle is only $11.99 though, compared to the $15.98 you’d spend if you buy both DLC packs separately.
Lastly, I want to note that there is also a free Mercedes-Benz DLC pack, if you weren’t already aware of it. It adds three new Mercedes-Benz themed karts to the game. It’s a free download in the Wii U eShop, so go grab it if you haven’t already.
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