The first paid DLC for Mario Kart 8 is finally here, with Hyrule’s very own Link joining the race (along with Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach)! This DLC adds 5 brand new tracks and 3 retro tracks to Mario Kart 8. The new tracks include Excitebike Arena and Hyrule Circuit. If you haven’t downloaded the DLC yet, you should probably stop reading and go do that! Before I mention much though, if you don’t want anything at all spoiled, then you should probably just go play the DLC for a while and then come back and finish reading this if you want.
If you haven’t purchased the DLC yet, there are two packs. There is also a bundle pack that contains both, with a small discount and a little bonus (you get 8 new colors of Shy Guy and Yoshi to play as immediately). The DLC packs are $7.99 each. That’s $15.98 for both, but you can get them in a bundle for $11.99.
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As you can see in the images above, the Hyrule Circuit course is pretty cool. Yes, those are rupees you see on the track (they are actually coins). Some other neat little details you may notice are that there are some bats on one part of this course, but they are changed to look like Keese, from The Legend of Zelda. There are also piranha plants along a couple of the corners, but they are changed to look like Hyrule’s pesky Deku Babas. One more subtle detail on this track, is that when you get an item, it plays the Zelda chest-opening theme. In addition to Link’s new Master Cycle, this DLC added a new tire and glider to go with it. The new tire part is adorned with the Triforce symbol, and the new glider features the red crest from the Hylian Shield.
The images below show two more of the new tracks in the Mario Kart 8 DLC. The first is the F-Zero track, Mute City. This track is interesting in that it has no coins! So you would think the only way to get them is via the coin power-up, or by wrecking other drivers. This is actually not the case. There is a little feature on this track that allows you to get coins another way. If you’ve played any of the F-Zero games, you know they have pink healing strips on the edges of the tracks in some places. Well, in Mario Kart 8, there is nothing to heal. So instead, the healing strips give you coins when you drive on them!
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This DLC pack also adds a kart that looks like the Blue Falcon (Captain Falcons ride from the F-Zero games), plus 2 other new kart bodies. I’ve been playing on these new tracks all evening, and greatly enjoying them! Now, I’m not a huge fan of DLC, but I am pleased with how Nintendo is handling it so far. It is very nice how they’ve given us a bundle option that comes with a small discount, and a free bonus (the extra colors of Yoshi and Shy Guy). They did this with the Hyrule Warriors DLC as well. The point is that their DLCs are worth it, unlike some games that have a zillion tiny, over-priced DLCs.
All in all, this pack adds a lot of neat stuff to Mario Kart 8. So if you haven’t gotten the DLC yet, then fire up Mario Kart 8 and do that! Then bust out your shiny new Master Cycle and hit the track! Too bad we have to wait all the way until May for the 2nd Mario Kart 8 paid DLC though!
