Mario Kart 8 facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mario Kart 8 |
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Wii U cover art
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| Developer(s) |
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| Publisher(s) | Nintendo |
| Director(s) |
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| Producer(s) |
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| Programmer(s) | Yusuke Shiraiwa |
| Artist(s) |
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| Composer(s) |
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| Series | Mario Kart |
| Platform(s) | |
| Release date(s) | Wii U
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| Genre(s) | Kart racing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Mario Kart 8 is an exciting kart racing game made by Nintendo. It first came out in 2014 for the Wii U console. Later, it was released again in 2017 for the Nintendo Switch as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
In Mario Kart 8, you pick a character from the Mario games. Then you race go-karts around fun tracks. These tracks are often based on places from the Super Mario platform games. You can find special power-ups to help you win or slow down your friends. The game lets you choose different speeds, making races faster or slower.
A cool new feature is anti-gravity racing. This lets your kart drive on walls and even ceilings! Both versions of the game have many ways to play. You can race by yourself or with friends. You can play with people in the same room or online.
Mario Kart 8 was a big hit with players and critics. People loved how it looked and how it played. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was praised even more. It added new features and improved the battle mode. Both games are considered some of the best Mario Kart games ever. They have won many awards. Mario Kart 8 is one of the best-selling video games of all time. It sold over 70 million copies!
Contents
How to Play Mario Kart 8
Mario Kart 8 is a kart racing game where you control characters from the Mario world. You race in go-karts on different courses. As you race, you can pick up power-ups from item boxes. These items can help you go faster or stop your opponents.
You can choose from four different speeds before a race. There's also a "Mirror Mode" that flips all the courses around. This makes them feel new and tricky! The game brings back cool features from older Mario Kart games. These include motorbikes and 12-player races. You can also use hang gliders and race underwater. Plus, you can change how your vehicle looks.
You can play with up to four friends on one system. On Nintendo Switch, up to eight players can connect wirelessly. Up to twelve players can race together online.
New Features in Mario Kart 8
The most exciting new feature is anti-gravity racing. In certain parts of the track, your kart can drive on walls and ceilings! If you bump into other racers or special bumpers in these sections, you get a speed boost.
Mario Kart 8 also added new characters. These include the Koopalings and Pink Gold Peach. Besides karts and motorbikes, you can also drive all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).
There are four new items to use:
- The Boomerang Flower: You can throw it to hit other players.
- The Piranha Plant: It attacks nearby racers and gives you a speed boost.
- The Crazy Eight: This item gives you eight different items all at once!
- The Super Horn: You can use it to attack nearby opponents. It can even block the tricky Spiny Shell!
The game has 32 race courses. These are split into eight cups. Later, 16 more courses were added as downloadable content (DLC).
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the improved version of the game for the Nintendo Switch. It includes all the extra characters, courses, and vehicle parts that were sold separately for the Wii U version. Everything is ready to play when you start the game.
Deluxe also added new characters. These include the Inklings from Splatoon, Bowser Jr., Dry Bones, and King Boo.
Other cool changes in Deluxe include:
- You can hold two items at once!
- New features like auto-acceleration and smart steering. These help new players stay on the track.
- The Boo item is back! It lets you steal an item from another player and become invisible for a short time.
Updated Battle Mode
The biggest change in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the much better battle mode. The original Mario Kart 8 used regular race tracks for battles. But Deluxe has eight special courses just for battle mode. These courses are designed for fun item battles.
The Feather item is back, but only for battle mode. It gives you a small jump boost. There are five different ways to play in battle mode:
- Balloon Battle: Use items to pop other players' balloons. The player who pops the most balloons wins.
- Bob-omb Blast: This is like Balloon Battle, but all items are bombs!
- Shine Thief: Grab the Shine Sprite and hold onto it for as long as you can. The player or team with the longest time wins.
- Coin Runners: Collect coins around the course. You can also steal coins from other players. The goal is to have the most coins.
- Renegade Roundup: One team is "renegades" trying to escape. The other team is "authorities" with Piranha Plants. The authorities try to catch the renegades. Renegades can free their captured friends by driving over switches.
Making and Releasing the Game
Nintendo first announced Mario Kart 8 in January 2013. They showed more about it at a big event called E3 2013. The number "8" in the game's logo looks like a Möbius strip. This is a cool shape that has only one side. One of the courses, Mario Circuit, was also designed to look like this.
Early on, the game makers thought about letting karts drill into the ground. But they decided anti-gravity was more fun. Many old tracks were changed to include anti-gravity sections. They also added gliding and underwater parts to other courses.
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When Mario Kart 8 came out, Nintendo had special offers. There was a Limited Edition with a Spiny Shell toy. You could also buy special Mario and Luigi Wii U bundles. These came with hats and other fun items. Nintendo also worked with Mercedes-Benz. Mario, Luigi, and Peach appeared in car commercials in Japan. Three karts based on Mercedes-Benz cars were added to the game for free. In 2014, McDonald's even had Mario Kart toys in their Happy Meals!
Game updates added new things like support for Amiibo figures. These figures unlock special outfits for your Mii character. A super fast 200cc speed setting was also added. Two paid DLC packs brought new characters, vehicles, and courses. Some of these were from other Nintendo games. For example, Link from The Legend of Zelda joined the race!
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Release
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was first shown in October 2016. It was officially revealed in January 2017. The game came out on April 28, 2017, just a month after the Nintendo Switch launched. Nintendo also made a steering wheel accessory for the Switch Joy-Con controllers. This lets you steer your kart by moving your hands.
A small update changed one of the Inkling Girl's victory poses. Before, she made a gesture with her arm. After the update, she just did a simple fist pump.
Later updates in 2018 added support for Nintendo Labo. This is a toy kit that uses cardboard to make controllers. You could use the Toy-Con Motorbike to control your kart in the game! Other Labo kits also worked, letting you use a pedal or a steering wheel.
In December 2022, an update added an item customization option. This lets players choose which items appear in certain races or battles.
Booster Course Pass
In February 2022, Nintendo announced a big new addition for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. It's called the "Booster Course Pass." This is a paid season pass that adds many new courses. Most of these courses are improved versions of tracks from older Mario Kart games.
The "Booster Course Pass" was released in six parts, called "waves." Each wave added eight courses, making a total of 48 new tracks! These waves came out between March 2022 and November 2023. You can buy the pass or get it with a Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack membership.
One of the waves added an original course called Sky-High Sundae. Another wave added a new course based on Yoshi's Island. The final wave added a music player. This lets you listen to all the songs from the game's courses. It also added 18 new outfits for your Mii racers.
The Booster Course Pass also brought back eight more playable characters. These characters had been in other Mario Kart games before. They include Birdo, Petey Piranha, Wiggler, Kamek, Diddy Kong, Funky Kong, Pauline, and Peachette.
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See also
In Spanish: Mario Kart 8 para niños
