Ranking the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Tracks: Wave 6 - Article
by Evan Norris , posted on 13 November 2023 / 5,123 Views
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is, at long last, complete. This past week saw the sixth and final wave of the game's "Booster Course Pass" DLC, which over the past two years added 48 tracks and eight racers to the mix — a preposterous amount of add-on content for a title that was already, arguably, the best racer ever made.
This last wave is a triumphant send-off. Every batch of DLC tracks has improved steadily upon the last, and Wave six is no exception, thanks in large part to the Spiny Cup, which can go head-to-head with any cup in the base game. It also adds four new characters: Funky Kong, Diddy Kong, Pauline, and Peachette.
Per tradition, I've ranked the eight new tracks in this latest wave, after testing them over the weekend in offline and online races. The ranking below starts with the least memorable of the bunch and ends with the most impressive. For anyone eager to review (and potentially challenge) my ordering of previous DLC batches, check out my coverage of Waves 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. And please enjoy!
#8
Rome Avanti (Mario Kart Tour)
It seems like every wave has at least one forgettable city course. In Wave 6, that course is Rome Avanti. It's not a bad track by any means, just not nearly as interesting or exciting as others in this final batch. Now, to be fair, there are some interesting sights, including the Roman Forum, the Piazza del Campidoglio, and the Trevi Fountain. There's also a neat stretch in the Colosseum on the third and final lap where Chain Chomps take big bites out of a metal bridge. Still, there's not much to sink your teeth into, driving-wise.
#7
Daisy Circuit (Mario Kart Wii)
The Booster Course Pass has featured a lot of great Mario Kart Wii courses over the past two years: Maple Treeway, DK Summit, Koopa Cape, Moonview Highway, you name it. Regrettably, Daisy Circuit is not one of the greats. While the music, art direction, and overall atmosphere excel, the actual course layout is rather simple and straightforward. Apart from an early shortcut there's not a whole lot to get enthusiastic about.
#6
DK Mountain (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
I'm a big fan of DK Mountain from the GameCube days and was glad to see it make an appearance here. The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version of this sixth-gen track is both an upgrade and a downgrade. Visually, it represents a big improvement over the original, due to far greater detail in the lands adjacent to the track. The clouds, mountains, and jungle canopies in the distance are just gorgeous — as is the central volcano, which seems to be smoldering. In terms of track design, it's a small regression. The course is too wide, which removes a lot of the danger, and the chasm shortcut is nerfed. Even so, this remains a solid entry in the Acorn Cup.
#5
Madrid Drive (Mario Kart Tour)
Just as every wave features a middling city course, each one seems to always have a banger. Say hello to Madrid Drive, a Mario Kart Tour course that can compete with winners like Berlin Byways, Singapore Speedway, and Vancouver Velocity. First of all, its music, heavy on acoustic guitar, castanets, and claps, is delightful. Second of all, it includes several Super Mario creatures, including a giant Wiggler, Piranha Plants, Thwomps, and the seldom-seen Shoe Goombas. Third, and most importantly, it boasts impressive diversity. You'll drive through a wide-open plaza, an art gallery come to life, and even a live soccer match in Santiago Bernabéu Stadium.
#4
Rosalina's Ice World (Mario Kart 7)
Rosalina's Ice World is the happiest surprise of this final wave. Tracks from Mario Kart 7 have been few and far between in this Booster Course Pass, and the ones that have appeared haven't always been amazing. I'm looking at you, Toad Circuit and Rock Rock Mountain. Luckily, Rosalina's Ice World is absolutely one of the finest tracks from the 3DS Mario Kart. Everything about it works. It was already one of the prettier tracks in the series, and now it's drop-dead gorgeous, thanks to a significant visual overhaul. The music remains enchanting, as does the magical, icy backdrop. And the track layout is outstanding, due to branching paths, an ice sheet which degrades between laps, and — new to this Switch version — a shortcut right before the finish line. Don't sleep on this one.
#3
Rainbow Road (Mario Kart Wii)
It feels wrong to rank Rainbow Road so "low", but that's just a testament to the strength of Wave Six. Make no mistake: this version of Rainbow Road, carried over from Mario Kart Wii, remains a delightful roller coaster of a track. It's also fairly loyal to the source material. Unlike a lot of Booster Course tracks, which are too wide, Rainbow Road retains its original narrow layout — which translates to a more challenging and overall better experience. It also retains an important quirk of the course: players burning up as they fall off the track and enter Earth's atmosphere. Finally, it keeps everything that makes the map so special: the steep downhill opening, the big figure-eight section, the banking curves, the dash panels, the wavy track, the launch star that propels racers through a glistening rainbow tunnel, etc. Rainbow Road is a legend for a reason.
#2
Piranha Plant Cove
Piranha Plant Cove is the best of both worlds. It features the three-in-one framework of city courses — whereby each lap comes from a unique variant in Mario Kart Tour — but since it's not based on a real-world location, the programmers at Nintendo can be as inventive as possible. The result is a wildly-creative track that constantly shifts locations and backgrounds. It feels almost like the setting of an action-adventure game. Things start in the ruins of an ancient civilization, proceed over a deserted island, and finish among shipwrecks and a giant, angry eel. The course's layout is as successful as its production design. There are divergent paths to test, Thwomps to avoid, and a pivotal shortcut in the third lap to use, if you're lucky enough to have a mushroom.
#1
Bowser Castle 3 (Super Mario Kart)
Bowser Castle 3 is based on a SNES track, but you wouldn't know it. Nintendo has completely overhauled its visual identity, mechanics, and layout to the point of making it almost unrecognizable, despite the same basic overhead footprint. It's perhaps the best remake in the Mario Kart series, and it's absolutely the best track in Wave 6, and indeed the entire Booster Course Pass. It is, simply put, a masterpiece. What was once a flat, stony course now has amazing height and texture. There's a new, welcome verticality to the proceedings, not to mention anti-gravity sections, metal grates, grainy off-road areas, lava geysers, Bone Pirahna Plants, and a couple of Thwomps just before the finish line. But the pièce de résistance is the walled area toward the end. You can now drive up and over the narrow walls, completely changing the climax of the track. Finally, Bowser Castle 3 boasts spectacular visuals and a thumping heavy metal arrangement of its classic theme song.
I hope you enjoyed reading my take on the sixth, and sadly final, wave of the Booster Course DLC. For those who've tried these tracks already, please share your own rankings and thoughts below. And thank you for following this series over the past 20+ months!
