Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Reviews
Nintendo's karting franchise is designed to get everyone racing together no matter what their individual ability. This Switch remaster achieves that and more
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe takes the best game in the series and improves it. It looks better, plays better, the soundtrack remains an utter joy and the inclusion of a fully-featured and fiendishly fun Battle Mode is the cherry on top. This is the best Mario Kart game ever, and it's hard to see exactly how Nintendo will ever be able to improve upon it.
Mario Kart 8 was already a simply sublime kart racer on Wii U, but Nintendo have managed to make it just that little bit better. From the new and improved Battle Mode to tweaks that add more depth for veterans and more accessibility for novices, a great deal of thought and effort went into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, beyond simply porting it to Switch. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continues to be the best in the business, and now you can play it on the train.
Mario Kart 8 remains one of the highlights of the franchise and while it would have been nice for The Switch to get a new title rather than a Deluxe repackage, this thing plays like a dream and is overflowing with content.
It seems that Nintendo Switch was made for a game like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Racing is fun and multiplayer (8 local/ 12 online) is unbeatable. Nevertheless, the only improvements from the Wii U game are 6 new characters, new items and some batte modes, and that is not enough.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
A better Battle mode and new ways to play with friends are great perks, but perhaps not enough to make some fans buy the same game twice
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe makes significant updates to the original that make its racing chaos the definitive version.
At the end of the day, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a Mario Kart game and (predictably) fantastic. With a fully upgraded Battle Mode and all the portability that comes with Nintendo Switch, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is undoubtedly the definitive version of the game — maybe even the series. However, with limited offerings for Mario Kart veterans who shelled out nearly $100 on the last experience, the title will be significantly less rewarding.
I might still carry a torch for quality single-player content and progression in Mario Kart, but there's no denying that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a step in the right direction for just about every other element.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's improved Battle Mode is bound to bring out some people's inner child in the best way (this author very much included). As for the rest of the racing action, the tight and polished multiplayer action is as good as it's ever been - and the ability to take it on-the-go is like a dream come true.
Ultimately, this might just be the best version of the very best Kart racer there is. If you're a Mario Kart 8 veteran then I'm not sure how much here will draw you in, but new players and multiplayer fanatics will find dozens of hours of fun.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is solid and enjoyable, with small tweaks that mean it easily surpasses the Wii U's original release. Should you get a Switch for it? Yes. Yes you should — especially if you've got friends who're up for a race themselves.
We had a ton of fun with Mario Kart 8 for Wii U. And even if Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn't add that much of news (except for the re-designed battle mode), it's still one of the best racing games ever made.
Review in Swedish | Read full review
The Nintendo Switch version of Mario Kart is quite possibly the best in the series. Mario Kart 8 was already fantastic on the Wii U and the way the game uses the Switch's features genuinely transcends it.
Review in French | Read full review
When it comes to passing final judgement on a re-release like this it's tricky - do we scale back praise because it's content we've mostly seen before, or simply judge a release on its own merits? We've opted for the latter here, and so we have a definitive version of a fantastic Wii U game that adds its own extras to spruce up the experience.Mario Kart 8 Deluxe delivers a huge amount of racing goodness right out of the box, and it's a polished version of a Wii U entry that was a proper Battle Mode away from being top of class. Now that issue has been addressed, what we have is arguably the best Mario Kart release we've seen. Some will argue about where this entry stands in the pantheon of the franchise, but for our money it's competing for top spot.It's the definitive Mario Kart 8 experience, content-rich and a delightful feast of comedic, cartoonish karting action. It's a game that continually raises a smile and, occasionally, induces that trademark Mario Kart rage as shells strike and positions are lost. It's addictive and unifying, unfiltered fun that draws in anyone daring enough to take up the wheel. If you're a Switch owner, it's an easy choice.
In broad terms, I can understand why Mario Kart 8 might be hard to justify for some players. It's a re-release of a game Nintendo put out three years ago, and that Nintendo fans (who make up a large portion of the Switch audience) probably already played. That said, this is a fantastic addition to the Switch library, not just as a great game but as one that benefits from the system's core features. It adds the requisite new content and fixes the one large oversight of the original. Mario Kart 8 was already one of the best in the series. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is even better.
This is the best Mario Kart game ever made, expanding an already great Wii U title into a near-perfect racing game. Even so, players who have the original on Wii U may want to wait for a sale.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is a game that rekindles a fire you may not have even realized was fading. This racing game is absolutely incredible. It takes Mario Kart 8, an absolutely fantastic game, then improves upon it by offering the sort of Battle arenas and experiences we adored in previous games, the ability to play it anywhere in any way, and various quality of life adjustments. Everything has been tightened, fine tuned and is firing on all cylinders. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe isn't just here to help you coast through the launch window, it is a game that will offer comfortable cruising for years to come.
Thanks to small but fine adjustments, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the best version of a great fun racer.
Review in German | Read full review