Ranking All 96 Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Part 7

Ranking All 96 Tracks in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Part 7 – Article

by
Evan Norris
, posted 6 hours ago / 404 Views

This article series is dedicated to Nikena, my Mario Kart rival.

With a new Mario Kart only days away, it’s a perfect time to revisit Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, perhaps for the final time. Mario Kart 8 has been with us, in some form or another, for over a decade, believe it or not. In that time the track count went from 32 to 48, before ballooning to 96 with the Booster Course Pass DLC. It’s doubtful we’ll ever see a game from the series with so many courses again. To celebrate all 96 tracks, and to bid a fond farewell to what I consider the finest Mario Kart (not to mention the best racing game ever made), I’ve ranked each and every course, from 96 to 1. So buckle up; this is going to take a while.

#24
Wario’s Gold Mine

I’ve compared several Mario Kart 8 Deluxe tracks to roller coasters, but Wario’s Gold Mine might be the only course that actually feels like one — especially during that steep drop right after the starting line. Things only get more interesting from there, thanks to several significant (and polarizing) changes from the Wii era. Where once there was a half-pipe is now an alternative route that sits lower than the main path and ends in a dash panel. Following that is an anti-gravity secgment with banking right and left turns, replacing the old downhill section. Finally, the moving minecarts now act as spin boost pillars instead of obstacles. It’s not nearly as difficult as the original, but I’d argue it’s more thrilling. Then there’s the audiovisual overhaul, almost as significant as the structural one. The interior of the cave is darker and the opening sunset is more dramatic, with dusky yellows, pinks, and blues. Don’t forget the cherry on top: mining Shy Guys in the cave entrance, who sing along to the music.

#23
Waluigi Pinball

Waluigi Pinball is a fan favorite for a reason. Like the best Mario Kart courses, it combines a fun and exciting premise with rewarding racing. The event takes place entirely inside a giant pinball machine, with plenty of boosts, sharp turns, and hazards. It all comes to a fever pitch inside the pinball “table” where gigantic pinballs bounce off bumpers and electrified flippers. Nintendo provided some graphical enhancements to this Mario Kart 8 Deluxe version, but mostly left the base track unchanged. Hey, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

#22
Rosalina’s Ice World

Everything about Rosalina’s Ice World works. It was already one of the prettier tracks in the series, and now it’s drop-dead gorgeous, thanks to a significant visual upgrade. The music remains enchanting, as does the magical, icy backdrop. And the track layout is outstanding, due to branching paths, an ice sheet that degrades between laps, and — new to this Switch version — a shortcut right before the finish line. Don’t sleep on this one.

#21
Twisted Mansion

Some tracks with lots of different hooks and gimmicks feel a tad disjointed, but never Twisted Mansion. Each set-piece segues cleanly into the next, whether it’s an undulating carpet, a combination underwater/anti-gravity section, or a hang glider ride across a moonlit courtyard. The course just has a great flow. It also has some tremendous ghostly music, thanks to clever use of the theremin, organ, and glockenspiel, and fantastic art direction. The possessed Hammer Knights right before the finish line still impress, 11 years later.

#20
Rainbow Road (3DS)

Every Rainbow Road course is special, but some are more special than others. That’s certainly true of the Mario Kart 7 installment, which appears in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe based on its Tour version. It was the first Rainbow Road to feature a single lap divided into three sections, and it breaks from tradition by allowing players to drive off road — on the rings of Saturn and on the surface of the Moon, no less! Some changes to the original are good, like anti-gravity on the Moon, but others, like the flattening of high-banked turns, are not. One thing that is unquestionably great, however, is the track’s graphical face-lift. This is now one of the prettiest courses in the entire game, which is saying a lot. The rainbow road itself is a shimmering curtain of watery iridescence. It’s indescribably beautiful.

#19
DK Summit

While it’s missing some of the charm of the Wii original, owing to absent fog, DK Summit in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe remains a classic of the series. It’s one of the few Mario Kart tracks that almost tells a story. You start on ground level, travel through a high-powered cannon, view the course you’re about to follow from high above, and then start your trip down the mountain. The winding, shaky descent is thrilling, due to ramps, deep-snow hazards, bumpy moguls, dash panels, and — the pièce de résistance — a snowy half-pipe populated with Shy Guy snowboarders.

#18
Shy Guy Falls

Speaking of Shy Guys, say hello to Shy Guy Falls, which features, arguably, the best use of anti-gravity in all of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Set in a cliff-side area with two waterfalls, it really takes advantage of the spatial freedom that defines the game. After a couple of early turns, the course turns sideways and the anti-gravity section begins. Then it’s straight up the face of a descending waterfall, followed by a vertical drop downward along the other waterfall. All the while you can see perpendicular platforms and Shy Guy spectators at right angles, providing the sensation you are flying in the face of the law of gravity.

#17
Yoshi Circuit

I’ve always loved Yoshi Circuit. It was one of my go-to tracks in Double Dash and it remains a favorite in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The best part about it? The curves. Since it’s shaped like Yoshi himself (the only course in the franchise in the outline of a playable character, mind you) it has lots of rounded edges, which translate into some supremely enjoyable power-sliding. The long curve around Yoshi’s “nose” and the sharp hairpin turn around his “tail” are especially satisfying. The track also benefits from one of the great Mario Kart shortcuts, which allows racers to leap over the moat within Yoshi’s “hand”. It’s just too bad the underground shortcut from the GCN days is long gone.

#16
Vancouver Velocity

Vancouver Velocity is generally considered one of the very best Mario Kart Tour courses, and it’s easy to see why. First, the music is absolutely great. It leans on some gusty sounds and icy notes to summon that feeling of winter, but brings in bouncy synth beats and electronic wind instrumentation to keep things upbeat. Second, the atmosphere is excellent, due to dense forests of evergreens, snow-capped mountains in the distance, and an aurora in the skies above the Capilano Suspension Bridge. Speaking of that bridge area, it’s the standout section, in part because it’s now, for the first time, in anti-gravity. If there’s one flaw to Vancouver Velocity, it’s that it gets progressively less interesting as it goes on. The opening suspension bridge section is so darn good that all the subsequent stuff pales in comparison.

#15
Bowser’s Castle

For the most part, the Special Cup in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe doesn’t earn its name. There is one obvious exception, however: Bowser’s Castle. With its foundry aesthetic, fiery visuals, metal theme song, and hazards galore, it’s the definition of special. It’s really those hazards that put it over the top. There are Bowser statues that shoot lasers, swinging spiked balls, fire bars, rolling boulders, lava geysers, and, most spectacular of all, a hulking statue in the shape of Bowser that punches downward to create ripples on the track.

#14
Mute City

Mute City in Mario Kart 8 absolutely nails the look and feel of F-Zero. There’s an invigorating sense of speed, height, and smoothness throughout, as you snake through the futuristic metropolis. The opening corkscrew climb, which feeds directly into a cylindrical route dotted with boost pillars, is the highlight, but, honestly, there’s not a single low-light in the entire course. One of the best parts about the track is the appearance of pit areas, which add an element of tactical decision-making to the mix. Do you prioritize boost pads, and the short-term burst of speed they bring, or do you target the pit to collect coins, and raise your top speed for the remainder of the race?

#13
Royal Raceway

Royal Raceway may just have the best racing lines in all of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The curves are heavenly, the straightaways perfectly paced, and the opportunities for drifting unsurpassed. The course also has exceptional sound and production design, due to cheering fans, ringing bells, confetti in the air, pale pink clouds in the sky, and hot-air balloons based on Peach, Daisy, and Rosalina in the brand new glider section. If only we could still drive around Peach’s Castle.

Stay tuned for Part 8, the finale!