Released on the Nintendo Switch in 2017,Mario Kart 8 Deluxeis the newest addition to the belovedMario Kartseries. It was a revamped version of the Wii U’sMario Kart 8.Being the best selling game on the consolewould make a DLC release extremely popular and with how old the game is, it would help extend its lifetime and prevent it from feeling stale or stagnant.
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The following list contains 10 of the most requested or recommended DLC additions toMario Kart 8 Deluxefrom fans, ranked from the least to the most recurring.
10Old Characters Returning
Quite self-explanatory, many people have asked in some shape or form that various cut characters return to theMario Kartroster in future installments. These could easily be turned into a part of a DLC pack instead, restoring characters like R.O.B . or Wiggler to the roster.
As some fans miss their old favorites or just some of the more unique or weird additions to the roster (such asMario Kart 7’s Honey Queen), this was an obvious choice for possibleMario Kart 8 DeluxeDLC.
9More Items
Due to theMariofranchise being incredibly rich and diverse in its entires, as well as a lot of its items and power-ups, fans have wondered why the item selection has been so repetitive over the years in theMario Kartseries.
Some suggestions for items that could be added are Mario’s Cape, the P-Wing, Baby Yoshi, and Poison Mushrooms (present inSuper Mario Kart). Even just those items, possibly returning as character-specificitems, like previous installments had, or being track/course-specific, would be a very interesting addition to the game.
8Old Tracks Remasters
SinceMario Kart DSintroduced the retro cups, many fans have been excited at seeing their favorite track return in all of its glory. If some sort of retro cup DLC pack were to be introduced (possibly including the retro characters) many fans would immediately jump back into their karts to race again.
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Given that one of the most requested things from fans is extra DLC in the form of extra cups, this could be incorporated with that, having 2 retro cups and 2 new ones, or even a fully retro DLC pack.
7Extra Battle Modes
A complaint that is thrown atMario Kart 8 Deluxeis about its battle modes. There are five battle modes in the game, although some have complained that only a handful of them are fun enough to keep coming back to and criticized that some returning modes (like Balloon Battle) have become too easy now.
One example frequently brought up is the addition of a Last Man Standing mode for Balloon Battle, a mode that was present and popular in previous games that has since been phased out for a timed system instead.
6Extra Cups
Another easy way to extend the longevity of this game is to simply add extra cups as DLC. Due to Mario’s aforementioned rich history, along with just using real-life settings, there should be no shortage oftrackideas that Nintendo could come up with for making a few extra DLC tracks or cups.
Related:10 Best Tracks for Mario Kart: Double Dash, Ranked From Easiest to Hardest
Combining this idea with any of the track ideas listed already or higher up on the list could create potentially infinite cup plans for Nintendo to draw on for extra DLC cups, making the idea a no-brainer for DLC.
5Mario Party & Sports Representation
Two of the more nicheMariofranchises are theMario Partyand Sports series (Tennis, Sluggers, Strikers, and so on). These two series have little to no representation within theMario Kartworld, apart from characters likeWaluigi.
Just a few ideas include having some board-based tracks (possibly similar in style to Ribbon Road to referenceMario Party DS) or a Dice Block item that can be picked up to give the player a timed-boost, or some other possible use.
4Galaxy Representation
2007’sSuper Mario Galaxyisone of the biggest and most popularof Mario’s adventures (of both 2D and 3D games). Several fans have pushed for moreGalaxyrepresentation inMario Kart, be it in the form of tracks, items, or characters (such as the Lumas, that could come in a variety of colors like Yoshi and Shy Guy).
Players could be given access to the aforementioned Lumas and an Observatory track (or a full Good EggGalaxytrack) with Launch Stars as track elements to replace the launch cannons.
3Other Franchise Items & Karts
Branching off of the popular requests for a wider variety of items and more representation of other franchises (likeMario Kart 8did by introducingLink, Villagers, Isabelle, and the Inklings to the roster), this DLC could include new items and kart parts from an even wider range of franchises.
Some of these could includeSplatoon,The Legend of Zelda,Super Smash Bros., F-Zero(an immensely popular request),Kirby, orPokémon,all of which being very large and very popular franchises that Nintendo utilizes.
2Other Franchise Tracks
Whilst theMarioseries has a large and rich historythat could result in many more unique and exciting tracks for theMario Kartseries, Nintendo itself has a huge array of original IPs that could make the selection unique track ideas near infinite.
Some very interesting locations that players could explore as tracks include: Brinstar, Corneria, Dreamland, Octo Valley, Hyrule Field, Gerudo Desert (with its phenomenal music) or really anyPokémonregion.
1Other Franchises Characters
By far one of the biggest fan requests for theMario Kartseries is the inclusion of characters from other major Nintendo franchises. Fans got a taste of it inMario Kart 8DLC andMario Kart 8 Deluxe, adding characters fromAnimal Crossing, Splatoon,andThe Legend of Zelda,which only served to fan the flames.
Many of the popular characters include Kirby, Captain Falcon, Zelda, or even Fox McCloud, being incredibly similar to the other lists, meaning it could all possibly be incorporated together.
