It's actually still a bit mad that we're sitting here in 2022 playing new courses for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, right? Booting up the game to be introduced to not one, but 12 new cups to enjoy over the coming months is kind of baffling, but I'll take it!
These first two are a solid introduction, with nice variety on offer. As someone who's never played Mario Kart Tour, I absolutely adored the visuals and music in Paris Promenade; it's the perfect setup for what's to come, albeit perhaps a bit bland in its layout when compared to the native Mario Kart 8 courses. Tokyo Blur, on the other hand, was my least favourite of the bunch — I wonder if it would have benefited from being set at night. As it is, the environment is largely forgettable and the course itself was a bit too "safe" for my liking.
The biggest surprise of the new DLC for me was Ninja Hideaway, the last track. It's easily the trickiest to navigate, with some mighty impressive verticality on offer. I loved the aesthetic here and it truly felt like a course specifically built for Mario Kart 8. As for the legacy tracks, they're all perfectly fine, though there was a niggling feeling that they simply aren't built for the speed and handling of Mario Kart 8; it's great to revisit old favourites, but their overall design and layout certainly feels basic compared to more recent courses.
All told, it's got me excited for whatever else Nintendo offers up in the coming months; as much as I lament the more simplistic designs of the older tracks, it's still Mario Kart, and that's always a good thing!
