Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass Wave 5 - Review

Nearing the finish line.

Console: Nintendo Switch

We´re almost at the finish line. The 5th and 2nd to last wave the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass is upon us. I felt that the hype, the pressure, for Wave 5 has been higher than the waves before it. Wave 4 opened up the possibility of new characters coming to the game with Birdo, leaving 5 more unfilled spots on the character select screen. On top of that, the closer we get to the end, the slimmer the chances for people's favourite tracks that haven't shown up to make it in. 

Each wave has also, when I look at the general consensus, been better received than the one that came before. Better track selection, anti-gravity integration in the retro tack, you name it. Now then, let's dive into this 2nd to last wave and see where it stacks up. If it keeps this upward trend going and becomes the race's leader or if it falls back to the middle of the pack. 

In wave 5, The Feather Cups brings us Athens Dash (Tour), Daisy Cruiser (Double Dash), Moonview Highway (Wii) and Squeaky Clean Sprint (New). The Cherry Cups has Los Angeles Lap (Tour), Sunset Wilds (GBA), Koopa Cape (Wii) and closes out with Vancouver Velocity (Tour). For the new characters, we have 3 new racers vying for a spot on the podium. Petey Piranha, Wiggler and Kamek.
 

The 8 tracks in this 5th wave.

Looking at the track selection for wave 5 I can´t say there was anything that got me chomping at the bit. Why? Because I don't really recognize any of the tracks. I don't remember the 2 Wii tracks from my time with the game and I only ever raced on Daisy Cruiser once at a friend's house. The Tour tracks are, well, Tour tracks. The brand-new Squeaky Clean Sprint looks like it'll be an interesting track though. 

In short: my expectations of the tracks were that I didn't really have any. If that's a good or a bad thing is something you'll read about, well, now.

Athens Dash and Los Angeles Lap are you're typical Tour tracks. Some set dressing to fit the style with slightly different laps. Nothing we haven't seen before. When it comes to the 3rd Tour course, Vancouver Velocity, it benefits from feeling grander but not grand enough to be a satisfying end to the Cherry Cup. 

Daisy Cruiser, the most exciting retro course here for many, just isn't my track. I didn't particularly care for it on the GameCube and don't care much for it here. That's not a fault of the track's quality: it is well-designed with its multiple paths in such a confined setting. That layout, however, doesn't do my racing style any favours.

Moonview Highway I don't remember from my time with Mario Kart Wii and I can see why. We've had a few of this style of track: racing on an actual highway with supersized chars driving about. Not even the 'Moonview' aspect of the track can help it stand out amongst that lot. 

Squeaky Clean Sprint, the brand-new track, is a fun one. It has similar vibes to Ribbon Road with you being so small but with more than enough differences in the setting to make it stand out just enough. Has a very fun alternate path too.

Sunset Wilds, like many of the GBA tracks, is a basic course but I think that's why it does work. When it comes to Koopa Cape I'm pleasantly surprised. I like how fast the pace is with its plethora of boosting and ant-gravity sections combined with its sharp turns. Found it a surprisingly exciting track to race on because of that. 

Move along. Nothing to see here. Just a giant plant racing in an even bigger bathroom. 

Nothing much more to say really. The overall production values are what I expect from the DLC at this point. The Tour tracks lack detail and textures but the rest is fine even if most retro tracks aren't quite on par with the design quality of those in the base game. 

Before wrapping this up, a quick word on the new racers. We got a whopping 3 with this wave. That's a lot but since we are near the end of the entire DLC I do understand why we're getting 3 racers in one go. I very much like that the DLC is now offering new racers. Petey Piranha, Wiggler and Kamek might not be my choices for racers but they add value to the package. New racers and their corresponding new rides are always fun. Plus: I do like the little detail of Kamek waving his wand around when doing a successful trick, magic effects included. 

Conclusion

I find Wave 5 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass to be a good, but underwhelming entry. Some of you have no doubt picked up on a little red thread weaved throughout this review. Many of the tracks here feel very similar to what we've already gotten. The numerous easy-to-port Tour tracks are very much the same track at their core and even the brand-new 'show stealer' Squeaky Clean Sprint is a retread of an already existing course, just in a different setting. The 3 new characters also don't blow my socks off. 

Even so, I didn't actually dislike something here or found a track to be overly frustrating like some courses in the past. Plus: I found most of them fun and was even pleasantly surprised by Koopa Cape. So, with all of that in mind, wave 5 still gets a thumbs up from me.