Mario Kart 8
- This article is about the Wii U game. For other uses, see Mario Kart 8 (disambiguation).
| Mario Kart 8 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 For alternate box art, see the related gallery. | |||||||||||||||
| Developers | Nintendo EAD Bandai Namco Studios[1][2] | ||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Nintendo | ||||||||||||||
| Platform | Wii U | ||||||||||||||
| Release dates |  May 29, 2014[3] May 29, 2014[4] May 30, 2014[5] May 30, 2014[6] May 31, 2014[7] | ||||||||||||||
| Languages | English (United States) English (United Kingdom) Japanese Dutch French (Canada) French (Europe) German Italian Portuguese (Europe) Russian Spanish (Latin America) Spanish (Europe) | ||||||||||||||
| Genre | Racing | ||||||||||||||
| Ratings |
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| Modes | Single Player Multiplayer (2-4 players) Online Play (2-12 players) | ||||||||||||||
| Format |  Optical disc Digital download | ||||||||||||||
| Input |  Wii Remote (horizontal) | ||||||||||||||
| Serial code | WUP-AMKJ-JPN | ||||||||||||||
- Everyone
- All ages
- Three years and older
- All ages
- General audience
- General
- Parental guidance
Mario Kart 8 is a racing game for the Wii U developed primarily by Nintendo EAD, with Bandai Namco Studios assisting. It is the eighth console installment in the Mario Kart series and a follow-up to the Nintendo 3DS game Mario Kart 7. Like other Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games, this game can be purchased both physically at retail and could be purchased digitally through the Nintendo eShop until March 27, 2023, with the digital version requiring 4949.8 MB (approx. 4.83 GB) of memory to be installed. The game was released on the last three days of May 2014 worldwide.
A prominent new addition is anti-gravity, allowing players to drive on almost any surface. Elements from both Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 return, such as 12-racer fields, bikes, tricks, and 2-Player online from Mario Kart Wii; and gliding, underwater driving, and kart customizing from Mario Kart 7. In addition, ATVs join the returning karts and bikes as a new class of vehicle, and the 4.0 version update introduced the 200cc engine class. The game also features more detail in courses, especially classic courses, which appear more redesigned than their original appearances. The game is also the best-selling title for the Wii U, selling 8 million copies as of September 30, 2016, surpassing sales of both Mario Kart: Super Circuit and Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.
On November 7, 2017, Nintendo terminated the Miiverse service, which made it no longer possible for players to use this game's Miiverse stamps, upload highlight reels onto YouTube, and create new online tournaments. On April 8, 2024, Nintendo terminated the Nintendo Network service, which made it no longer possible for players to play the game online and attend the pre-existing online tournaments.[9][10]
A Nintendo Switch port titled Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released in April 2017, retaining most of this game's base and downloadable content while adding other new content.
Gameplay
The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previous Mario Kart games, mostly from the two previous installments on the Wii (Mario Kart Wii) and Nintendo 3DS (Mario Kart 7), respectively. Players pick a character of three weight classes and drive vehicles of varying stats, strengths, and weaknesses around an obstacle course-like racetrack, in an attempt to finish first of the twelve racers, the number of racers used in Mario Kart Wii. During the race, racers can pick up items from Item Boxes, where the probability of receiving items is dependent on the racers' distance from the frontrunner;[11] for example, first place typically receives defense items such as Bananas and Green Shells, while racers at intermediate distance from the lead receive more powerful offense items such as Triple Red Shells and Fire Flowers and racers far from the lead receive items that lead to an increase in speed or the possibility of going off-road without losing speed, such as the Super Star or Bullet Bill, to help compensate their distance. Players receive an amount of points depending on the position they end up with. Whichever player has the most amount of points wins the entire race.
Karts, which feature similar designs from Mario Kart 7, can be customized once again, alongside the returning bikes, which handle similar to the karts now and can only perform a wheelie via a boost, and the newly introduced ATVs. The hang-glider and underwater mechanics also return from Mario Kart 7, as well as Coins, with the player being able to collect up to ten in one race, and automatic drifting activated by steering in a direction for a certain amount of time, with a turning capability that, unless a Wii Remote without motion controls is used, matches the one while drifting (and even surpasses that in the case of sport bikes)[12], with the ability to slowly charge Mini-Turbo and Super Mini-Turbo boosts, added in this game.[13] Jump Boosts and the ability to look behind also return in this game.
A feature introduced to the series in this game is anti-gravity segments that not only allow for more dynamic track design, but also for racers to drive across walls, ceilings, and other seemingly unusual places. When in anti-gravity, if a racer bumps into another racer, the kart spins rather than just bumping and both racers receive a speed boost. This is called a "Spin Boost".
Two types of bikes return: standard bikes, that perform regular drifts, and sport bikes, that lean toward the inside of the turn instead of drifting.[14] While leaning instead of drifting, sport bikes lose less speed,[15] but have a lower turning capability with respect to outside drifting vehicles, this being a feature seen in Mario Kart Wii as well.[12][16]
The game also features Wii U GamePad integration. In addition to the standard Off-TV Play, players also have the option of displaying the course map, and when neither the television gameplay nor the map are being displayed, the GamePad can be used as a horn button. Players have the option to toggle between these features at will.[17] The GamePad can also be used to toggle on and off the gyroscopic steering, and in its default display and when displaying the map the GamePad also displays the current rankings.
There is also Miiverse integration, which allows players to share their replay videos and comment on others' videos, in a feature called Mario Kart TV.[18] Another change is that in 2-player mode, the screen splits vertically instead of horizontally as in the other console Mario Kart games, a feature that was originally intended to be in Mario Kart 64 but was removed from the final game. Additionally, if the player falls off the edge of the track, Lakitu will pick them up and drop them back on to the track more quickly when compared to how he did this in past installments. This makes glitches involving falling into areas impossible.
Point management works similar to Mario Kart Wii, except that racers below 3rd place get an extra point. Also, 6th place is now no longer a losing position. Below is a chart of the point spread in Mario Kart 8:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | |
| A grove-green background signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), unique finish music, and the best after-race music. A yellow-limegreen background signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction) and the same music in Wi-Fi as the winner. | ||||||||||||
Controls
| Action(s) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Wii U GamePad Wii U Pro Controller Wii Classic Controller Pro Wii Classic Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk | Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Wheel | |
| Select |  / 
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| Confirm | 
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/ 
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| Cancel | 
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/ 
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Racing
| Action(s) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wii U GamePad | Wii U Pro Controller Wii Classic Controller Pro Wii Classic Controller |
Wii Remote + Nunchuk | Wii Remote (sideways) Wii Wheel | |
| Accelerate / Rocket Start (press and hold when the countdown shows "2" before the race starts) | /  /  (tilt forward)
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/ / (tilt forward)
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| Brake/reverse | / (tilt back)
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/ (tilt back)
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| Steer | / (both on stick/pad controls) / Tilt  (tilt controls)
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/
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Tilt Wii Remote (tilt controls) / (pad controls)
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| Hop / drift |  / 
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/
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(tilt controls only) /
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| Trick | /
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/
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/ Flick Wii Remote
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(tilt controls only) / Flick Wii Remote /
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| Use item / stop item roulette / honk |  / 
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/
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(tilt controls) / / (pad controls)
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| Pause / Resume | 
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| Display/remove TV Map | 
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| Home Menu | 
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| Rear view | 
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(tilt controls) /  (pad controls)
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Game modes
There are various game modes for Mario Kart 8. All modes available on single player (some also on local and online multiplayer) are listed here.
Grand Prix
Mario Kart 8's Grand Prix works similar to past installments. Like past games the 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc engine classes are available by default, and completing 150cc unlocks Mirror; for the former three, however, Grand Prix rankings carry over to the lower engine classes after being completed on a higher engine class. In addition, and for the first time in the series, a 200cc engine class has been added as of the version 4.0 update, which is available by default alongside Mirror as of version 4.1. Players choose a cup, which takes them through four consecutive races of set order in that cup. Only the Mushroom and Shell Cups are available at the start of the game, with the others being unlocked after completing the cup before, and are available in every engine class after being unlocked. Players now have the option to do a multiplayer Grand Prix up to four players, unlike in most previous home console Mario Kart games, where only up to two players can race in Grand Prix.
Time Trials
Time Trial mode lets the player complete a selected course in the fastest time possible. Among the other features, in addition to viewing ghost data, players can upload their own ghost data onto Miiverse, which other players can download and comment on. In addition, beating one of Nintendo's Staff Ghosts in a race earns the player a stamp based on the course they raced on which they can use in Miiverse posts. Leaderboards as seen in Mario Kart Wii also return.
VS Race
VS mode can be played locally with up to four players. Players can set rules such as which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, how many races to play, and whether to race on a Team or race Solo. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all courses randomly or in order. In this game, the Mirror class appears as a default engine class, even if it is not unlocked in Grand Prix. The point system is the same as the Grand Prix.
Battle
Battle mode now features race tracks remixed to fit the mode rather than containing all-new separate arenas. Balloon Battle can be played in teams or in free-for-all mode. It combines survival Battle mode from Mario Kart DS and earlier installments and the timed points Battle mode introduced in Mario Kart Wii; all players start with three points and three balloons each. Successfully making an opponent lose a balloon awards the player a point, and losing a balloon through any method will cause the player to lose a point. Balloons can never be regained (unless one is stolen from another player with a Mushroom or a Super Star), and if all balloons are lost, points can no longer be lost or gained. Defeated players can still drive and attack players as a Ghost, although they cannot receive points. Players can also now adjust the time limit from one to five minutes, and they can set up to 32 rounds in set intervals.
Online
As with Mario Kart Wii, one or two local players could play over the Internet against other remote players. Players could race and battle with up to eleven other players from around the world or in their region, and could join and race with friends from the Friends menu. Finally, players were able to join a worldwide room using custom rules. Players could also set up their own rooms for friends and can race with custom rules, such as engine class, whether items are on or off, vehicle types available, control method, whether to play with computer racers or not. As of version 3.0, players could also toggle whether they want to play on just the original 32 courses, the original courses and one of the two sets of DLC courses, or every available course by pressing after selecting Worldwide or Regional,[19] as well as when setting up a room for friends. When playing online worldwide or regional, players once again earned VR points based upon their ranking at the end of a race or battle like in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7; like in Mario Kart 7 a player's VR started at 1000, though like Mario Kart Wii, players had different VR rankings for races and battles. Between 1000 and over 4000 VR when playing Worldwide or Regional VS. Race, players raced at 100cc, and starting at over 5000 VR, players raced at 150cc.
Players could also create their own tournaments, similar to the communities from Mario Kart 7. When creating a tournament, players could choose an icon and a name for their tournament as well as set the rules, including engine class, whether to play in teams, whether to have items, vehicle types, whether there are computer racers, and, as of version 3.0, available courses (the original 32 courses, every course including DLC courses, just the DLC courses, or, as of version 4.0, the original courses and one of the DLC packs). Players could also set times in which the tournament was available (weekly, daily, or between a fixed period and at what day and time the tournament begins and ends), the number of races before scores are totaled, and whether the groups shuffled after every four matches or not. Finally, the availability can be set, including whether a code was required, or if it was open to anybody worldwide or regional, and whether only players of certain ratings could play. When looking for a tournament, players could enter a code, search by type, or look at active tournaments. In addition, playing in a tournament that allowed the DLC courses to be selected required purchasing the DLC before the player could enter.
After entering a room, players could choose one of three predetermined courses or "Random", which chose one of any of the game's courses at random if the player's option was ultimately chosen. When playing with friends, however, players could select from any of the courses available depending on the settings. Once every player had selected a course, a roulette selected one of these options as the course to be raced on.
The point spreads for 2 to 8 players were identical to that of Mario Kart 7.
| Point spread | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of players | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th |
| 2 players | 3 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 players | 4 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 4 players | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5 players | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6 players | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7 players | 9 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 8 players | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — | — |
| 9 players | 11 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| 10 players | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — | — |
| 11 players | 13 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | — |
| 12 players | 15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
The ability to create and enter online tournaments was discontinued upon the closure of Miiverse in November 2017, as the feature was tied to the service. Mario Kart 8's remaining online features became unavailable in April 2024, upon the discontinuation of Nintendo Network.
Mario Kart TV
- Main article: Mario Kart TV
Mario Kart TV is an Internet-based feature in which players can view and share highlights of their and others' race and battle highlights. In the Mario Kart TV menu, the game automatically saves the twelve most recent race and battle replays, and the player can favorite up to six at one time. Players can view and edit theirs and others' replays by changing the duration of the replay and the focus characters and actions and can slow down, speed up, and rewind the replay while watching. Players could also share their highlights on Miiverse and YouTube; only up to 60 seconds of video could be uploaded at one time, however.
Characters
There are 36 total playable characters in Mario Kart 8, consisting of 16 default characters, 14 unlockable characters, and 6 characters obtainable through the game's two downloadable content packs (The Legend of Zelda × Mario Kart 8 and Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8), with each pack having three characters. Including DLC characters, there are 14 new playable characters, being the seven Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Link, Villager, and Isabelle, with the Koopalings, Baby Rosalina, and Pink Gold Peach making their overall playable debuts, and the latter two also making their overall debut in any game. In addition, Shy Guy, Metal Mario, and Lakitu are playable in a Mario Kart game for a home console for the first time, after they were each previously playable in at least one handheld console installment.
The add-on packs contain three new characters each (see § Downloadable characters for more info), but if both are purchased, the player will gain access to eight new colors for Yoshi and Shy Guy as well. Updates have been released that allowed suits to be unlocked by using amiibo, which allow Miis to resemble characters such as Samus Aran and Sonic the Hedgehog.
Even though there are a total of nine groups of characters sharing the same statistics, the official site divides the initial 30 characters in three weight classes dependent on the weight of the character: light, medium, and heavy.[20] Unlike other home console Mario Kart games (barring the use of a glitch in Mario Kart Wii), multiple players can use the same characters in local play.
With the discontinuation of digital purchases for Wii U in March 2023, it is no longer possible to buy the downloadable characters, though they can still be downloaded by those who purchased them when they were available.
