The cute and chipper characters of Animal Crossing will join the race in Mario Kart 8 on Wii U for the very first time in a new paid DLC pack available from April 23rd. A new super-fast 200cc racing class will also be added to the game free-of-charge in a new update release on the very same day.
The second major downloadable content pack for Mario Kart 8 will see the likes of The Villager and Isabelle from Nintendo’s Animal Crossing as playable drivers and with them they will bring a unique new course to race on. The course will be set within the world of Animal Crossing and with weather that will change throughout the seasons just like in the Animal Crossing game, making for quite a versatile and potentially treacherous track.
As well as the addition of Animal Crossing themed characters, course and new karts the DLC will add Dry Bowser into the game as a new driver – the character a skeletal version of King Koopa, first introduced to the Nintendo universe in New Super Mario Bros. on the DS. He’ll also be bringing with him his fearsome Bone Rattler bike and the DLC comes complete with 8 full courses some of which are remakes of historic tracks from earlier Mario Kart games including Double Dash, Super Circuit and MK7 and classic Nintendo game F-Zero contributes a course.
Nintendo’s press release reveals the full contents of Mario Kart 8 DLC Pack 2 – Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8 when it’s released next Thursday costing £7.00 (or £11.00 for Pack 1 & 2 together):
3 Characters: Villager, Isabelle, Dry Bowser
4 Vehicles: Bone Rattler (Bike), City Tripper (Bike), Streetle (Kart), P-Wing (Kart)
8 Courses:
– Animal Crossing: A special Animal Crossing inspired course that changes season – spring, summer, autumn, winter – each time you race.
– Big Blue: A remastered version of Big Blue from the F-ZERO series.
– Super Bell Subway: Navigate an underground subway, and watch out for oncoming trains to reach the finish line.
– Wild Woods: Drive up and down a giant tree inhabited by Toads and Shy Guys and experience a mysterious landscape.
– Baby Park (GCN): High-definition remake of a course featured in Mario Kart: Double Dash! – prepare for a chaotic course
comprising 7 laps.
– Cheese Land (GBA): High-definition remake of a course featured in Mario Kart: Super Circuit – full of cheese-themed obstacles and even a hungry giant Chain Chomp.
– Koopa City (3DS): High-definition remake of a course featured in Mario Kart 7 – drive through the pouring rain at night in a city controlled by Bowser, and decked out in dazzling neon lights.
– Ribbon Road (GBA): High-definition remake of a course featured in Mario Kart: Super Circuit – set in a miniaturised world packed with ribbons and toys.
Also released on April 23rd is a free update which will be available to download for all Mario Kart 8 owners and will enhance gameplay with a brand new feature and will add some more content for amiibo collectors.
The most notable addition is the option to play in a new super-speed 200cc racing class, the fastest ever in the Mario Kart series and upping the speed will certainly add to the challenge of avoiding obstacles and handling the notorious bends.
If you’ve got some amiibo figures you may also be able to unlock up to nine new outfits for your Mii character/driver based on the following characters: Wario, PAC-MAN, Olimar, Bowser, Sonic, Toad, Villager, Rosalina and Mega Man. If you’ve got any of these figures in your collection you can tap them onto the Wii U GamePad to get your Mii suited and booted and ready to race Mario Kart 8 in style.