Two possibilities: play with a friend who has said DLC, or cross your fingers after choosing a random circuit.
On the occasion of the last Nintendo Direct, the firm announced a new DLC for its excellent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. On the program: no less than 48 additional circuits on which players can mortgage their friendships with great blows of blue shells. And the good news is that not all players will be forced to checkout to take advantage of it.
“The Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pack DLC Wave One tracks will be playable from March 18 locally and online, even if only one of the players owns the Booster Course Pass or has access to it as part of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription + Expansion Pack“, explains the press release dedicated to the DLC.
We must admit that this looks like a nice gift from the Japanese giant. This will allow players to have fun together without constraint, and possibly judge the quality of the DLC before checking out.
A very slight hint of pay-to-win?
It also looks like these new tracks will be able to spawn in the standard online mode, even without playing with a friend who purchased the DLC. Only condition: select a random circuit in a regional or global online game. A decision that may make some grumble if this is also the case in ranked mode.
If so, this could represent a competitive disadvantage compared to players who have paid for the DLC. Indeed, the latter will have plenty of time to refine their trajectories offline, to the chagrin of other players who will be forced to experiment in real time.
In the current state, it is difficult to know whether this is collateral damage or a well-defined strategy. To see more clearly, we will have to wait for some clarification from Nintendo. But overall, it should still be good news that will allow many players to taste otherwise paid content for free.
