Mario Kart 8 was first released ten years ago on the Wii U and it’s still getting new content. The 2017 Switch version of the game is currently in the midst of a run of downloadable content that is bringing not only new courses to the game, but new drivers as well. Birdo was recently added alongside a Yoshi’s Island course in the latest update that was released today, but there is still room for five more characters to be added to the game. Five mystery characters in a popular first-party Nintendo game! This means that it’s time for speculation.
New Characters Could Be from Anywhere
While the series previously liked to keep things in the Mushroom Kingdom, Mario Kart 8’s updates have slowly introduced characters from other Nintendo franchises, ranging from Zelda to Splatoon. This means that these five characters could be coming from anywhere. Maybe it’ll be someone new, but expected. Samus is an obvious choice here, especially as a car based on her ship would be such an obvious combo (and a Metroid-themed course would also kick ass). Maybe it’ll be a different take on an existing character. There are multiple Marios here…is there room for a second Link? A Wind Waker Link, perhaps? If it’s good enough for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it’s good enough for Mario Kart 8.
It could, however, be someone else. Nintendo has a long, long history, after all. It’s a little weird that characters from F-Zero, a Nintendo series about racing cars, aren’t featured here in Mario Kart 8, a Nintendo game about racing cars. Captain Falcon would slot right in, especially since there’s already an F-Zero course (and vehicle!) in the game. Maybe it’s time for some Pikmin? Punch-Out? Is Arms too obscure a reference in 2023? Maybe the space is being left for the movie versions of some famous Mario characters?
Returning Characters Only
An update to this story is that Nintendo says in a press release accompanying today’s DLC that “Two upcoming waves of DLC are still to come, featuring more returning courses and characters from across the Mario Kart series”. So, unfortunately, returning characters only will be added. This narrows down the possibilities of who could be added, but it still leaves us with the possibility of Petey Piranha and Wiggler.
Petey Piranha
Petey Piranha is a large plant-like creature that is part of the Super Mario franchise. This character has appeared in many Nintendo games, including Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, where he acted as a large character who could knock other racers off the track, seeing him in Mario Kart 8 would be exciting for fans.
Wiggler
Wiggler is a caterpillar-like creature that is part of the Super Mario franchise. This character has appeared in many Nintendo games, including Mario Kart 7, where it acted as a large character who could knock other racers off the track. Seeing him in Mario Kart 8 would be welcomed by fans that grew up playing Mario games.
New Courses
Aside from new characters being added to the game, new courses have also been added. One of the newest courses to be added was the Yoshi’s Island course. This course is a new addition and takes inspiration from the classic Yoshi’s Island game, with colorful backgrounds and fun obstacles that can trip up racers.
Conclusion
It’s exciting to see new content being added to an old game. Although fans were hoping for new characters to be added, finding out that it’s only returning characters is a bit disappointing. Still, fans of the game’s series should be happy with the new additions to the game. It’s nice to see Mario Kart 8 still getting love after all these years.