Stock up on your banana peels, Mario fans.
Nintendo today revealed details on the new multiplayer modes coming to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which releases for the Switch on April 28. Although a port, this will be one of the first major games Nintendo releases for its new console following the hybrid home/portable system’s launch on March 3. These new features will give players who already own the Wii U version incentive to purchase it again on the Switch. Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U sold over 8.26 million copies.
We already know that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is getting Balloon Battles, the multiplayer mode made famous in the original Super Mario Kart for the Super Nintendo. Balloon Battles has players fighting in special stages, using items like bananas and turtle shells to defeat their opponents. The original Mario Kart 8 received criticism for using the same levels as the regular races for its Battle mode, but Deluxe will rectify that mistake with unique arenas.
But Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is getting other multiplayer modes, including:
- Renegade Roundup: A new team-based mode that has one side trying to jail the other.
- Bob-omb Blast: Originally from Mario Kart: Double Dash for the GameCube, it has players flinging bombs at each other.
- Coin Runners: Originally from Mario Kart Wii, this mode has players attempt to earn the most coins in the Battle stages.
- Shine Thief: Players fight to hold onto a Shine for 20 seconds.
The Switch already has an amazing single-player experience with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, but Mario Kart 8 Deluxe could be the console’s first must-have multiplayer game.