Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the most recent entry in the Nintendo racing franchise, is one of the highest-selling games ever. Originally released on the Wii U console, the game was ported and revamped for the Nintendo Switch in 2017. The series is renowned for its high-octane racing gameplay and large cast of playable drivers. Recently, the games have featured more crossover content from other Nintendo properties, including Animal Crossing. Here is every Animal Crossing reference in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart 8 Animal Crossing DLC
While the Mario Kart series began in 1992 with Super Mario Kart for the SNES, extensive crossover content with other established Nintendo franchises would not come until much later. Animal Crossing’s first foray into the Nintendo racing extravaganza came with a DLC pack for Mario Kart 8. This DLC was released on April 23, 2015, and was one of 3 different packs offered for the game. It was originally intended to launch in May 2015 but was released earlier. The original price for the Animal Crossing DLC was $7.99 in North America. The other two packs also featured crossovers, one with the Mercedes-Benz vehicle brand and the other with another famous Nintendo IP, The Legend of Zelda.
All three initial DLC packs offered new Kart parts, though only the Zelda and Animal Crossing sets contained new drivers. The original Animal Crossing DLC pack in total provided 3 new playable characters, 8 new tracks across 2 cups, and 4 new vehicle types. Despite the Animal Crossing theme, one of the new drivers added was Dry Bowser, a character from the Mario series. This skeletal version of Mario villain Bowser was first playable in Mario Kart Wii and returned in Mario Kart 8. With the release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch, every previous DLC pack was already included with the base game. But which characters from the Animal Crossing series are playable in the game?
Playable Characters from Animal Crossing
Villager is the first playable character from the Animal Crossing franchise in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The villager represents the avatar of the player character from games in the Animal Crossing series. This particular incarnation is based on the New Leaf version of the avatar. Indeed, the DLC was originally titled Animal Crossing: New Leaf × Mario Kart 8 before November 2014. Both a male and female version of Villager are available; they are in the medium-weight class, though there are slight differences in the stats between them. The male villagers’ stats are identical to Tanooki Mario while the female shares her with Cat Peach. Their kart symbol is the famous leaf icon in Animal Crossing games that represents furniture.
The second playable driver from the series the DLC offered is the now iconic Isabelle. First introduced in New Leaf for the Nintendo 3DS, the yellow shih tzu has skyrocketed in popularity and become one of the main faces of the Animal Crossing franchise. Her introduction to Mario Kart 8 was the first instance of her being a playable character in any game. As a racer, she is in the lightweight class; her acceleration, handling, and traction stats are lower to compensate for her weight and speed. Mechanically speaking, her stats are identical to those of Toadette and Wendy. Isabelle’s kart symbol is an apple, representing one of the many fruits seen in Animal Crossing titles.
Animal Crossing Track
While the initial DLC pack contained 8 new tracks, only 1 of these areas is specifically associated with the Animal Crossing series. This course is named “Animal Crossing” and is appropriately the final track of the Crossing Cup. Players will race through a track inside a village that is based on the township style of New Leaf. Bells, the currency in Animal Crossing games, replace the regular Mario-style coins collected in other tracks. Popular villagers from the series, like Ruby and Marshal, will cheer on drivers from the sidelines. Notable NPC Mr. Resetti appears as a stage hazard; racers must avoid him as he bursts through the ground.
To coincide with the real-world time mechanics of the Animal Crossing series, the course has 4 different variants corresponding to the seasons. The track’s season will be randomized when it is selected. However, it is possible in offline play to change the season using one of the four trigger buttons on your controller: ZR (Winter), R (Summer), L (Spring), and ZL (Fall). Various covers of popular songs from Animal Crossing titles play when racing on the course and are contingent on which season is present. Canine maestro K.K. Slider will appear in different positions of the course depending on the season and belt out some of his famous tunes that correspond to his mood.
Heading to the Finish Line
Animal Crossing is one of the most lucrative brands that Nintendo has produced, especially with the groundbreaking success of 2020’s New Horizons. Characters from the series are bound to appear in other hit company titles, including Mario Kart. The two playable Kart characters, Villager and Isabelle, have both crossed over into other games, including Smash Bros. Nintendo is a huge company with locations worldwide, including American subsidiaries in Washington. It still churns out record-breaking games across multiple franchises. Can we expect more crossovers from some of these properties in Mario Kart onwards? As we race to the next Nintendo console, it remains to be seen what awaits us around the corner.
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