In the slew of announcements from the February 8th Nintendo Direct, one of the most surprising was Birdo’s return as a playable racer in the Mario Kart series. Before word came of Birdo’s inclusion in Wave 4 of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass, the general impression that was any downloadable content for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe would be additional courses, nothing more. The announcement during the Direct didn’t specify if Birdo would be the only returning racer or if there would be even more coming down the track in the future, but viewers were feeling hopeful. Now, however, Nintendo has quietly confirmed, via a press release, that “returning characters from the Mario Kart series will be added in future waves.”
With more racers confirmed to be returninging, speculation can shift to exactly which racers will show up in future Booster Course Pass waves. Between the main Mario Kart series and Mario Kart Tour, there are still 16 characters that could be making an appearance, not including the various alternate versions and costumes some racers have in Mario Kart Tour:
The following racers have previously appeared in a mainline Mario Kart game, some have also appeared in Mario Kart Tour:
- Diddy Kong (Latest non-Tour appearance: Mario Kart Wii(Wii))
- Donkey Kong Jr. (Latest non-Tour appearance: Super Mario Kart (SNES))
- Funky Kong (Latest non-Tour appearance: Mario Kart Wii (Wii))
- Honey Queen (Latest appearance: Mario Kart 7 (3DS))
- Koopa Paratroopa (Latest appearance: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube))
- Petey Piranha (Latest non-Tour appearance: Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GameCube))
- R.O.B. (Latest appearance: Mario Kart DS (DS))
- Wiggler (Latest appearance: Mario Kart 7 (3DS))
The following racers have only appeared in Mario Kart Tour:
- Chargin’ Chuck
- Dixie Kong
- Hammer Bro
- Kamek
- King Bob-Omb
- Monty Mole
- Nabbit
- Pauline
It’s anyone guess which other racers will be joining Birdo in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass at this point, as a strong case could be made for just about anyone on the above lists, though my biggest hopes, personally, are Donkey Kong Jr., Koopa Paratroopa, R.O.B., and King Bob-Omb.
Written by Jaxson Tapp
As a lover of gaming and the written word, Jaxson currently fills his time not only with playing games, but also writing about them. Ready for anything, Jaxson’s passion for puzzle games, JRPGs, tough platformers, and whimsical indies helps him bring a well-rounded opinion to Nintendo Wire’s reporting.
