Tips and tricks for mario kart tour
Use deluxe’s training wheels if you need them
In addition to tilt controls, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe introduces two new mechanics intended to ease newcomers into the fray: smart steering and auto acceleration. You can check to see if these settings are enabled by pressing the + button while choosing a kart before a match or by pausing in the middle of a race.
Smart steering will not let you drive off of the track, even if you try your hardest. Think of it like a smart car steering system and an invisible bumper (like kiddie bowling lanes) at the same time. You can see the effect by way of a vibrating antenna that comes out of your kart. As a downside, you cannot use the new level of boost when smart steering is on. It should get you through lower difficulties against CPUs just fine, but its efficacy against other more experienced players is another matter.
Memorize double item box locations
As we noted above, Mario Kart 8 introduces double item boxes and double item slots for all modes. The placement of these boxes is deliberate, but you may not want to go for them every time.
Take Wild Woods for example. On the second set of item boxes, the third box over will always be a double item box. It’s advantageous to go for them if you can, as two items are clearly better than one. However, if there’s a large crowd of opponents around you (especially at the start of a race), you can bet that they’ll all be fighting over it.
Sometimes aiming for the side that’s on the opposite side of the double item box will ensure that you don’t get a box snatched from you at the most inopportune moment.
Hit your stunt boosts on every ramp
The R button isn’t just for drifting, as it can trigger stunt boosts roughly every 10 seconds on any given track. The easiest locations to enact stunt boosts are ramps, whether they’re short ones marked with a caret symbol (^) or obvious ramps that are glowing and allow your kart to sprout wings.
You don’t need to have the timing down perfectly. Just press R right before you leap off of an edge, and you’ll get a small boost. It’s obvious when it happens — your character will turn and face the camera, the controller will rumble and you’ll get a sound effect.
We can’t stress enough how often you can and should use this ability. Even if it’s the tiniest ramp or the smallest ledge, try pressing R to see if it triggers a stunt boost. Make a mental note of it, and repeat it every run. It seems tedious at first, but it’ll soon be second nature.
Aim for the shortcuts if you can hit them consistently
Unlike many other entries in the series, Mario Kart shortcuts are generally more nuanced. Most of them won’t outright win you the race, but will shave several seconds off your run in each instance, saving you precious time in a heated competition or in a time trial.
A perfect example is the last corner in Cloudtop Cruise, right before the finish line. You could take the bend all the way around, or hop right onto the two giant leaves (with a stunt boost, of course). Another common shortcut is to use a boost item to shoot past a gravel off-track area that would normally slow you down. Typically this design is found in more traditional racetrack courses like Mario Kart Stadium, so save your mushrooms or stars (or burn off items if you’re in first place to get them) for these bends.
Just like anything in Mario Kart, ramming your kart against the wall to try and nail a shortcut in a versus environment isn’t the best way to spend your time. Practice each individual track on your own, and build it into your memory.
The only major unlock is gold mario
Veterans will be pleased to hear that, outside of collecting coins to unlock a handful of vehicle parts, there’s only one primary unlock — Gold Mario. As another take on Metal Mario, you'll need to clear every 200cc difficulty cup in the game to unlock him.
You’ll need to score a gold medal (win) in all 12 cups, which includes all of the original and DLC cups. If you’re up for the challenge, select Grand Prix mode, then 200cc and any character you want.
To clear 200cc (the fastest speed setting in the game), you’ll need to actually use the brake, which you’ll likely never use anywhere else. It can get really frustrating if you don’t practice that simple concept. If you don’t pop it consistently, you can fall off a cliff and doom your entire run.
A lot of patience is required for a full 200cc cup clear, but the tips below should help you cruise your way past the challenge.
