'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe' Beginner's Guide: Basic Tips to Boost Speed
Players new to the "Mario Kart" series will find a game that's easy to play but incredibly hard to master in "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe." The new arcade racing game for Nintendo Switch brings back everyone's favorite Nintendo characters in a hectic, unpredictable dash to the finish line.
The Basics: Karts, Characters and Controls
Racers need to choose a character and a kart before starting a race, and even veterans of "Mario Kart 8" will need to note a few changes at this stage. Players can choose any character they like. Unlike previous versions, the choice of character doesn't have as much an effect on how the kart performs in the race proper.
According to iDigital Times, it's the kart parts that mostly affects how the players handle the kart in "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe." The chosen kart body, wheels, and glider affect the vehicle's acceleration, speed, weight, handling, and traction.
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The same control scheme is carried over from "Mario Kart 8." The A button accelerates, and the B button turns on the brakes, which is vital to handling sharp corners. The R button is used to drift on turns and navigate turns without losing speed.
Items are grabbed simply by driving through question mark boxes, and two items can be held at once. The L button launches an item one at a time.
Getting Ahead
The difference between leading the pack and racing to catch up often comes down to a racer's familiarity with the course. Each track has set locations for item boxes, shortcuts, and boost ramps, and some of them can be easily overlooked. Players should be observant and should feel free to explore possible time-saving detours.
The R button is also used to trigger stunt boosts every now and then on a track. Players can recognize them as ramps that glow, and pressing R while running on them gives a small speed boost, as explained by Polygon.
Other tricks to gain speed is to collect up to ten coins. Not only do they unlock goodies, every coin also gives a small speed boost, as long as a player doesn't lose them from a collision. Following a kart ahead also gives a small slipstream boost that could be enough to mount a comeback.
