Mario Kart 8

One of only a small number of Donkey Kong-themed tracks in Mario Kart 8, DK Jungle is primarily based on Donkey Kong Country Returns, which was released on the Wii in 2010. It was a bit of a stretch to call DK Jungle a ‘retro track’ when Mario Kart 8 was first released in 2014, since its game of origin, Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS, had only been out three years at the time. Perhaps this is why, other than the usual graphical enhancements, it didn’t receive many changes between instalments.

Even so, this immersive course really feels like you’re going on a thrilling jungle expedition, with visuals pulled directly from Donkey Kong’s world. You will zoom through deep underbrush and past gorgeous waterfalls, race into an ancient stone temple, and then glide through an open canyon. Mud patches are to be avoided, but tree roots that have grown across the track can be Jump Boosted for extra speed.

You start the race in a thick jungle, then enter a clearing and bounce on a large, red flower to cross a chasm. These flowers, from the Donkey Kong Country series, replace the giant mushroom trampolines typically seen in Mario Kart, which is a neat touch. After all, we’re currently on Donkey Kong Island, not the Mushroom Kingdom. You land on a path near a lake and a roaring set of cascades. The track passes DK’s Tree House, over a wooden bridge, and into the Golden Temple. Inside this ancient temple, lit torches illuminate the Golden Banana, which the Kongs have been paying tribute to for many years.

There are several enemies in DK Jungle that you won’t have encountered on Mario Kart 8 tracks seen thus far. The first ones you’ll see, slowly wandering across the road, are Tiki Goons – bongo-shaped wooden creatures that first appeared in Donkey Kong Country Returns, which seem to have been inspired by Polynesian tiki iconography. They have striped skirts and red feathers sticking out of the sides of their heads. Several Tiki Goons are making a nuisance of themselves in DK Jungle, and avoiding all of them while trying to maintain a good racing line can be a challenge. Occasionally appearing in the background of the course in this section (and visible in the picture at the top of this article) is Tiki Pilot’s airship-like craft, also from Donkey Kong Country Returns.

DK Jungle has an adventurous, slightly exotic feel – it reminds me of a temple treasure hunt (in the vein of The Crystal Maze) mixed with a jungle safari. Large amphibians known as Frogoons hop across sections of the track, forcing you to dodge them. And during the latter portion of the race, you’ll glide past giant sentient stone totems called Screaming Pillars, whose screams generate gusts of wind that can slow you down.

Given that this is a Donkey Kong-themed track, it stands to reason that there would be DK Barrels on the road. Although Donkey Kong finds these barrels to be of great use in his own games, they’re not as helpful in Mario Kart, slowing and stopping any racer not using a Mushroom or Super Star to blast through them. However, they may contain Bananas, Mushrooms and even Stars, which are revealed by destroying the barrels with a Green Shell or by colliding with them at high speed.

Next time, as we begin the Star Cup, we’ll be travelling to Isle Delfino and racing around, under, and even through aeroplanes at Sunshine Airport.