Mario Kart 8

Welcome to the Electrodrome, an ultra-futuristic, neon-lit stadium-turned-nightclub filled with giant mirrorballs, pulsing speakers, and dancing Shy Guys. There are even headbanging techno Piranha Plants… because why not? The course’s English name comes from ‘electro’, a genre of music, and the suffix ‘-drome’, meaning ‘race course’. It is, in fact, the only race track seen in the Mario Kart series thus far to have a one-word English name.

This whole track is essentially a giant, shiny discotheque made up of huge piano keyboards and buttons, supported by heavy, throbbing EDM beats that go hand in hand with the visuals. Everything here seems exciting and high-energy. You can skate across a tiled dancefloor or race along a jet black wall, the surface of which lights up to reveal a rainbow trail in each kart’s wake. Large screens throughout the track show videos of classic Mario enemies dancing and enjoying themselves, along with a silhouette of Larry Koopa (one of the seven Koopalings) as a disc jockey. It seems likely that Electrodrome is owned and/or run by the Koopalings. Not only is Larry the DJ, but Roy also provides the sound equipment, and the whole group is shown racing on the track together in the credits.

Players can contribute to the soundtrack by driving over specific objects on the course, making it one of the most interactive tracks in the game. Driving on the parts of the course representing electronic instruments causes effects to be added to the music, and, when racing through areas that feature a crowd of dancing Koopas and Shy Guys, hand claps (as well as the Shy Guys’ voices) become audible. With shiny distractions at every turn, navigating the flashy sights and sounds can become difficult.

Next time, we head to the snowy summit of Mount Wario, ready for one long downhill race.