Mario Kart 8

The Special Cup in the Mario Kart series always end in a Rainbow Road track, and Mario Kart 8 is no different. Like previous Rainbow Road courses, this one takes place in outer space – in this case, in low orbit with the Earth (or at least the Earth-like planet seen in Super Mario Odyssey) visible in the background. However, unlike its predecessors, which are essentially curved luminous pathways floating in space, this incarnation takes place on an engineered orbital raceway built around a massive space station, with multiple satellites floating around it. The bleachers, where the audience sits, are ensconced within what look like glass tubes, a separate floating part of the station. Thanks to the big holographic signs, camera drones, and cheering fans, this track really feels like a televised grand prix in space, with the planet as the backdrop – the grand finale, perhaps, of the event that started way back with Mario Kart Stadium.

The space station seems to belong to REXA – the Rainbow Exploration Agency, a space agency run by a team of Toad astronauts who travel across space, possibly in search of new Rainbow Roads for racers to drive on. Several Toads in spacesuits, who are presumably members of REXA, can be seen floating around near the start/finish line. Out-of-universe, REXA may be a reference to JAXA, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.

In what has become a Mario Kart tradition, many stretches of this iteration of Rainbow Road lack protective walls. The road itself, rather than being an endless cosmic ribbon as seen in previous versions, is made of enormous, curved solar panels covered in multicoloured, square tiles, which I think is a neat touch and ties in nicely with the technological and futuristic vibe of this track.

Well, that’s it for all of the new tracks that came with Mario Kart 8. A couple of DLC packs introduced some brand new tracks, and we’ll get to those in time, but first, we’ve still got another retro cup to cover – starting with Tick Tock Clock, a track that, yes, takes place inside a giant clock.