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Isabella Remedios's review of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Date last edited: 05-30-2024 at 09:01PM
Rating: Everyone
Review: Isabella Remedios Title: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Developer/Publisher: Nintendo Genre: Racing ESRB rating: E for Everyone My Rating: 5 out of 5 Primary Audience: Children and teens Year of Release: 2017 Platform: Nintendo Switch
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is the 2017 version of the Mario Kart franchise, which originally started as the game Super Mario Kart in 1992. The concept of the game is very simple: the user chooses a character and a vehicle and aims to get from a start line to a finish line faster than everyone else playing. Whoever makes it to the finish line first wins. Each race incorporates three laps and is part of a group of four races total called a cup or prix. Over 40 characters and vehicles can be chosen along with 96 different racetracks. The game has received high reception from players and won the 21st Annual D.I.C.E Award for Racing Game of the Year in 2018. With stunning visuals and enhanced gameplay, the game earns its name as the “deluxe” version of its predecessor Mario Kart 8, which was released in 2014.
The First Media Key: Balance When considering balance, it is appropriate to ask the questions: “Who is the target audience of the media? Is the media appropriate for its target audience?” (Gan, 32). In the case of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it’s everyone! Because of the simple premise and lack of gore and violence displayed, the game is perfect to play with kids, friends, coworkers, family, etc., bringing people from all backgrounds together. The only part of the game that could be considered destructive is how you can prevent other players from beating you or getting past you. This is done by throwing objects at them that you may acquire from item boxes lined up on the track. Doing so is not a serious offense, but rather a comical one. This is because these items are generally playful images such as banana peels and shells, and when other players drive over them, they swivel off the track while emitting a humorous wobbling sound and yell. The player’s character is not injured or killed in any way and has the option to start driving again with the hope of catching up.
The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness “The second media key is really as much about recognizing the positive attitudes underlying media as it is about recognizing the negative attitudes” (Gan, 44). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe exhibits a positive attitude in gameplay and encourages people to engage in fun and fellowship. When playing the game, even after one player has won the race, the race does not end until the other three also cross the finish line, incorporating the concept of “no man left behind.” When each race ends, the game plays celebratory music and offers the option of watching highlight reels, where each player's best moves in that race are recapped and shown, disregarding what place they ended with. While the game can definitely be competitive, it often brings about a playful and positive attitude awareness amongst players, making the game fun even if you are not the most talented at playing it.
The Third Media Key: Dignity of the Human Person Media that exemplifies the dignity of the human person “should promote understanding of the human person and human communities.” Mario Kart 8 Deluxe promotes the formation of both the individual and the community. It allows for fun and fellowship to occur while racing and for the individual to strive for success and improvement. Not only does the individual strive for success, but he/she can also add a bit of his/her personality into the customization of his/her racing avatar by picking a character ranging from original ones like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Toad, to newer additions of characters from other video games such as Splatoon, Legend of Zelda, and Animal Crossing. Even if a player does not have other people to play with them physically, they have the option of racing against AI characters so they are never truly alone.
The Fourth Media Key: Truth-Filled As humans, there are truth-filled statements that define us such as: “We are made in the image and likeness of God. We are both body and soul” (Gan, 69). Thus, we naturally desire leisure. We are not robots, and while work is important, we cannot do it constantly. Even God rested on the seventh day after he worked to create the universe. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is meant to be played leisurely and for its players to have fun. One aspect of the fun in the game is the fantastical racetracks portrayed. From over ninety to choose from, the game provides a multitude of settings to avoid monotonous gameplay. Each racetrack is colorful, visually stimulating, and creative, with specific details such as hidden shortcuts and personalized mini bosses/obstacles.
The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring Media that is inspiring can “directly or indirectly give us instructions for the journey, showing or telling us the steps we need to take to move forward” (Gan, 86). In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, players are encouraged to work on improvement and try again, even when losing or having lost. In each race, even if you fall behind in one lap, you have the chance to catch up in the next two. The same logic applies to each cup/prix; even if you lose one race, you can improve and gain the chance to win one or more of the other three races. Additionally, utilizing the item boxes comes into play. Generally, the game will grant players who are more behind than others better items such as the Super Star and Bullet Bill, both of which have the primary use of increased speed. The game causes players to desire to persevere through struggle, a theme that is very important in real daily journey of our lives.
The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed When considering what media is skillfully developed, it is appropriate to ask the question: “What kinds of engaging, rich media content… are integrated” (Gan, 112)? Mario Kart 8 Deluxe already shows to be skillfully developed because it is the improved version of Mario Kart 8, but it also shows much progress from the first Mario Kart game back in 1992, Super Mario Kart. No longer in the days of 16-bit or polygonal graphics, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is applauded for having the best graphics yet for the Mario Kart franchise with superior lighting, texture, and color diversity. The smooth animation correlates with the sleek and minimalist controls of the Nintendo Switch, putting to rest the days of huge clunky controllers. Finally, the game can relive the classic premise of Super Mario Kart but with even more races, characters, and vehicles, leading to almost endless combinations of fun.
The Seventh Media Key: Motivated by and Relevant to Experience Media that is motivated by and relevant to experience should “create a sensory experience… in order to move our emotions, shape our thoughts, and inspire us to action” (Gan, 117). Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does these things by bringing out aspects of our fundamental human nature: the desire for ultimate success and childlike wonder and innocence. People play the game because they desire to win, to succeed, which works the same way in real life regarding people’s personal goals and aspirations. People also play the game because it brings out a childlike side of themselves with cartoons, happy music, and exploration of unknown maps and tracks. While the game is made for children, adults can have just as much fun because of the fellowship and nostalgia but also the lightheartedness that is not frequent in secular modern society. Sometimes it is okay to get a break from the terribleness of the world; spending time doing something positive can give us the strength and energy to then rise up against and face evil.
Ultimately, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is an extremely fun game with great graphics, gameplay, and diversity in customization. It remains one of the best of the Mario Kart franchise so far but still hits the jackpot on the classic premise by keeping the standard race format (get from start to finish) and including original content such as Mario, Luigi, and others being character options and Rainbow Road, Toad’s Turnpike, etc. being race options. The game, which is open to all ages, enhances self-improvement along with fellowship and acts as a great way to get together with others and momentarily share in the acts of joy and leisure.