A fan-favorite dinosaur is joiningMario Kart 8 Deluxeand bringing some style. Players owning the Booster Course Pass will be able to play as Birdo in the now-released Wave 4 update of this racing game’s massive expansion.
First joining theMario Kartcast in the GameCubeDouble Dashtitle as Yoshi’s partner, Birdo returned inMario Kart Wiias a standalone racer, but wasoddly absent from the Wii U’sMario Kart 8roster. The injustice has finally been corrected in Wave 4 ofMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Booster Course Pass DLC, which not only brings back the egg-spewing dino, but spruces her up with a fresh coat of paint. In fact, she now comes with 9 coats!
A Practical Pack of Prehistoric Pride
Once players have downloadedMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s Wave 4 update with the Booster Course Pass active on their Nintendo account, they’ll be able to find Birdo in the top-right corner of the character selection screen. She is only the first ofsixMario Kartalumni that will returnto the roster this year, but while the wait on the identities of those mystery racers, Birdo comes with enough customizability to shake up the landscape herself.
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Selecting Birdo from this screen brings up a submenu, displaying the nine options for how she will appear in the race. In order, the available colors are:
Yoshi and Shy Guy mains will no doubt recognize this color selection menu, as those characters gained the same color-select option beginning in theMario Kart 8DLC for Wii U. It seems only appropriate that the racer who debuted as Yoshi’s tag-team partner would go on to gain the same palette-swapping ability that makes the dinosaur that much more charming.
TheYoshi comparisonsare not only skin-deep, as a cursory glance will show that Birdo has identical stats to Mario’s trusty steed. Players used to racing as the game’s middleweight drivers should find steering as Birdo remarkably familiar, making it no trouble at all to swap between the dinos as a preference pick.
Accessing the Booster Course Pass
As Birdo is a character added by theMario Kart 8Booster Course Pass, players will not be able to race as her without the DLC installed.
Nintendo additionally sells Family Membership plans for the Expansion Pack, allowing buyers to grant up to 7 other Nintendo Switch users thefull benefits of the Expansion Pack, including the Booster Course Pass. Friend groups itching to flood the tracks with a rainbow of Birdos may find that pooling funds for a single $79.99 plan comes out to be more affordable than each buying the Expansion Pack.
Subscribing to the baseline Nintendo Switch Online servicedo not grant players access to the Booster Course Pass. Players currently using this version of Nintendo Switch Online must either upgrade their service to add the Expansion Pack, or purchase the Booster Course Pass from the eShop to access the characters and courses added in the DLC.
