The fourth of six waves of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass was released on the Nintendo Switch on March 9. The wave marked the debut of eight new tracks for racers and a new character, Birdo. This is the first character to be added to the game during a Booster Pass wave, potentially opening the door for other characters to be added during the last two waves. Here is a review of all eight new races that were released.

Amsterdam Drift (Tour): 3.5 out of 5 stars

The first race of the Booster Pass is from Mario Kart Tour and takes racers through the city of Amsterdam. It is a solid course, with a fun city vibe that separates itself from other city-based tracks with the tulip field that is incredibly beautiful. Furthermore, it is fun to drive through the water part of Amsterdam, which is known for its canals. However, the hardest part of the race is trying to navigate the twists and turns of the turbulent roads in the heart of the city.

Riverside Park (GBA): 3.75 out of 5 stars

Hailing from Mario Kart: Super Circuit on the Game Boy Advance, Riverside Park is the perfect example of a simple track executed well. From the luscious waterfall to the moving piranha plant obstacles, this race has a lot of fun features to offer with its forest aesthetic. The actual track is a little too simple and lacks the complexity to challenge racers, holding the course back from perfection.

DK Summit (Wii): 4.25 out of 5 stars

From the shy guys skiing across the track to the cannon that launches racers onto the slope, DK Summit is pure dangerous fun. The highlights of the race include bouncing across the moguls and trying not to fall off the steep cliffs of DK Summit. With fun shortcuts to discover as well, DK Summit is a near-perfect race that is an excellent port of a Wii race to the Nintendo Switch.

Yoshi’s Island: 4.75 out of 5 stars

The best race of this wave of the Booster Pass also happens to be the only original race on the track not based on any previous Mario Kart games. Yoshi’s Island has an epic volcano that players can race over and an awesome feature where hitting a small question mark cloud opens up a special shortcut. Furthermore, the shy guys on stilts make for an original enemy that ties the whole track together.

Bangkok Rush (Tour): 3 out of 5 stars

The first Mario Kart Tour race in this wave is Bangkok Rush, a track that has a mediocre first two laps but an excellent third lap that saves the track from being a complete failure. Laps one and two are ultimately forgettable and needlessly tricky to navigate, creating a frustrating driving experience. However, the final lap has an awesome sequence where racers drive up a parking garage and then bounce across tents to make for a memorable end to the course.

Mario Circuit (DS): 2.75 out of 5 stars

Like almost every other Mario Circuit or equivalent course, Mario Circuit from the DS is a basic and uninspired map. It has a cool and goofy wiggler that helps to keep the map from getting too boring, but the track is really just a circle. Mario Circuit is a run-of-the-mill course but is far from the worst race in the game.

Waluigi Stadium (GCN): 2.5 out of 5 stars

The lowest-rated track from this Booster Pass is Waluigi Stadium from Mario Kart: Double Dash. The track has a strong technical design, as the turns, jumps and boosts are all well thought out and create a fun driving experience. However, this course is rated so poorly because the visual design fails horribly, with the course looking oily and unrealistic in the worst way possible. It feels as though they tried to make the course look HD but failed, resulting in a shiny clunky aesthetic.

Singapore Speedway (Tour): 3.25 out of 5 stars

The fourth and final track from Mario Kart Tour on this Booster Pass is Singapore Speedway, which suffers from being a little repetitive of Amsterdam Drift and Bangkok Rush. Like all city-based tracks, each lap is different, making the course hard to learn and not as fun as other tracks that have a calming repetition to their rhythm. However, players can use rings in the air to extend their flights, saving the race and adding another layer of fun to the game.