Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched shortly after the Nintendo Switch, bundling up the Wii U game with a few new extras just for Switch fans. The game has been well-loved for years, but an announcement of new content coming in the form of new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC race tracks came as a surprise to fans.
Although much of Nintendo's focus has been on Mario Kart Tour, the new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course DLC is bringing a tremendous number of tracks from older Mario Kart games over to the newest main series release. However, now that the first of those tracks have been released, some fans are rushing to social media to complain about one particular issue: the grass.
For most Mario Kart players, the grass is likely something that's simply avoided and sped past without much additional thought. However, fans have been quick to point out some issues with the way that the grass looks in the new release. Players point out that the grass looks flat and lifeless in comparison to the original tracks that launched with the game. In addition, some of the refined details of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's base tracks haven't been included with the DLC, making roads and reflections look flatter and less dynamic than their counterparts.
It's a bit surprising that the grass doesn't look identical to that which was already included in the base game. Some have speculated that some of the maps are being directly ported from Mario Kart Tour, which may explain the simplified appearance. It could even be a mistake or oversight, which may see it amended later on, like recent visual problems in Ocarina of Time being fixed up with patches.
Of course, other Nintendo fans and gamers in general were quick to come to Nintendo's defense. They point out that for the amount of content being delivered, the cost of $24.99 for the DLC is extremely affordable, effectively doubling the number of tracks in the game. Grass not looking quite right seems like a minor offense with this taken into consideration. Additionally, while the Nintendo Switch has certainly produced some stunning visuals over the years, the last several Nintendo consoles haven't been intended to compete visually with the superior processing and GPU power of Sony and Microsoft's systems.
While some may be displeased with this development, it's a good sign that the biggest complaint right now for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe's DLC is the appearance of the grass. So long as the gameplay and system performance remain consistent overall, chances are most fans will be satisfied.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is available now on Nintendo Switch.