So we’ve been playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch throughout the pandemic. It’s a bit of a ritual now to gather in front of the TV to have a multiplayer race in Mario Kart 8 during weekends. I provide a bit of running commentary ala an F1 announcer for the benefit of my eldest daughter, who is blind.
In terms of accessibility, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the more accessible racing games out there, providing both auto acceleration and auto steering; useful features for blind gamers and younger children who are probably not so used to controllers, like my youngest daughter. My girls have turned into such huge fans of the game that I intend to suprise them with a Hot Wheels Mario Kart Circuit Lite Set this Christmas.
But despite having played Mario Kart 8 for some time, we just realized yesterday that we actually missed a single Cup in the game, the Star Cup to be exact. For those who are familiar with the game, each Cup has 4 race tracks each. My eldest daughter has a very good sense of the music for each race track (and she uses that knowledge to identify them), so when I started up the first couple of tracks Sunshine Airport and Dolphin Shoals, she asked whether was this a new Cup?
I’m guessing the main reason why we’ve always not played Star Cup was due to my own experience with the first track, Sunshine Airport. The first time I played it, it put me to sleep, and I myself have not completed the Cup. But once we got past that track, the rest of the tracks are some of the more innovative, if not more challenging tracks available in the game. Dolphin Shoals had a very impressive gigantic eel and the track was so tough I only managed to finish 5th.
And the last track in the Star Cup, Mount Wario has such strong SSX 3 vibes, where you are dropped off at the peak of the mountain before making your way to the finish line at foot of the mountain. It’s sheer brilliance and totally exhilarating. If you’ve not checked out Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch, or simply looking for something that’s accessible for blind players, you can get it over at Amazon or Playasia.
