Some of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s mechanics include characters that have various sizes and weights as well as different items that have different abilities that the player can pick up and receive at random. These two mechanics result in the dynamic of targeting, attacking, and dodging other players (rather than focusing on being a good driver). For instance, Bowser is a heavy weight character; if you bump into another driver as Bowser, especially a lightweight driver like Baby Mario, you might be able to knock them into a wall to slow them down, or even knock them off the map entirely. But if Baby Mario is able to dodge Bowser’s bump, then Bowser might pay the consequence of going off course. Items are also a great way to attack players and slow them down. Red shells, for example, can be thrown to automatically target and hit the player in front of you. However, they can also be blocked by holding a Banana or Shell behind you. These mechanics transform the game into this cycle of hoping you’ll get an item to attack players or block attacks, in order to get ahead or get revenge for a previous attack. This dynamic “makes the fun” of challenge and competition for me. The challenge is trying to be accurate with my attacks and blocks while also driving well enough to get 1st place. There’s also a huge sense of competition because the goal of attacking other players is to reach that 1st place spot and win the cup.
