Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is back in the news cycle recently. The Booster Course Pass is inserting even more content into an already gigantic game. It’s been a long time since the original Mario Kart 8 came out in 2014, so it’s strange to see it still getting support. It might be good to brush up on the basics.
Coins were an integral mechanic in the original Super Mario Kart. But they took a long sabbatical from the franchise afterward. They only reappeared in Mario Kart 7 before they showed up in 8. So players returning for the Switch hit Deluxe may need a refresher on what they can do.
Players Collecting Coins Get Small Speed Boosts
Coins litter the different tracks in the game and can be picked up by driving into them. But Mario Kart 8 Deluxe players can also get them from Item Boxes, where they can also collect Mario Kart‘s best weapons. Whenever players pick up these coins, there’s a minor effect – players will get a tiny speed boost.
This speed boost is so minor it’s hard to notice at first. But it’s easier to notice when collecting several coins at once. Coins placed in a line or coins dropped by hit players are good for this. Utilizing these boosts can make all the difference in a race.
Players Collecting Ten Coins Gives A New Top Speed
Collecting coins isn’t just good for speed boosts. Each coin increases the speed of the player’s kart. It’s a small percentage, but it adds up over time. This is why the game penalizes players with coin reductions.
The effect essentially gives players a new top speed. It caps out at ten coins, meaning players should always try to have ten or close to ten at all times. They can still collect coins for small speed boosts, but the top speed won’t change from that point on. Players should focus on holding onto what they have.
Players Can Follow The Coins As A Guide
Not every Coin use is so obvious. Nintendo’s expert Mario Kart track design incorporates coins in subtle ways. Coins aren’t only picked up from item boxes after all. Coins placed on the track can highlight the curve of the track.
If it’s the player’s first time on a track, following the coins can be helpful. Coins are often placed in a line along the track’s middle. This helps players stay on track. Coins can also highlight secret paths and shortcuts.
Players Can Play The Coin Runners Battle Mode
Mario Kart has always had a battle mode that allowed players to use the items on each other without racing. While barebones in the original 8, Deluxe offers a plethora of modes to battle in. One of these modes is Coin Runners, where players must collect as many coins as they can. The maximum amount of coins is lifted so they can collect more than ten.
Coin Runners was introduced in Mario Kart Wii. The goal is simply to collect the most coins within the time limit. That’s easier said than done as the maps are tiny and the leader is always broadcast to the other players. Coins also feature in these other battle modes, but never as prominently as here.
Players Can Collect Coins, Rupees, Bells, and Cash In Bulk
Players are bound to collect hundreds of coins over their playtime. They’ll still collect them even after they’ve reached the max limit of ten. The coins don’t simply disappear every coin collected by a player in a finished race gets added to a stockpile on the stats screen.
Additionally, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe features a selection of guest characters and currencies from other games. The currencies from Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Splatoon all appear in place of coins. Despite not being coins, players can pick these up for the same effects as coins. And it’s good to collect as many as possible.
Players Can Get More Coins In First Place
This is a more passive feature of Coins, but it’s one every player should be aware of. Mario Kart has an AI that balances item distribution to be fairer. This prevents powerful items like bullet bills and blue shells from going to people who need them. That means better players will receive weaker items and first place players will get more coins from Item Boxes.
This doesn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing, though. Players can use coin items to recover from attacks first or manage their coin count so coins have more of an effect while in first place. There’s plenty of ways to play Mario Kart strategically that most don’t know.
Players Can Collect Coins To Unlock Karts and More
All those coins sitting in the stats screen aren’t just for show. Coins don’t just have uses while on the racetrack. Hitting milestones of coin counts will unlock parts for your car. Other players collecting them in offline multiplayer also count toward these milestones.
This is how you unlock the different customizable parts of Karts. While most drivers are unlocked from the get-go, the game’s karts are modular with three component pieces. These are the frame (physical stats), the wheels (friction and speed stats), and the glider (aerodynamic stats). It’s important to collect as many coins as possible to unlock as many combinations as possible and find the one that’s right for every player’s play style.
