Do you remember those hours spent speeding around the lush Yoshi Island in Mario Kart: Double Dash wrecking — or, on the other hand, being subjected to — havoc as you go? Well, Nintendo has an announcement just for you, after the company confirmed plans to bring back the much-loved circuit for the maiden DLC of Mario Kart 8.
Due for release next month, the beefy add-on will be priced at $8 and brings with it three new playable characters in Link, Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach, four all-new vehicles (which you can glimpse in the above trailer) and, finally, eight spanking new tracks.
At this stage, we’ve learned details for half of those circuits, with Wario’s Gold Mine, F-Zero and ExciteBike-themed stages, and of course, Yoshi Circuit all already in the public ether. Of course, long-time fans of The Big N’s racer will know that this isn’t the first instance when the dinosaur-themed track got a makeover, after it was revamped for Mario Kart DS in 2005.
First appearing in the aforementioned Double Dash all the way back in 2003, Yoshi Circuit is one of the most beloved tracks in the series — after all, Nintendo wouldn’t give it a makeover twice for no reason. And while this upcoming add-on is Mario Kart 8’s first fully-fledged DLC, the company introduced Mercedes Benz vehicles back in August.
Looking ahead to the future of Mario Kart 8, we understand that Nintendo plans to introduce an Animal Crossing-themed DLC in the early stages of 2015. We’re holding out hope for a K.K. Slider cameo in the mascot racer replete with a straw hat and his ever-trusty guitar.