Wave 4 of the Booster Course Pass for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe marks a significant turning point in the expansion's content. Not only did it introduce a visual upgrade that made the graphics more captivating, but it also introduced several exciting features beyond just new tracks. One of the most notable additions to Wave 4 is the introduction of a new character known as Birdo. Similar to Yoshi, Birdo comes with multiple color choices, adding diversity to the character roster.

The track selection in Wave 4 is nothing short of exhilarating. Amsterdam Drift from Tour takes you on a scenic journey through the Dutch capital, offering a delightful racing experience. Riverside Park from the GBA receives a remarkable makeover in both Mario Kart Tour and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The jungle setting comes to life with enhanced visuals, more obstacles, enemies, and exciting tricks to perform. DK Snowboard Cross from Mario Kart Wii, a fan favorite, joins the roster. Interestingly, despite having a similar layout to DK Mountain, it earns a spot in the Booster Course Pass.

Yoshi's Island stands out as a true gem in Wave 4, thanks to its unique layout, distinctive Yoshi's Island projectiles and spectators, and the addition of creative sound effects that make the course feel vibrant and dynamic. On the other hand, DS Mario Circuit may be considered a less exciting choice by some, as it is regarded as a D-tier track that perhaps could have been replaced with other options like Airship Fortress or Delfino Square, especially considering the absence of Luigi's Mansion from Wave 1.

Waluigi Stadium, a track that many expected to see in Wave 6, takes the spotlight in Wave 4. It receives a massive graphical overhaul and an injection of amusement with anti-gravity and glide sections. The rearrangement of Waluigi Stadium in Mario Kart 8 is nothing short of phenomenal, making it my favorite in this wave.

Gameplay: 9
Track Choices: 8
Graphics: 9

Wave 4 Score: 8.6/10

Seeing as there are 3 city courses and not a lot of crazy favorites, I went into this pass expecting it to be the mid to end all mid. Surprisingly I think this was the most solid wave so far out of the entire course pass. Why the hell can't the other city courses be designed like the 3 in this wave??? The music was also really good this time around, and yoshis island looks like it would belong in the actual base game which while kinda sad that that's an improvement, It definitely shows they are trying a bit more this time around. They yassified waluigi stadium and mario circuit was kinda eh. No dingers or tracks done dirty though, which makes this the strongest wave so far IMO.

Amsterdam Drift: I loved this one, especially since large parts of it doesn't even take place in the usual "city" areas, making it stand out from city tracks. Lap 2 is a bit dull though. 8.5/10

Riverside Park: The glow up is real, but I still think the track isn't amazing. The second half is better, especially jumping through the waterfall. 6.5/10

DK Summit: Not as good or long as I remember, still fun. 7/10

Yoshi's Island: So many easter eggs and love poured in to this track. I do think they could have done just a liiittle more with the track itself since most of the theming is background elements. 9/10

Bangkok Rush: First 2 laps are pretty plain, other than the ability to go on top of the railways at some parts. Lap 3 is a banger. 7/10

DS Mario Circuit: Turning the mid-section of the track into a forest helped a lot, but it's still just a circuit track. 6/10

Waluigi Stadium: They went hard on the dirt bike track aesthetic on this one. A shame they made the Pirahna Plant section way easier. 8/10

Singapore Speedway: Lots of variety, great visuals. Maybe a bit too many generic parts though. 8/10

Getting new characters is exciting, but admittedly I'm not a huge fan of Birdo.

Amsterdam Drift - banger Tour track; is it me or are these looking a lot better compared to the first wave? the track layout and set pieces were great on this one, i absolutely loved blasting into the flower fields :3

Riverside Park - that funky little instrument Nintendo likes to occasionally use is back and it works perfectly for this track! such a beautiful and well done remake, especially for a GBA track

DK Summit - the return of another cult classic ! it would’ve been cool to see this remade in the style of Wario Summit (i forget it’s name lol), but it’s probably for the best that it’s remade faithfully here :p it probably would be quite boring to have two snowy summit courses, both without repeating laps lol

Yoshi’s Island - now this is fucking GOOD. like fucking AMAZING. it almost feels criminal for this to be part of a DLC and not in a main Mario Kart lmao. the changed music, coins, little fucking cloud thing at the end, this track is absolutely amazing and charming from every little aspect of it. this is a REALLY fuckinf good track like holy ahit i’m actually blown away

Bangkok Rush - another great Tour track; it honestly kind of sucks these are named after real world locations since it kind of takes the umph out of them in my opinion. still really fun with really great set pieces either way.

Mario Circuit - probably the most lackluster of this entire wave, which is a real shame. it’s still good though! it would’ve been cool to see them give it some antigravity sections like they did in the base game, but oh well.

Waluigi Stadium - is it me or does the dirt texture look off in this one? it looks like me fucking around with free textures i downloaded online while messing with my Blender scene and just going “fuck it that’s good enough.” besides that the track itself is fine, i just prefer Wario Stadium personally.

Singapore Speedway - another banger tour track with some boppin music. nothing really to say about this one, just great all around

wow this one was even fucking better than the last! this is absolutely so close to a 4, but i can’t quite give a DLC that’s just adding tracks a 4. i absolutely love Nintendo when they display Yoshi’s Island level of creativity and fun. a great booster wave all around :)

They just keep getting better and better, my goodness. While we do end up getting 3 city tracks this wave, at least they’re all fun, and Singapore Speedway in particular is fantastic! Speaking of fantastic, Yoshi’s Island is probably the best course of not only this wave, but maybe the entire DLC with maybe the exception of 3DS Rainbow Road. It’s so incredibly faithful to the game it’s based on, and the custom sound effects and stylized visuals are just the cherry on top. On that subject, the visuals this wave are probably the best out of any wave so far, even including Wave 5. I don’t think there’s a single bad looking track this wave. They’re all pretty good looking, even the weakest looking ones like Mario Circuit DS. On the complete opposite side of the spectrum, you have tracks like Waluigi Stadium, which is insane to think that it comes from the same DLC that gave us Toad Circuit. Of course, the other tracks like DK Summit and Riverside Park are both fun as well, and all tracks this wave have fantastic music as per usual. The cherry on top of this whole thing is that with this wave, we are getting new characters on top of the promised 48 courses, starting with Birdo, who fits right into the existing roster like a glove! It’s so great to see each wave get better and better! I sure hope this streak of improvement isn’t broken by the inclusion of a track that completely ignores the gimmick which made said track special in the first place!

Wave 4 is probably my favorite so far. The Tour tracks they added like Singapore Speedway are all great, and it was nice to see DK Summit back with a Donkey Kong snowboard statue this time. Waluigi Stadium and Riverside Park are alright, but Yoshi's Island was the standout track out of the selection

I get this is more of a complaint, but I'm not really a fan of most of the new remixes featured in the retro tracks so far. I'm not saying all MK8 remixes are bad, but it’s doesn't give me that same energy the original games had

Besides that, I enjoyed my time with Wave 4. It's nice to see that Birdo was added to the roster, and I'm interested to see what the last two waves have to offer when they release