Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Trailer Introduces New Battle Modes, Shows Donkey Kong Dabbing

Nintendo has released a new Mario Kart 8 Deluxe trailer, highlighting the game's new battle modes--and showing Donkey Kong pulling off a sick dab.

The video, which you can watch below, also showcases the game's extensive roster of 48 tracks and "over 40 racers." That includes all Mario Kart 8's DLC tracks and characters, plus new drivers King Boo, Dry Bones, Bowser Jr, and both Inkling Boy and Inkling Girl from Splatoon.

Check out that dab from the big gorilla at 2:44.

Featured heavily in the overview is the revamped Battle Mode. The less racing-focused, more smashing-focused way of playing was criticized in Mario Kart 8's original release, but Nintendo has overhauled it and introduced a multitude of options for the Switch version. Balloon Battle, a returning Mario Kart favorite, is one such option, as are Renegade Roundup, Bob-omb Blast, Shine Thief, and Coin Runners. You can play Deluxe's Battle Modes on eight dedicated courses--including one based on Splatoon--as opposed to the cut-down versions of main game tracks that the Wii U version included.

Lastly, the trailer confirms the Joy-Con wheel peripherals will launch the same day as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, April 28, while revealing that Gold Mario will be unlocked for anyone who beats every track at 200cc.

GameSpot went hands-on with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch at a recent event--check out our impressions here.

The original game, which released on Wii U in 2014, went down well with our reviewer: critic Tom McShea awarded it an 8/10. Find out why in our full Mario Kart 8 review.