Booster
Course Wave 4 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is here, and we’re checking out All Changes and differences
made for the returning courses. The final race of the Boomerang Cup is Tour Singapore Speedway.
Serving as a taste of the capital of Singapore, this track shows the attractions along Marina Bay,
such as the infinity pool at the Marina Bay Sands, the bustling Food Street of Chinatown,
the legendary Merlion statue of One Fullerton, and the otherworldly Supertrees of the Gardens by the
Bay. So how does the most recent update differ from its mobile appearance? Let’s find out!
Singapore Speedway debuted as part of the Singapore Tour in 2022,
with the second and third variants introduced in the 2023 Winter Tour. For the Switch version,
the sites of these three routes are explored in full as the race progresses, with the final lap
starting at a new spot. There are additional features to enhance to experience, like the
option to glide over a part, which presents the opportunity for a difficult new shortcut.
But there are many other tidbits to discover. And so we begin with the gameplay changes once
again. The first lap starts on Esplanade Bridge and directs racers down the first variant’s route:
Singapore Speedway proper. Barriers sealing routes naturally have been cleared or turned
into arrow fields, so we’ll ignore most of these going forward. Past Fullerton Road, the Dash
Panel in front of the enlarged circus cannon was removed, and the ramp was reformed to serve as
a multipurpose substitute for the barriers from the Tour design. After blasting off and landing
on the SkyPark Observation Deck of the Marina Bay Sands, we see that barriers and decorations
up to the first Dash Panel were cleared out to make room for multiple drivers, and a third Dash
Panel was placed near the end. Also in this spot, the Innertube Goombas stay on their sides of the
infinity pool now. The Glide Ramp at the very end was redesigned a bit, with others like this
modified the same way. Along the descent, a third Boost Ring was placed above The Float @ Marina
Bay, with the others adjusted slightly. The barriers in the field below and along the Street
Circuit were removed, while an arrow field now appears on the wall for this lap only—which ends
after one big turn to the left from here. Lap 2 continues with the first variant,
but at the fork on Fullerton Road, the right path opens towards Chinatown, hopping onto a later
point of the Singapore Speedway 3 route. Here, the barrel under the canopy was taken away. Back
on the main roads already, a ramp on the left and all barriers in front were removed to be
able to turn right, either by the road or through the modified corner for a shortcut. Either way,
this marks the switch to the route exclusive to Singapore Speedway 2, heading towards Merlion
Park to glide across the bay. The fountains of Spectra – A Light & Water Show stay active a
bit longer and bob up and down now. On the other side, the barriers pointing towards the passageway
between the towers of the Marina Bay Sands were removed, since the perpendicular path will be
available later. The ramp inside the corridor was removed also, but tricks are possible still.
A simpler gate with a starting line marks a surprise start of Lap 3, similar to N64 Kalimari
Desert. Here, the route continues along Singapore Speedway 2, entering Gardens by the Bay. The ramp
at this spot was modified in style to no longer have a block strip. And the little ramps along the
forward-moving conveyor belts and the ramp leading to the Helix Bridge were pulled out. Underneath,
barriers now seal off the road behind. Yet another ramp disappeared at the end of the bridge. After
getting back on the road—part of the Street Circuit at The Float—drivers turn left towards the
ArtScience Museum, jumping to another point along the Singapore Speedway 3 route. The long ramp with
a Dash Panel was replaced by a Glide Ramp, with the side barriers taken away. Over the playfield,
3 updrafts—instead of the 1 from Tour—guide racers over the building. 3 options open up:
turn left onto the lower roof of the Marina Bay Sands, drop down to the Waterfront Promenade,
or remain airborne to go through 3 new Boost Rings that are similar to Singapore Speedway
3T. Assessing the left path first, the rooftop now features 3 Dash Panels. Lots of threes here,
eh? At the end, the yellow ramp leading to ground level was removed. Barriers below the
ArtScience Museum were placed for the lower path to prevent sneaking into the backstreets, while
the Sidesteppers along the walkway were replaced by 2 Goomba Towers. It’s possible to skip all of
this in 200cc with a shortcut from the rightmost updraft to the peninsula opposite the deck, but
it requires quite some boost power and control, so it’s difficult to pull off. All paths converge
at the deck and ramp, both of which were enlarged. The peninsula on the other side no longer has the
circus barrel, and the side barriers in the spot were removed, too. However, other barriers were
placed nearby. Drivers go through Chinatown again and head back to Esplanade Bridge, completing the
race. Wah, that was quite a lot, lah! But we still have the aesthetic changes
to address. There are the general lighting, texture, colourisation, and spectator differences,
of course. And the mini-map was rotated by 90 degrees again, but it now shows the shape
of the ArtScience Museum. Above, the clouds seem altered, with more prominent stars and
a now-full moon in the brighter evening sky. And below, banners everywhere wave in the breeze.
At the pole position, the lane line amidst the starting grid was erased. Just ahead on the right,
the traffic signal was rotated slightly to better face oncoming traffic. And at
the left bend, the arrow barriers along the kerb were removed. The cannon fuse now burns,
feeling even more animated. The lights of the Marina Bay Sands across the water have
a different arrangement on the left tower, while the other 2 towers have inverted lights compared
to before. We also see the Ferris wheel—the Singapore Flyer—now spinning, and the blimp no
longer has ‘Tour’ in the logo. The red arrow sign at the end of the infinity pool was pulled out,
like some others in the course. See which you can spot. At The Float, the audience disappeared
from the aqua seating, and the windows behind the grandstand changed from yellow to light blue.
On the second lap, we see that the colour scheme and chevron arrangement of the barrier
in Chinatown by the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple were altered. The brick road switched to a cobblestone,
too. Some food carts now have smoke or steam coming from them. Sidesteppers serving as fresh
crab seem to have disappeared from this food cart and by the table, much like the promenade
earlier. Where did they all go? Further ahead, the distinct tile pattern at the One Fullerton
mall is just random and subtle now. But the water effects here are improved overall,
with coloured light coming from below the fountain in the latest version, even if the hue is wrong
sometimes. The lower roof of the Marina Bay Sands and the passageway interior were made
as transparent as the water. Certain trim on the walls inside appear to be wood now, but the floor
tiles look just like those across the bay. Beyond the line starting Lap 3, the conveyor
belts were restyled to be dot matrix with no bands. The back of the Marina Bay Sands
now has lights on and off, similar to the front. Just before Helix Bridge, the tiles to the left
also are like those from One Fullerton. The steps onto the bridge itself produce a rocking motion
when driving on them, which looks different, but it doesn’t affect gameplay. Sadly, the helix
shape has fewer colours now and doesn’t cycle through them anymore. On the ArtScience Museum,
the rear arrows were wiped off and the grey arrows on the other side were painted red. Once again,
the tiles for the promenade were switched to that same texture. At the end of this,
the arrow barriers received a good mix-up like earlier, and both an arrow field and an MKTV van
were placed behind them. However, the water-filled barricades were pushed further to the back. The
planks on the deck became much smaller, but at least they’re not more tiles! Finally,
the arrow barrier near the finish line became a standard barrier.
Could we be done? Can loh! (Yep, done!) Like the visuals of the course, the music is
exciting. It’s a type of dance—perhaps synth pop—with Southeast Asian flair,
suitably producing the feeling of racing in a futuristic city. As one of the few tracks with
vocals, this one seems to be welcoming racers to Singapore, with the possible Mandarin word
for newcomer, Xīnrén. There are two variations of the theme: one when racing around most of Marina
Bay and one while in Chinatown specifically. The original normal variant serves as a foundation,
featuring plucked arpeggios and a synth lead in the A section playing a
pentatonic—five-note—scale that many associate with China. Breaking free of that limitation,
the B section takes inspiration from jazz, while presenting like airy electronica in a more western
chromatic scale. The lo-fi in the long bridge builds up to the return to the A section...
So swee! (So beautiful!) The Chinatown variation layers instruments on the base,
including Chinese percussion, shamisen, sheng (or suona), and a violin called an erhu...
Love it! The arrangement of the normal variant goes stronger with the dance beat,
with some synthy riser and faller effects,
but no lo-fi is present. Instead, the samples serve that purpose...
Very shiok! (Very good!) The arrangement of the Chinatown variant follows the same alteration
strategy, sounding crisp, but a bit less punchy. Yet the bridge has some interesting new runs...
As they say, variety is the spice of life! And that’s about it for All Changes we found in
Tour Singapore Speedway! It seems to be one of the most visually stunning and musically exhilarating
city tracks yet, being smooth and refined with just the right balance of experiences. But what
do you think? Have you found any notable changes that we missed? Let us know in the comments below.
And of course, stay tuned to GameXplain for more on Booster Course Wave 4 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe,
and other things Nintendo, too. Thanks for watching! Until next time, zaìjiàn!