Booster Course Wave 2 for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is here, and we’re checking out All Changes
and differences made for the returning courses.
Last up in the Propeller Cup is Sky-High Sundae, which has since released for Mario Kart Tour.
Boasting a colourful frozen dessert motif, it’s a race taking place above the clouds,
with related shops, a freezer-themed ice cream parlour, and a giant sundae.
So how does this track differ from its mobile appearance?
Let’s find out!
Sky-High Sundae is the first Tour-related course that initially launched as part of
the Booster Course Pass.
Featuring in the Sundae Tour only six days apart from its Switch debut, the track likely
was designed for Tour originally.
Despite this small release window and near-identical design—not including the variants—a surprising
number of smaller differences exist between the two versions.
The key difference in gameplay is that the Switch version plays completely in Anti-Gravity
mode, while the Tour version is like any other course.
The Anti-Gravity state makes driving feel floaty, which can influence racing techniques,
but we’ll address that more in a moment.
On to the race!
When emerging from the hole in the soft serve cone just after the race starts, 8 Item Boxes
are seen spinning around the helipad for Switch. 17 of them are present in Tour, but they remain
stationary.
The latter seems to give more of a chance for collecting an item!
Because Anti-Gravity affects interaction with certain objects, touching the railing on Switch
grants a Spin Boost.
And since drivers can phrase straight through it, staying in line with it is a way to get
continuous boosts.
Meanwhile, for Tour, the railing is a solid obstacle dividing the path.
This railing type doesn’t offer the benefit of a Spin Boost, but instead a trick can be
performed by landing directly on it and hopping off for a Jump Boost.
Not bad!
The floaty nature in the Switch version allows for a very interesting shortcut that is not
possible in Tour.
When traversing the ice cream scoop road swirling around the giant sundae, a driver can use
a Drift Boost to help jump towards the ice cubes when they come into view to skip several
ice cream scoops.
Cool!
While not as impressive, Tour has an exclusive Jump Boost opportunity in this area.
Tricks can be performed on the pink ice cream drippings rolling over the road from two different
scoops.
Do this for both spots to keep that combo going!
Naturally, this course has several visual differences.
The high-contrast shading, shine, and pseudo-reflection on certain surfaces appear unique to Switch,
but both versions have exclusive palettes that seem to affect various objects.
The first example of this could be at the very start of the race.
We see here that the cubes making up the ice cream parlour wall in the Switch version were
intended to include two different blues in a check pattern like the Tour version, much
like the ceiling and the blocks sandwiching the starting line.
This seems to be an effect of the universal colour set and lighting, but several changes
were made to distinctly individual elements, too.
Outside, the airy clouds below the course appear to have a realistic wavy effect for
Switch, consisting of multiple layers cycling in a clockwise direction.
But in Tour, this is simplified with fewer layers, which spin in the opposite direction.
What’s interesting here also is that the punctured soft serve cone isn’t represented
on the mini-map for Switch, but it is in Tour!
The helicopter landing pad has a pink H in 8 Deluxe, but it’s yellow in Tour, possibly
contrasting better against the chocolate.
Speaking of helicopters, the propeller blades on Switch are silver, but they are a flat
indigo in the mobile version.
8 Deluxe marks the festivities with party banners streamed across structures.
These are missing in Tour.
The chocolate-coated ice pop—or ice lolly—behind the shops seems to be a strawberry or watermelon,
whereas in Tour, it’s a mint or even ramune—a Japanese soda commonly served as an ice cream
flavour.
Also in this scene, the windows of the Ice Cafe are dark on Switch, but light in Tour.
The icing dabs at the base of the building and on other shops are red for the console
version, but pink on mobile.
We’re not sure if this is a direct change or a general palette difference, but what
definitely is an intentional modification is the colour of the bands on the transparent
platforms: gold in 8 Deluxe and either white or silver in Tour.
Like with the party banners, some assets had to be removed or simplified for performance
in Tour, such as how there are fewer background ice pops and roadside ice cream cones when
compared to the Switch version.
Even some sprinkles, chocolate chips, and orange slices on the swirling scoop road were
omitted.
Wait; is this another major colour change?
This ice cream is a dark solid orange on Switch, but it’s almost a marbled yellow in Tour.
Hmm...
Okay, here’s a cool change: The ice cube platforms are opaque in 8 Deluxe, but they
are translucent in Tour.
Nice!
Throughout the course, spectators and shopkeepers all differ between the two versions, like
how the Yoshi cashier here on Switch has a penguin substitute in Tour.
But some viewers are in unique spots, too.
For instance, those by the Moo Moo Meadows sign and airborne Koopa Paratroopas as a whole
are exclusive to 8 Deluxe.
Meanwhile, only in Tour can we find penguins here, as well as others on the sundae cup,
rainbow, and even the milk towers—or ice cream tubs—below, as well as in some other
locations, too.
A particularly odd trait is that many of these observers are frozen.
Too much ice cream, maybe?
(Nah, it’s really for resource optimisation.)
Well, we noticed only one auditory difference.
The course opening for 8 Deluxe features the whipping of the helicopter blades at the giant
sundae and a chilly draught with wind chimes heard in the ice cream parlour freezer.
In Tour, neither soundscape exists.
Now that’s cold...
The music is pretty unique.
It seems to be a sort of film score jazz fusion—resembling themes from 1980s television dramedies—with
an unorthodox blend of styles, much like the course itself.
The bell and higher-pitch synth signify freezing temperatures at higher altitude, while the
funky slap bass and drum fills represent the intensity of the race.
The Tour version does this job well...
But in our opinion, the live performance in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe does it better.
Even some of the bass line phrasing differs because of ad-libbing, befitting the free
spirit of the setting...
What a treat!
By the way, if you enjoy game music analyses like this one, check out Melodies of Gaming.
A link to the playlist can be found in the description.
And that’s about it for All Changes we found in Sky-High Sundae!
The versions provide slightly different experiences, but both have their benefits.
Like we stated in our video, ‘Which Sky-High Sundae Plays Better’, Tour seems to be a
bit more refined in gameplay, while the Switch offers some graphical enhancements.
But what do you think?
Have you found any notable changes that we missed?
Let us know in the comments below.
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Until next time, ciao!