In a Nintendo Direct broadcast yesterday, the Japanese company revealed how its lineup of Amiibo toy figures would interact with Mario Kart 8. Placing an Amiibo figure on the Wii U GamePad will unlock that character’s costume in the game. However, costumes can only be worn by your Mii racer. This feature is compatible with all Amiibo figures included in Wave 1 which means there are costumes based on Mario, Peach, Yoshi, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus Aran, Kirby and Fox McCloud.
This feature will become available as soon as the Amiibo Wave 1 figures launch in North America alongside Super Smash Bros. for Wii U on November 21. The Luigi and Captain Falcon figures from Amiibo Wave 2 will also unlock costumes in Mario Kart 8. This second set of figures is due out in December.
Additionally, Nintendo at last announced the release date for Mario Kart 8‘s first DLC pack. Launching on November 21, the pack contains 8 tracks, four new vehicles and three new characters: Cat Peach, Tanooki Mario and Link. The new tracks include courses based on the Legend of Zelda, F-Zero and Excitebike franchises.
In the same Direct, Nintendo also revealed how the Amiibo system works with Hyrule Warriors. By placing the Link figure on the Wii U GamePad, players can unlock a new weapon, the Spinner. Making its début in 2006’s Twilight Princess, the Spinner was an unusual item that helped Link explore the Arbiter’s Grounds.
Are you happy with Nintendo tying DLC content to its Amiibo toys? Join the discussion below and let us know what your thoughts are.
