Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gets a free Breath of the Wild themed update

Nintendo have released a huge new free update to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Nintendo Switch, adding Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as a playable character. He can be seen in action in the trailer below.

This update also brings with it a new vehicle: The Master Cycle Zero, Link’s motorbike which was added into Breath of the Wild as part of the Champions Ballad downloadable content. In addition, a new set of tires called the Ancient Tires and a glider based on Breath of the Wild’s paraglider have been added.

This is not the only character unaffiliated with Mario to feature in the game; Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also features characters from the Animal Crossing and Splatoon franchises in its roster of drivers. Link himself is already present as a playable character, albeit one wearing a green tunic based on his appearances in other games in the Zelda franchise.

This update is free for all owners of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which makes sense as it is supposed to be the “deluxe” version of Mario Kart 8, with all of the additional content. Along with adding Breath of the Wild Link and the new gear and vehicle, the new update contains unspecified “revisions to improve gameplay”.