Yoshi’s Island and new character Birdo are coming in Wave 4 of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course

The next update for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass will add a brand new stage and character, as Birdo is making her long-awaited return to the series. This marks the addition of the first new racer since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe launched in 2017, and it opens the door for more racers to follow.

Related: 10 Mario Kart tracks that should return for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC

The Wave 4 update for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass was featured during the Nintendo Direct, but its contents were surprising. Rather than seeing rehashed courses from the existing Mario Kart games, the Booster Course Pass is adding a stage based on Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island on the Super Nintendo, featuring familiar enemies and locations from that game, including Huffin Puffins and Shy Guys on stilts.

The Wave 4 update will also add Birdo, the first new racer to be included in the expansion, along with different color skins for her. This marks Birdo’s first appearance in the mainline Mario Kart games since Mario Kart Wii, though she did appear in Mario Kart Tour. Luckily, fans won’t have to wait long to take Birdo on a race through Yoshi’s Island, as Wave 4 will be available in the spring to people who purchased the Booster Course Pass, while Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack subscribers will be able to access it for free.

All of the content added in the Booster Course Pack up to this point was either a retro stage or a level from Mario Kart Tour, so it’s refreshing to see some new content in the DLC. This is because Nintendo doesn’t appear to be in a rush to release Mario Kart 9, so this could be the only chance that fans have to see unfamiliar stages and familiar characters added to the Mario Kart series for a while.