Things We Want To See In Mario Kart 9
Nintendo has not released a new "Mario Kart" game for consoles since "Mario Kart 8" was originally released in 2014. Nintendo later ported the title to the Nintendo Switch in 2017, titling it "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" and bundling the base game with DLC and some new characters. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is the best selling game on the Nintendo Switch, with over 33 million copies sold, and many fans are naturally clamoring for a new release. Fans have pointed out that this is the longest gap between games in the franchises history, and so it seems like a new "Mario Kart" should be arriving at any time.
"Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" features many firsts for the franchise, including zero-gravity racing and non-Mario characters and tracks. This has led to a lengthy wishlist for "Mario Kart 9," particularly from fans who expect Nintendo to blow "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" out of the water with the next installment. Here is what gamers want from the next "Mario Kart" title.
Mario Kart Ultimate
"Super Smash Bros. Ultimate" blew fans minds when it was announced that every single character in the series' history would be returning for that game. Given how exciting it was for fans to see such epic character mashups, it only makes sense that people would also want to see an "Ultimate" version of "Mario Kart."
Over on Reddit, u/Kalebf1999 made a mock-up of what a character select screen would look like if "Mario Kart 9" included every character ever featured in the series prior, along with a few new additions.
If some of the characters included in this mock-up make it seem like a fever dream of a roster, it's important to know that u/Kalebf1999 threw in some characters that appeared in the arcade version of "Mario Kart." That game included non-Mario characters like Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man. u/Kalebf1999 also added some newcomers like Captain Falcon, who would be right at home in a racing game.
Mario Kart: Double Dash 2
"Mario Kart: Double Dash" has been a fan favorite since it launched on the Nintendo Gamecube to positive reviews. The game featured two racers on a single kart, with the option to have two players play on a single team. Over on Reddit, u/Ryno209 suggested that the next "Mario Kart" game should feature the two racers on a single kart. "Playing split-screen 2-player Mario Kart on the Switch console screen isn't ideal... but it could be if you had two racers on a single kart," they wrote.
The idea here is that although you could play split-screen in the handheld mode on the Switch, the screen is far too small for that to be a great multiplayer experience. Putting two people on one kart would remove the need to split the screen and provide even more chaotic gameplay possibilities. u/Zearo298 commented, "Yep. I like this style of gameplay so much that regardless of any other feature or mechanic Double Dash will always be my favorite."
More tracks inspired by other games
"Mario Kart" has always featured a variety of tracks inspired by different parts of the Mario universe. "Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" took concept that further by introducing tracks inspired by other games, like "Animal Crossing."
Nintendo has released plenty of new games since the last game in the racing franchise came out, so fans are excited at the prospect of newly inspired tracks. Over on Reddit, u/Danster21 made a post about how cool it would be to have a new track inspired by "Super Mario Odyssey."
"I can already imagine flying around New Donk City, swerving through traffic and strangely tall 'humans'. Perhaps getting another moon map for battle mode, but stylized like the one in SMO," they wrote. Another fan remarked that they would love to see Pauline as a playable character, plus the Cascade, Luncheon, and Cap Kingdoms get their own tracks in the next "Mario Kart." Other tracks that fans have dreamed up include courses inspired by "Splatoon" and "Arms."
Wider Character Variety
"Mario Kart 8 Deluxe" is considered one of the best games in the series, with a 92 on Metacritic to back that up. One of the few complaints people have is that there are a number of spots on the roster taken up by alternate versions of existing characters, like Rose Gold Peach and Tanooki Mario. In a Reddit post asking how Nintendo could improve the game in the next release, a number of comments asked for Nintendo to condense the number of palette-swapped or alt characters.
u/logicalAnimus2 wrote, "I'd like to see less babies and metals, and more side characters and cameos." Other commenters agreed, saying that while those characters could still be in the game, they should be made into skins, the same way different colored Yoshis and Shy Guys are.
Hopefully the next "Mario Kart" can bring plenty of the most wanted characters to the game — but if "Super Smash Bros." has taught gamers anything, getting every fan-requested character into the game is impossible.