Ever sinceSuper Mario Kartreleased in 1992 for the SNES, theMario Kartseries has become one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises ever, capitalizing off of the popularity of its famous plumber. And now,Mario Kart 8 Deluxeon the Nintendo Switch continues to be one of the system’s best-selling games,beating its own annual sales recordstime and time again. Over the years, with 8 mainline iterations, a brand new mixed reality game, a mobile game, and even a series of arcade games, the series has amassed an incredible wealth of playable characters, race tracks, vehicles, different game modes, and more.
After nearly 30 years of shaping the kart-racing genre, a series as lucrative asMario Kartseems due for a definitive game serving as a celebration of the series, much the waySuper Smash Bros. Ultimateacts as the definitiveSmashgame. And fromDouble Dash’s buddy racing system toMario Kart 7’s additions of gliders, underwater driving, and kart customization (and more), the series is still looking to innovate whenever possible. However, taking a breather from introducing new mechanics to focus on fan-favorite characters, courses, and vehicles can help serve as a reminder of everything that has madeMario Kartgreat in the first place.
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Characters, Karts, and Tracks
With over 50 different characters, over 115 courses, and a countless selection of vehicles across all mainlineMario Kartgames, the series has made incredible use of nearly all that theSuper Mariofranchise has to offer. For returning characters, it goes without saying that any definitive game should includeall past characters from theMario Kartseries.After all, thanks toMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s sizable roster, the game only excluded around 10 characters from past mainline titles, so the return of fan favorites like Bowser Jr., Diddy Kong, and Petey Piranha would be welcome additions.
As for returning tracks, it would be quite a feat to implement every track from pastMario Kartgames as they are a lot more involved when compared to stages fromSuper Smash Bros.so bumping upMario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 48 tracks to around 60 or so seems more reasonable, leaving room for some new tracks while also giving players the chance to return to some fan favorites.
The kart-racing series' venture into mobile gaming withMario Kart Tourhas done a great job at bringing back older characters, karts, and tracks, but since the gameplay inMario Kart Touris rather simple, the game’s tricked out “T” and reversed “R” courses should remain in the mobile realm. And althoughMario Kart 8 Deluxeincludes some costumed characters like Tanooki Mario and Cat Peach,Mario Kart Tour’s limited-time costumed charactersshould remain a mainstay in the mobile game to promote its gacha format, while a new mainlineMario Kartgame should focus on introducing entirely new characters to the series.
Racer Packs
On the Wii U,Mario Kart 8’s venture into paid DLC was welcomed by many with open arms, adding 4 new cups, returning and new characters, and new vehicles as well, and while many thought that the game would receive some more DLC,Mario Kart 8didn’t receive any more new content until its deluxe port on the Nintendo Switch. However, althoughMario Kart 8’s DLC format worked fine for the game in the past, something akin toSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate’s challenger packsmay help drive excitement and hype for the game the same way they do forSmash.
Much likeUltimate’s challenger packs, racer packs for the nextMario Kartgame could follow suit by simply including one new racer, one new track, and one new vehicle. This could give the series the chance to introduce both fan favoriteMariocharacters like Kamek and Plessie, and even other Nintendo all-stars like Samus, Fox, or Captain Falcon. Since the series recently dipped its toes in the realm of guest characters with the addition ofLink,Inklings,Villager, andIsabelleinMario Kart 8 Deluxe, guest characters seem more likely than ever.
With the incredible sales ofMario Kart 8 Deluxeand therecent release ofMario Kart Live: Home Circuit,a new entry in the series may seem rather unlikely, but despite this, rumors about the nextMario Kartgame always seem to be floating around. It also may be worth noting that the series is coming up on its 30th anniversary soon, and while Nintendo has their hands full with anniversaries as of late,Mario Kartfans may be in for some surprises in the next year or so.
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