Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is, in many ways, the culmination of all things Mario Kart. It features a huge amount of content, pulling together new creations made for the Wii U racer’s launch as well as those revised classics that fit the new gameplay. MK8 also married a number of previous gimmicks, like bikes, hang gliders and the new anti-gravity sections, while it even broke down the barriers between Nintendo’s game universes. Deluxe has then taken all of that and tweaked and refined it, adding new racers and reintroducing a true battle mode to create something even more essential.
That game is out on Nintendo Switch today, and it’s simply fantastic to have it on the console already, even if it is ultimately a three year old game on Wii U. But the question we have is where do Nintendo go from here? That there was a remaster in the first place is effectively unheard of, but each and every Nintendo console since the SNES has had a Mario Kart to call its own. Surely Nintendo wouldn’t forsake the Switch in such a manner?
The simplest path for Nintendo to take would be to simply push out a straight up sequel. Mario Kart games have followed a similar form over the last few home and handheld generations, with sixteen new tracks arranged into four cups and sixteen tracks from previous games revisited in retro cups.
We’ve also seen some kind of gimmick introduced, with the Nintendo DS getting to boast online play for the first time, the Wii featuring bikes and motion controls, the 3DS having underwater sections and hang gliding, and Mario Kart 8 featuring all of the above alongside new anti-gravity sections that allow for wilder track designs and remakes of classic courses.
Nintendo have turned over an awful lot of stones in the last decade to try and add something new each time, making Mario Kart 8 seeing this approach at its zenith. It might not be the most likely path for Nintendo to take, and it might in fact be the least likely, but taking Mario Kart back to its core could be an attractive option. Paring back the track design, the number of characters, putting them all back on karts and really focusing in on a purity of kart racing that’s not been seen since Mario Kart DS in 2005 really could work. Now, with 200cc, there’s a real technical challenge that Nintendo could explore.
What’s much more likely is that Nintendo continue down their current path of adding more to the mix. Mario Kart 8 was notable for firstly having DLC expansions, and secondly for those expansions featuring Link, Animal Crossing characters and now, with Deluxe, the Inkling Boy and Girl from Splatoon. It might end up being called Mario Kart 9 for the branding and recognition, but just as with Super Smash Bros., the next game in the series could well and truly break down the barriers between Nintendo’s pantheon of characters and game series, inviting the likes of Star Fox, Samus, Kirby and plenty others into the fold.
That would also give Nintendo much more license to experiment with their track design. There’s some truly wonderful things that have been done in the Mushroom Kingdom, but I’ve lost count of the number of castles Bowser has retrofitted with a race circuit. The two F-Zero tracks are great, the changeable seasons of the Animal Crossing circuit is equally fitting and inventive, and it’s these kinds of homage and little experiments that could liven up the next Mario Kart.
Now that Nintendo have had a taste of DLC, they’ll continue to explore that area. It does open up another possibility though, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe actually being the sole entry on Switch, as Nintendo instead use it as a fresh starting point to which they can add more content. Certainly, they fiddled and tweaked the gameplay in some noticeable ways while creating Deluxe.
Perhaps they see the opportunity to satiate an ever so slightly different set of fans. With Deluxe already in place, Nintendo can look to the inherently more mature F-Zero to capture the 20/30 year olds that have appeared in all of the Switch advertising.
Of course, all of this is pie in the sky thinking, and thanks to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, it will likely be a few years before we see what Nintendo have planned. In the meantime, well, there’s one simply sublime Mario Kart game on the console already…
Paulo Vinicius Radtke
“That there was a remaster in the first place is effectively unheard of”
Super Mario All Stars begs to differ :). But it’s nice to see a new game worth the Switch’s purchase.
Stefan L
Oh, there’s been plenty of remastered, but not of Mario Kart. Remastered tracks and stuff, but not whole games.
Paulo Vinicius Radtke
Indeed, that’s a good point, and maybe the original intent in the sentence.
Stefan L
As the person that wrote that sentence, I’ll give you some good odds on that being the case. ;)
geofduke
Waverace. F-Zero, and 1080 Snowboarding, are all games that should be getting regular sequels if you ask me.
How would those waves crashing against your jet ski feel with hd rumble? How would the crumple of snow feel in 1080 Snowboarding? F-Zero is a no-brainer. I’ve been really enjoying Fast RMX and it’s put me in the mood for a new F-Zero.
What about a new racer with a Metroid setting? Could Samus appear in an F-Zero game? Developing Excitebike into a modern game might be worthwhile. What about a sequel to Diddy Kong – Donkey Kong Racing?
All of these racers have a lot to learn from Diddy Kong Racing if you ask me. In addition to the multiple speeds and different cups they should all have an adventure mode.
An open-world design, with story progression, exploration, puzzle solving and item collection to unlock new levels/tracks/challenges/boss fights. Collecting dino eggs in Dino Domain was brilliant in that game, and it made a great little multiplayer mode too.
For me, beating Wizpig was one of the greatest acheivements of my youth. Lol.
Paulo Vinicius Radtke
I’d take over F-Zero over Wipeout any day, but it seems Nintendo is not eager to take my money anymore :). This game is still the top SNES racer IMHO, and given that it was a launch title, it’s even more surprising that they did so well with it. Sad there was never a proper sequel on the SNES back in the time.
geofduke
I’ve never got why people always get the knives out when you mention F-Zero or Wipeout. It’s not like marriage. You can love both. I can’t have a bad word said about Wipeout. Apart from the bizarre touch screen only menus on vita. I don’t want to touch my screen, it leaves it smudgy you idiots…and it’s awkward.
To be honest, the Wipeout games have been better but it doesn’t mean I don’t want to play F-Zero, and it’s mostly because there have been Wipeout games. Although that’s changing since Sony killed Studio Liverpool. Looking forward to Omega but it looks like the end for Wipeout at the moment. ;(
I also like both Blur and Oasis for the record, just like I’m a fan of both cats and dogs. Although Oasis and Cats are clearly better. ;)
Paulo Vinicius Radtke
Yep, it’s not like marriage, but as with friendship, you can also like one and dislike the other as well. Which is just my case with F-Zero and Wipeout :). It’s surprising that Nintendo is not milking more out of F-Zero, while Sony is making good money with their property in the same niche market.