As it stands, the Mario Kart series is one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises, and Mario Kart 9 is poised to be another big hit. In particular, a few specific games evolved the series in significant ways and helped set the stage for Mario Kart 9‘s likely success. Ahead of Mario Kart 9‘s release, it’s worth looking back at those games and remembering how much has changed since the days of Super Mario Kart.
The Switch 2’s Mario Kart was the first title officially announced for the console, and for good reason. Since the Super Nintendo, every major Nintendo console, except for the Game Boy, has received a new Mario Kart game, from Super Mario Kart on the SNES to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch. Admittedly, the latter was an updated version of Mario Kart 8 for the Wii U, but it eventually added what is practically an entire new game’s worth of content through the Booster Course Pass. A new Mario Kart game coming out for Nintendo’s next console was practically a foregone conclusion.
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Mario Kart Has Grown in a Few Very Important Ways Throughout its History
Mario Kart: Double Dash Expanded the Roster For the First Time
Long before the days of Mario Kart 9‘s expansive roster, the series had rosters of just eight racers. Mario Kart: Double Dash changed that with its roster of twenty drivers, 16 of which were on the base roster and four of which were unlockable racers. While the roster size was partially due to the game’s gimmick of two racers per kart, the unlockable characters were a completely new addition to the franchise. After that, bigger rosters became a mainstay for the series, eventually leading to 12 racers on the track at a time. Mario Kart 9 looks to raise that number to 24.
Double Dash Also Gave Players Their First Kart Choice
Mario Kart: Double Dash also paved the way for Mario Kart‘s kart customization. Previously, the player could only choose racers with unique stats, and they all drove recolored versions of the same kart. However, Double Dash introduced a wide variety of karts from which players could choose, including karts based on every character and a Parade Kart. This would be the starting point for what would eventually become the more in-depth customization that first appeared in Mario Kart 7. With players having so many combinations at their disposal now, Mario Kart 9 has a great base for its own custom builds.
Mario Kart DS Started the Tradition of Retro Tracks
One exciting part of every new title in the series is seeing Mario Kart‘s retro tracks. Retro tracks are remade versions of tracks from previous games, and they are often popular ones, such as Waluigi Pinball and Baby Park. Mario Kart DS was the first game in the series to implement retro tracks as a mechanic, having four cups worth of them alongside the game’s new tracks. Since then, each game has brought back their fair share of retro tracks, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe going above and beyond with its Booster Course Pass. Mario Kart 9‘s selection of retro tracks will likely be a hot topic once more.
While not officially deemed retro tracks, Super Mario Kart‘s courses were unlockable in Mario Kart: Super Circuit as extra tracks.
The Mario Kart series has come a long way, and a few new moves in Mario Kart 9 are not out of the question. After all, were it not for the innovations of past games, some of the series’ best features might never have come to pass. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe benefited heavily from all of these advancements, and it ended up being the highest-selling game in the series. Mario Kart 9 is in a great place to thrive thanks to the series’ past.
Mario Kart
Mario Kart is one of the many video game franchises that see Mario take a break from platforming to bring his friends, and even his enemies, for some sporting competition.
The kart racing series has been going strong since the original Super Mario Kart in 1992, largely thanks to how enjoyable the games are to pick up and play for casual and hardcore gamers alike.