Summary
With a range of new power-ups introduced inSuper Mario Bros. Wonder,Mario Kart 9now has the potential to adapt some of these as new items in ways that could turn theMario Kartformula on its head. AsMario Kart 8 Deluxeanticipates the release of its sixth and final wave of its Booster Course Pass for 2023’s holiday season, Nintendo has already confirmed that a newMario Kartgame is in the works. This has led many fans to begin speculating about what a prospectiveMario Kart 9would be like after thehigh bar set byMario Kart 8Deluxeand its DLC.
But while many focus on which characters or tracks will make it intoMario Kart 9, there are also questions about which new power-ups will also be added to the game and how exactly will they work. After all, previousMario Kartgames have set a precedent for adoptingSuper Mario’s then-newest power-ups, such as the redesigned Mega Mushroom fromNew Super Mario Bros.being added toMario Kart Wiior evenMario Kart 8takingSuper Mario 3D Land’s Boomerang Flower. So withSuper Mario Bros. Wonderintroducing items like the Bubble Flower, Drill Mushroom, and Elephant Fruit,Mario Kart 9has promise as a series successor.
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Exploring Super Mario Bros. Wonder New Items
Burst Someone’s Bubble with the New Bubble Flower
As a newcomer toSuper Mario’s list of flower power-ups,Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s new Bubble Flower could offerMario Kart 9a unique opportunity thanks to its various uses. While players can jump on blown bubbles to get to hard-to-reach heights, they can also capture enemies inside bubbles to defeat them. Similar toMario Kart’s current use of the Fire Flower,MarioKart 9could adapt the Bubble Flower to capture racers and temporarily hold them in place as others overtake them. Moreover, there could even be a possible secondary effect of capturing possible hazards like shells or banana peels to make the item more strategic.
Digging Deep with the New Drill Mushroom
Though it had an uncanny resemblance to the Spin Drill fromSuper Mario Galaxy 2, the Drill Mushroom actually transforms the player inSuper Mario Bros. Wonderlike a traditional power-up instead of being a physical item to pick up. Because of this, the Drill Mushroom could beMario Kart 9’s newest power-upwith a new take on its ability to burrow underground, travel across ceilings, and attack enemies from below. Perhaps the Drill Mushroom could take afterMario Kart’s staple Bullet Bill by giving players a brief invincible boost forward underground before bursting upwards, potentially harming racers overhead if they’re too close.
The Elephant Fruit in the Room for Mario Kart 9
Having been one ofSuper Mario Bros. Wonder’s first and most talked about new items, the Elephant Fruit might present a challenge ifMario Kart 9adds the power-up in order to capitalize on its popularity. Though there are a few of the Elephant Fruit’s abilities from storing water to dashing across gaps that might not fitMario Kart’s format,Mario Kart 9could instead take an all-new approach. AsSuper Mario Bros. Wonderincreases a player’s strength in Elephant Form, this too couldupgrade the player’s vehicle and weight class, allowing them to break through walls for secret shortcuts as seen in previousMario Kartgames.
The Endless Potential of Mario Kart 9 and the Wonder Flower
However, while the other new power-ups fromSuper Mario Bros. Wonderwould all make good additions toMario Kart 9, many players will be expecting the titular Wonder Flower to appear in the nextMario Kartgame due to the wealth of Wonder Effects it offers. Having already shown all sorts of Wonder Effects that change players, levels, and enemies, the Wonder Flower might become a core gimmick toMario Kart 9that when activated gives a random transformation. These could includeblendingMario Kartcourses together, adding new track hazards, changing players' kart set-ups mid-race, or even shuffling players' positions with one another.
