Last month focused on the Grand Prix and ways to change it while keeping roughly the same focus. At the end of it, I said that I wouldn’t want Mario Kart to go the way of Crash Team Racing or Diddy Kong Racing and have a story mode with open hubs to explore. The reason for saying such a thing? Bringing back mission mode from the DS game.
The idea was to make use of the mechanics in a way that
hadn’t been explored in a Mario Kart before – whether that be forcing the
player to drive in reverse through a section of a track, one-on-one racing, or
checkpoint races – or learning the player of mechanics such as item usage and
power-sliding. There was even boss battles to complete. It was a varied mode
that – like most features – never returned. Well, it inspired the online
challenges in Mario Kart Wii, but wasn’t a fully accessible thing [and to me
seemed less focused].
The return of it could see some of the missions revamped
and new ones added. Bosses have a chance to be fleshed out more, and could pull
inspiration from a wider selection of games than just Super Mario 64. Looking
back to my first idea of refreshing the Grand Prix mode, the same style could be
used here. Nine missions per level with a boss unlocked upon completion of all
nine, with ten levels total – equalling 100 missions overall. Coin collecting
and one-on-one racing would return, as would the item related ones. The
powerslide missions would be changed to time-based considering the new mechanic
for it, and would see how long in total you could hold them for. Checkpoint
races would return, and underwater and gliding sections would allow for more
diverse layouts with them. As for bosses, Odyssey seems a good inspiration for
at least one with the Mechawiggler.
This post isn’t just to detail the new mission mode I
want though, so into other features. Mario Kart TV has had a good start,
replacing the regular replay feature with something a bit more interactive.
However, it can be limiting in some respects. I’ve had some fantastic plays
while on MK8 – including last second overtakes at the line – but due to how
MKTV works in its tracking of racers sometimes will fail to show them off
fully. While I’m not suggesting removing the simplicity from it, the case is
there for a more complex system to be added. The system already tracks and
records the full movement for all racers on the field, so allowing the player
to manipulate the camera and get the shots they want wouldn’t be that difficult
to have.
Another thing that could be given a touch more detail is
the item toggle. Currently it works by selecting only a certain type of items –
bananas only, shells only, frantic mode, no items – but by adding a true item
toggle for friendly versus matches it allows for more varied races. Taking
Mario Kart 8’s item selection, the Crazy 8 could be turned off, along with
coins and all triple items. Taking it a step further, the item toggle could be
similar to Super Smash Bros., where items can be set to appear with a higher or
lower frequency than their normal rate. We all know the friendship-destroying
blue shell is the bane of Mario Kart existence, but what if it was set to
appear at a high rate of frequency?
Implementing a true Double Dash mode would be too much
work unless it was to be the core of the game, and considering the mechanics of
the series have been worked on since MKWii to be functional and solid, it wouldn’t
be a good idea to throw all that away just to bring two-in-a-kart gameplay
back. But in a way it’s already been implemented with 8 Deluxe, with the
ability to hold two items at once. However, as tactical as having two items is
when the coin has a very high chance of appearing, it is missing the one thing
that made the way items were held in Double Dash even more tactful. Swapping
between the two slots held the advantage of being able to remove items you
didn’t need while holding onto the one you do. And just like in Double Dash,
only double item boxes would give a second item if your main slot was filled.
And as for item usage itself, I wouldn’t say no to removing the ability to
trail items behind you like Double Dash did. Then again, the item mechanics of
Double Dash were pretty unforgiving at times, such as having very little in the
way of invincibility frames after being hit.
So far, all the features I’ve talked about have been
bringing in old ones or expanding on previous ones. Adding new things to an
established series such as Mario Kart can go either way. People grew to like
the anti-gravity, and the glider and underwater sections have been accepted by
many. One thing I can see being added are new ways to play outside regular
racing and battle modes. Sure, pure arcade racing is what many people come to
Mario Kart for, but outside of that is just battle mode [and no item racing if
you want to add that]. A mission mode sort of caters to that already, but
that’s nearly always a one racer deal. These modes keep all twelve racers on
track. The only mode I’ll talk about is a score-based mode. Everything you do
within this mode builds points as you race – whether that be attacking or
defending with items, overtaking others, drifting, etc. – with the way to win
being to have the most points at the end of the three laps. Negative effects
such as driving the wrong way or falling off the track will reduce points, so
it isn’t just a case of building them up with no consequence. New modes offer
fun new ways to play without detracting from the main modes, and in a way offer
new sorts of battles depending on how you look at it.
Next month I’ll be taking a break from Mario Kart to
bring some Star Wars ideas. After all, it will be Star Wars month, so it gives
me plenty of opportunity to cover that over the month. With E3 being the month
after that, Future of Mario Kart will return in July. I’ll more than likely be
covering characters and crossovers in that post, so keep an eye out for that in
two months.
Future of Mario Kart Series
Retro
Tracks Next in Line / Refresh
of the Grand Prix / Refreshing
Additions of the Feature Base / Characters
Come Together for Chaotic Crashes / Crossing
Over for Crossovers / Casting
in the Wilds for New Locations