Nintendo's Super Mario racing franchise hasn't been short on innovation lately. Mario Kart 7 and 8 both put a major emphasis on new racing terrain, including hang-gliding segments and dizzying anti-gravity sections, resulting in some very creative new courses. With this recent progression in place, it only stands to reason that Mario Kart 9 will push the boundaries of courses in some other creative way. There are plenty of directions that the game could go, such as adding new vehicle types to Mario Kart, but it would also be interesting to get the option to fundamentally modify the way that courses play by blending them together.
If Mario Kart 9 really wants to stand apart from its predecessors, then it could let players chop up courses and rearrange them in whatever way they'd like. While it would be an unorthodox way to play Mario Kart, it would introduce a level of variety and challenge to each sitting of the game that the franchise hasn't really offered before. If the game really is a large-scale Nintendo crossover product like Mario Kart leaks have suggested, then it could also be a simple but effective mechanic to reflect that theme of Nintendo worlds colliding.
How Mario Kart Course Blending Could Work
Mario Kart course blending would be a relatively simple mechanic to implement. Since most Mario Kart courses are divided into three laps, Mario Kart 9 could allow players to choose individual tracks for each lap. Then, whenever players finish the lap in the race, they briefly drive through a tunnel before loading into the next course. Depending on the amount of courses in Mario Kart 9, this could add a ton of variety, especially if players can select a course multiple times when making a blend; if it has at least 48 like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, then there could be thousands of possible combos when duplicate laps are allowed.
Admittedly there are a couple obstacles to this concept; not all Mario Kart tracks have 3 laps, and loading multiple courses at once could require a lot of rendering power. However, there are a few fairly easy solutions to this. Nintendo can simply omit courses with an unusual number of laps if players are playing in a course-blending mode, reserving those courses for standard modes like Grand Prix. As for the rendering, the long-term Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass suggests that Mario Kart 9 won't release until Nintendo's next console appears, and if it's on par with the mighty PS5 and Xbox Series X, then rendering large racetracks shouldn't be much of an issue. Even if it's on the Switch, Mario Kart 9 could consider making a course blending mode playable only when the Switch is docked to streamline performance a little.
The Benefits of Mario Kart Course Blending
The new replayability that course blending would add to Mario Kart 9 can't be understated. The potential thousands of course combinations would make every Mario Kart session unique, since there'll almost always be some new combo for fans to try. It could also be a boon for Mario Kart 9's difficulty level; constantly changing courses would demand skillful driving from players, so Mario Kart die-hards could get a kick out of that kind of variety, especially in already demanding modes like time trials.
Course blending would also be a fantastic way to reflect any major Nintendo crossovers that happen in Mario Kart 9. If the Super Mario world's characters are going to cross over with other Nintendo stars, then the places they come from could cross over in a very literal way through course blending. Players might find themselves starting out in an Animal Crossing village, teleporting to Hyrule Castle, then warping again to Rainbow Road, giving them a grand tour of some of Nintendo's greatest hits in a single Mario Kart race.
For the moment, it remains to be seen if Nintendo is willing to implement such an experimental feature. Course blending seems like it has something to offer both casual and competitive Mario Kart players, but it may be a little too abstract for Nintendo's liking. Still, abstract would be a good thing for Mario Kart. The franchise has a huge fanbase; it can afford to take a couple risks. Nintendo would be wise to let Mario Kart spread its wings in order to keep this long-lived series fresh.
Mario Kart 9 is rumored to be in development.