How Super Mario Bros. Wonder's New Power-Ups Could Work in Mario Kart 9

Game ZXC

Super Mario Bros. Wonder

By Martin Wood

Published Nov 1, 2023

Highlights

Mario Kart 9 has the potential to introduce new power-ups from Super Mario Bros. Wonder, such as the Bubble Flower, Drill Mushroom, and Elephant Fruit.
The Bubble Flower in Mario Kart 9 could capture racers and temporarily hold them in place, adding a strategic element to the game.
The Wonder Flower from Super Mario Bros. Wonder could become a core gimmick in Mario Kart 9, offering random transformations and changing various aspects of the game.

With a range of new power-ups introduced in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, Mario Kart 9 now has the potential to adapt some of these as new items in ways that could turn the Mario Kart formula on its head. As Mario Kart 8 Deluxe anticipates the release of its sixth and final wave of its Booster Course Pass for 2023's holiday season, Nintendo has already confirmed that a new Mario Kart game is in the works. This has led many fans to begin speculating about what a prospective Mario Kart 9 would be like after the high bar set by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and its DLC.

But while many focus on which characters or tracks will make it into Mario 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, previous Mario Kart games have set a precedent for adopting Super Mario's then-newest power-ups, such as the redesigned Mega Mushroom from New Super Mario Bros. being added to Mario Kart Wii or even Mario Kart 8 taking Super Mario 3D Land's Boomerang Flower. So with Super Mario Bros. Wonder introducing items like the Bubble Flower, Drill Mushroom, and Elephant Fruit, Mario Kart 9 has promise as a series successor.

Exploring Super Mario Bros. Wonder New Items

Burst Someone's Bubble with the New Bubble Flower

As a newcomer to Super Mario's list of flower power-ups, Super Mario Bros. Wonder's new Bubble Flower could offer Mario Kart 9 a 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 to Mario Kart's current use of the Fire Flower, Mario Kart 9 could 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 from Super Mario Galaxy 2, the Drill Mushroom actually transforms the player in Super Mario Bros. Wonder like a traditional power-up instead of being a physical item to pick up. Because of this, the Drill Mushroom could be Mario Kart 9's newest power-up with a new take on its ability to burrow underground, travel across ceilings, and attack enemies from below. Perhaps the Drill Mushroom could take after Mario 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 of Super Mario Bros. Wonder's first and most talked about new items, the Elephant Fruit might present a challenge if Mario Kart 9 adds 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 fit Mario Kart's format, Mario Kart 9 could instead take an all-new approach. As Super Mario Bros. Wonder increases a player's strength in Elephant Form, this too could upgrade the player's vehicle and weight class, allowing them to break through walls for secret shortcuts as seen in previous Mario Kart games.

The Endless Potential of Mario Kart 9 and the Wonder Flower

However, while the other new power-ups from Super Mario Bros. Wonder would all make good additions to Mario Kart 9, many players will be expecting the titular Wonder Flower to appear in the next Mario Kart game 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 to Mario Kart 9 that when activated gives a random transformation. These could include blending Mario Kart courses together, adding new track hazards, changing players' kart set-ups mid-race, or even shuffling players' positions with one another.