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| Mario Kart 9 | ||||
| ||||
| Developer(s) | Acetendo | |||
| Publisher(s) | Nintendo and Fantendo | |||
| Platform(s) | Nintendo Switch | |||
| Genre(s) | Racing | |||
| Release Date(s) | Summer 2021 | |||
| Mode(s) | Single-Player/Local Multiplayer/Online Multiplayer | |||
| Age Rating(s) | ESRB: E
PEGI: 3 | |||
| Media Included | Optical Disk/Digital Download | |||
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Mario Kart 9 is a kart-racing video game that is published and developed by Acetendo in partnership with Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the ninth installment in the mainline Mario Kart series (excluding Mario Kart 8 Deluxe), the sixteenth installment in the series overall, and second installment to be released for the Nintendo Switch, which makes this game the first installment in the series to be released on the same console.
The game provides several new features that include a fully-fledged story mode, an ability to swap items with the press of the Y Button on the controller(s), and the Hyperspeed Meter, which is a speed meter that gives the players a temporary speed boost and allows them to counter all items and obstacles once the meter is full, which is done by drifting as much as possible and using items against the opponents. Additionally, the game brings back many features from the past installments in the series that include half-pipes, gliding, underwater driving, kart customization, and anti-gravity.
Gameplay[]
Mario Kart 9 is relatively similar to the past installments from the Mario Kart series in terms of gameplay. The game provides a wide variety of returning features that include tricks and half-pipes from Mario Kart Wii, gliding, underwater driving, and kart customization from Mario Kart 7 for the Nintendo 3DS, and anti-gravity from Mario Kart 8 and its deluxe counterpart. The controls for the game are mainly the same as the controls that are found in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe since the game is released for the same console, although the game does feature more motion controls when playing with the Joy-Cons. Additionally, the game features various graphics that are mixed with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Mario Kart Tour, although with more HD support that is utilized to support the screen resolutions for the home, handheld, and tabletop modes of the Nintendo Switch.
Mario Kart 9 also features some new features that allow the players to collect unlimited coins from each race and battle, in which the coins can be used to purchase various kart pieces from the shop in Story Mode. The game also allows various players to swap items with the press of the Y button rather than using all of the items in order as a result of the double item boxes. Finally, the game introduces a new mechanic that is used in all races and battles, which is known as the Hyperspeed Meter. The Hyperspeed Meter is a type of speed meter that fills up by one segment every time the player drifts more often in each race and battle and successfully hits an opponent with their items, as it contains 20 segments (with one segment equivalent to five points. Once the Hyperspeed Meter is full (or reaches 100 points), the player can then activate Hyperspeed Mode, which gives him or her a temporary speed boost and allows them to counter all items and obstacles.
This table below shows the point comparison in Mario Kart 9 and compares it to the previous installments in the mainline Mario Kart series:
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | 9th | 10th | 11th | 12th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Super Mario Kart
Mario Kart 64 Mario Kart: Super Circuit |
9 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| Mario Kart: Double Dash!!
Mario Kart DS |
10 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | - | - | - | - |
| Mario Kart Wii | 15 | 12 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Mario Kart 7 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - |
| Mario Kart 8
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Mario Kart 9 |
15 | 12 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| Grove-green bg signifies victory results (great clapping, character(s) cheering), best after-race musicYellow-green bg signifies moderate results (mild clapping, moderate character reaction), same music in Wi-Fi as winner (different in MKDS GP)
Normal bg signifies losing results, losing music; - means not available In Super Mario Kart and Mario Kart Super Circuit, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race. If the racer does this badly four times, the Grand Prix must be started over. In Mario Kart 64, 5th or worse forces the player to retry the race, but without any restrictions on how many times the player can retry. Starting with Mario Kart: Double Dash to recent installments including this one, the Grand Prix normally goes forth. | ||||||||||||
Game Modes[]
Grand Prix[]
1-4 Players
Grand Prix is a game mode that allows the player to choose his or her engine class, character, vehicle combination, and cup before playing in that respective cup, as it is relatively similar to Grand Prix from the previous installments in the Mario Kart series. In this mode, the player competes against eleven other players (locally or globally) or computer-controlled players in a series of four races per cup. The Grand Prix has three engine classes at default, which are 50cc (Easy), 100cc (Medium), 150cc (Hard). After the player wins a trophy from all ten cups in 150cc, he or she unlocks 200cc (Very Hard) and must complete 200cc in order to unlock Mirror Mode (same as 200cc but the tracks are mirrored). After the player completes Mirror Mode, he or she unlocks the All-Cup Tour, which is returning from Mario Kart: Double Dash and allows him or her to race in all nitro or retro tracks in one go. After completing both All-Cup Tours, the player will unlock the All-Cup Tour Ultra, which is a brand new engine class that allows the player to race in every single track in the game in one go.
Time Trials[]
1 Player
Time Trials is a game mode that allows the player to choose a race track and race for the fastest time. The fastest times from each track are saved as ghost data and can be used to race against various ghosts of other players in order to improve his or her records, along with his or her friends. Each one of the race tracks in the game has a Staff Ghost, which includes a Standard Staff Ghost at default and an Expert Staff Ghost after the player beats the Standard Staff Ghost in each track. Additionally, the players can choose to race in 150cc or 200cc in each track, which returns from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Some of the new features in the mode are that the players can race against multiple ghosts at a time and upload their records on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Versus Mode[]
1-4 Players
Versus Mode is a game mode that allows the player(s) to customize the races by selecting custom settings, which include number of tracks, number of racers, CPU difficulty, engine class, and circumstances to win each race. Additionally, the players can choose whether to race individually or in teams, as the point system that is found in Versus Mode is the same as the point system that is found in Grand Prix.
There are some different modes that are found in Versus Mode, which include Normal Versus (which is similar to Grand Prix but with custom settings), Frenzy Chaos (which uses three items from an Item Box and activates Frenzy Mode after the player gets three of the same item), Elimination (which eliminates the last-place player from each race and continues until there is one player standing, who wins that race), Countdown (which allows the players to race as many laps as they can within a time limit), and Relay (which allows the player to use three different characters and vehicle combinations at once and switches to the next character after each lap).
Battle Mode[]
1-4 Players
Battle Mode is a game mode that allows the player(s) to battle against each other and their opponents in a battle arena, as they can choose to battle individually or in two teams, although some of the battle types have certain restrictions on whether the players can play individually or in teams (like Renegade Roundup and Peepa Panic, which only allow the players to only play in teams or individually respectively. Mario Kart 9 also provides a total of 6 battle types and 16 battle arenas that are found in Battle Mode, which consist of 8 nitro arenas and 8 retro arenas.
- Balloon Battle: Balloon Battle works similarly to the recent installments that are found in the Mario Kart series, in which the players must use items to pop the opponents' balloons. Each player starts with five balloons and gains a point when they successfully hit their opponents with their items, but will lose a balloon if they get hit by an opponent. If the player loses all of the balloons, they lose half of their points and are then respawned with three balloons. Whichever player or team has the most points after the timer runs out wins.
- Coin Runners: Coin Runners is relatively similar to the recent installments in the series, as the players must collect as many coins as possible and use items to make the opponents lose their coins. There is no limit to how many coins that each player can collect in each battle, as collecting each coin gives the players a small speed boost. Once the player is hit by an item from an opponent, they lose up to three coins (depending on how many coins they have). The winner is the player or team who has the most coins after the timer runs out.
- Renegade Roundup: Renegade Roundup is a team battle type that returns from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and works similarly to "cops and robbers", as the players are divided into two teams, which are Authorities and Renegades. The main objective in the Authorities are to capture all of the Renegades using their attached Potted Piranha Plants before the timer runs out, as the Renegades must avoid being caught by the Authorities and find a key, which can activate the Key Button to free the captured Renegades from the cell. If the Authorities catch all of the Renegades, they win. However, the Renegades win if at least one of the them is still free after the timer runs out.
- Bob-omb Blast: Bob-omb Blast works similarly to the same mode from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, as the players must use the Bob-ombs from the Item Boxes and throw them at the opponents to get points. Each player starts with five balloons, like in Balloon Battle, as he or she wins a point if he or she successfully hit the opponent with their Bob-omb and lose half of his or her points if he or she loses all of the balloons. Whichever player or team has the most points after the timer runs out wins.
- Moon Thief: Moon Thief is a new battle type that works relatively similar to Shine Thief from Mario Kart: Double Dash and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The players must find the Power Moon that spawns somewhere in the arena and hold on to it until time runs out, as the opponents can use items to knock the Power Moon out of the possession and steal it. To balance things out, the player who has the Power Moon will have reduced speed, which makes him or her easier for the opponents to attack him or her. Whoever has the Power Moon after the timer runs out wins the game.
- Peepa Panic: Peepa Panic is a brand new battle type that is relatively similar to Boo Tag from Mario Party DS and can only be played individually. In this battle type, three Peepas will appear and possess three randomly-selected players, as the rest of the players must avoid the possessed ones or they will pass the Peepa onto them. Each player starts with 100 points and decreases whenever a player is tagged by a Peepa, as their point counter will slowly recover after they successfully passed the Peepa to another player. If the point counter reaches 0, then the player is eliminated, as three more Peepas will appear and possess more racers when the timer has 20 seconds left. The winner is the player who is the last one standing or has the most points after the timer runs out.
Story Mode[]
1 Player
Story Mode is a brand new game mode that follows the player to the main storyline of the game, which is the first in the mainline Mario Kart series. The mode allows the player to freely drive in each world and complete a wide variety of missions and races in order to defeat Bowser and his minions and retrieve the Champion's Trophy from him. Additionally, the player will start as Mario with the standard vehicle combination (which includes a Standard Kart, Standard Tires, and a Standard Glider) and can recruit more characters like Luigi and Donkey Kong from each world and purchase more vehicle parts from the shop using their collected coins.
The story begins when Mario happily races with Luigi and his friends in Mario Circuit before meeting Lakitu, who tells them that the ninth annual Mario Kart tournament is starting soon. After that, they follow Lakitu to Peach's Castle and sees the Champion's Trophy in front of them, which surprised them. Suddenly, Mario and his friends heard a loud boom from one of Bowser's airships and saw Bowser and his minions, who were angry and attacked the castle because they are not invited to participate in the tournament. They then stole the Champion's Trophy and kidnapped Peach before claiming that they are the champions of the tournament. Mario then fought against Bowser using his items, but he was knocked out of the airship and landed on a faraway island before Bowser laughed and flew away with the Champion's Trophy and Peach. Mario then wakes up and meets Lakitu, who tells him that he is in Mushroom Island and explains the situation between him and Bowser before asking him to retrieve the Champion's Trophy, in which he accepts and goes on his newest kart-racing adventure.
In Story Mode, the player can access different areas of each world, which include an area that allows the player to freely drive and an area with many different numbered pipes, which can access many different races and missions (which return from Mario Kart DS). If the Warp Pipe is green, then the particular mission is unlocked, as the mission is locked if the Warp Pipe is grey and can be unlocked after the player clears the previous mission(s). Each world also features a shop that allows the players to use their coins to purchase additional vehicle parts and a garage that allows them to change the character and vehicle combination. All of the worlds that are found in Story Mode feature fifteen missions to complete (with the last one being a boss battle) with the exception of Special Spaceway, which consists of thirty difficult missions (with the last one being a final-challenge mission), which leads to a total of 150 missions to complete.
Worlds[]
Mario Kart 9 features a total of nine worlds that are found in the world map of Story Mode, which consist of eight regular worlds and a special world that is unlocked after the player defeats Bowser as the final boss.
- World 1: Mushroom Island (Boss: Larry Koopa)
- World 2: Dry Dry Desert (Boss: Roy Koopa)
- World 3: Tropical Shores (Boss: Iggy Koopa)
- World 4: Frozen Snowlands (Boss: Wendy O. Koopa)
- World 5: Miracle Land (Boss: Lemmy Koopa)
- World 6: Boo Grove (Boss: Morton Koopa Jr.)
- World 7: Volcanic Ruins (Boss: Ludwig von Koopa)
- World 8: Bowser's Castle (Bosses: Bowser Jr. and Bowser)
- World S: Special Spaceway (Boss: None)
Characters[]
Mario Kart 9 features a total of 54 playable characters, which consists of 38 returning characters and 16 newcomers (including six new characters from Mario Kart Tour), and is currently the most number of playable characters that is found in any mainline Mario Kart game (excluding Mario Kart Tour).
Returning[]
.png "Princess Daisy (Or Hoshmand).png (123 KB)")
.png "Toad (Or Hoshmand).png (38 KB)")
.png "Koopa Troopa (Or Hoshmand).png (119 KB)")
.png "Roy Koopa (Or Hoshmand).png (3.3 MB)")
.png "Iggy Koopa (Or Hoshmand).png (120 KB)")
.png "Morton Koopa Jr. (Or Hoshmand).png (153 KB)")
Newcomers[]
.png "Boom Boom (MK9).png (151 KB)")
Items[]
As in all Mario Kart games, Mario Kart 9 features various items that can be used during races and battles, as they are found in the Item Boxes that are found throughout the tracks and provide a roulette that spins to reveal the item. Since the items can help the player(s) and/or hinder the opponents, the items are important in the game, which varies in usefulness depending on the distance from the frontrunner (although the items have to be more balanced than it was in Mario Kart 8 and its deluxe counterpart). Additionally, all players can carry up to two items at once in all races and battles and swap items from the roulette using the Y Button on the controllers (except Frenzy Chaos, which gives the players three items and activates Frenzy Mode if they get three of the same item).
The game provides a wide variety of returning items and new items, as the items that are found in the tracks are Item Boxes and Coins. Additionally, some of the controls return from the previous installments outside of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, which includes triple bananas that are lined up behind the kart and explosions from Bob-ombs and Spiny Shells that launch the players upwards rather than sideways. Finally, some of the items (like the Bullet Bill and Spiny Shell) are typically rarer than other items (like Green Shells and Bananas) in order to balance out the gameplay and make things more fair.
Returning Items[]
| Item | Description |
| Banana | The Banana protects the player from incoming items and spins out opponents that hit it. |
| Triple Bananas | The Triple Bananas line up behind the kart and perform the same role as the Banana. |
| Green Shell | The Green Shell travels in a straight line and knocks over an opponent that it hits. |
| Triple Green Shells | The Triple Green Shells orbit around the kart and protects the player from incoming attacks. |
| Red Shell | The Red Shell homes in on the closest opponent in front of the player and knocks it over. |
| Triple Red Shells | The Triple Red Shells orbit around the kart and protects the player from incoming attacks. |
| Yoshi Egg | The Yoshi Egg is relatively similar to the Red Shell, but it spews out three random items after it knocks over the opponent. |
| Heart | The Heart contains five small hearts that orbit around the kart and protect the player from the opponents' items for a limited time. |
| Mushroom | The Mushroom gives the player a small speed boost once it is used. |
| Triple Mushrooms | The Triple Mushrooms gives the player three Mushrooms that each contain three separate speed boosts. |
| Golden Mushroom | The Golden Mushroom gives the player unlimited and continuous speed boosts for a short time. |
| Mega Mushroom | The Mega Mushroom enlarges the player in terms of size and allows him or her to crush the opponents for a limited time. |
| Fake Item Box | The Fake Item Box has the same colors as the real Item Box but has an inverted question mark and hits opponents that touch it. |
| Fire Flower | The Fire Flower allows the player to throw fireballs that cause opponents to spin out upon impact for a limited time. |
| Boomerang Flower | The Boomerang Flower can be thrown up to three times and hits opponents forwards/backwards and when it returns to the player after its first and second uses. |
| Super Star | The Super Star temporarily gives the player invincibility from all terrain and items and gives them a speed boost. |
| Blooper | The Blooper sprays ink on all racers that are ahead the user and reduces their visibility and traction while being sprayed. |
| Bob-omb | The Bob-omb explodes after a short amount of time and knocks over any racer in its blast radius. |
| Boo | The Boo temporarily gives the player invisibility and steals an item from an opponent, which is then given to the player to use. |
| Piranha Plant | The Piranha Plant automatically chomps on various obstacles and racers and gives the player a short speed boost for each bite. |
| Spiny Shell | The Spiny Shell travels and chases after the racer in first place while also knocking over other opponents that are in its path. |
| Super Horn | The Super Horn emits a radial shockwave that hits various racers and destroys obstacles, including the Spiny Shell. |
| Lightning | The Lightning strikes at all of the opponents and causes them to drop their items, shrink, and drive slowly for a brief amount of time. |
| Bullet Bill | The Bullet Bill temporarily transforms the player into a Bullet Bill and rockets through the track, along with knocking over any kart that are along its way. |
New Items[]
*Under Construction*
| Item | Description |
|---|---|
| Ice Flower | The Ice Flower is similar to the Fire Flower, except that the player can throw ice balls to freeze and encase their opponents in an ice block for three seconds. |
| Double Cherry | The Double Cherry spawns a clone out of the player and uses two of the same items after touching an Item Box, as the clone disappears after the player is hit or falls off of the track. |
| Propeller Mushroom |
Cups/Tracks[]
*Under Construction*