Mario Kart 9 should step it up a gear by celebrating more of Nintendo's biggest franchises

One of my favorite tracks in Mario Kart 8 is Hyrule Circuit. The inventive course cuts through Hyrule Castle which houses the Master Sword at its center, and instead of featuring the standard gold coin collectibles and Piranha Plant hazards, it stays on theme by swapping them out with Rupees and Deku Babas. It's such a playful and engaging circuit that beautifully plays homage to one of Nintendo's most iconic and enduring series, The Legend of Zelda.

This week, that very racetrack was front of mind when I clapped eyes on the tailend of the Switch 2 first-look trailer. Because not only did Nintendo at last show off the long-awaited new console, but it also appeared to tease Mario Kart 9 playing on its display. While we're still awaiting an official announcement, I can't help but hope the next racing game taps into what makes the likes of Hyrule Circuit so magical. With Nintendo's extensive repertoire, there's so much more potential to get creative and deliver more tracks that celebrate its most beloved game series.

Fueled by themes

Hyrule Circuit is by no means the only example of a themed track in Mario Kart 8. Another personal favorite is the one set in the world of Animal Crossing, which features a host of different villagers, familiar stores, and four different seasonal variations - which loads in at random each time you race through it. Mute City based on the F-Zero series is yet another example, and there's also a neat Splatoon-themed Battle Stage, but there's so much scope for Nintendo to deliver more themed tracks in Mario Kart 9.

With such a rich tapestry of games making up Nintendo's storied history, there's no shortage of series to draw. Over Christmas, my sister and I even waxed lyrical about which game characters we'd love to see as new racers in a theoretical Mario Kart 9, as well as what games would make for perfect circuit fodder. Just imagine, for example, a track based on Paper Mario that captures its playful paper-y style and sense of humor. The recent re-release of A Thousand Year Door – aka one of the best GameCube games of all time – provides the perfect excuse to design a course around the classic RPG, and it would undoubtedly be a real delight to speed through. Some of the biggest upcoming Switch games we know about, such as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond, also beg to be paid homage to on the tarmac. I mean, a track themed around Samus and the Metroid series? Yes please.

And what about everyone's favorite pink puffball Kirby? With so many games under his belt, there's no end of possibilities when it comes to designing a racetrack that pays homage to one of Nintendo's most beloved characters. So much fun could be had incorporating his signature copy abilities in the item boxes, or working in some of the famous foes in Kirby's platforming adventures. Heck, if I had it my way, Kirby would also be a new racer, complete with a little star car modelled after his own racing game, Air Ride. I could go on and on with ideas, with everything from Pokemon to Pikmin and Starfox to Fire Emblem, which just speaks to how much fun Nintendo could and should have with its tracks in the next installment.

Honestly, I'm still kind of reeling over the fact that Mario Kart 9 could finally speed onto consoles in the future. It's been such a long time since we've had a new instalment, with Mario Kart 8 originally coming out all the way back in 2014 on the Wii U. After it got the Deluxe port over to the Switch some years later, 48 additional tracks have since been added to round out the experience, with nostalgic circuits and more recent racetracks plucked from various Mario Kart iterations across console generations. As my go-to game to play with my sister, I've lost count of the amount of hours I've sunk into the racer over the years.

But even if Mario Kart 8 continues to be one of the best racing games around, a new entry feels well overdue, and I can't think of a better way to kick things off for the Switch 2. If that does end up happening, as the recent trailer seems to suggest, I hope we see Nintendo seize the opportunity to make the most of its history and iconic series in whatever Mario Kart 9 ends up being. If more tracks like Hyrule Circuit come our way, you better believe I'll be revving up my engine to be the first one at the starting line of the new entry.

Catch up on all the news surrounding Nintendo's new console in our Switch 2 Spotlight.