Mario Kart World Snubs Wonder Flower—Did Nintendo Overlook Its Best New Power-Up?

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Among all the fresh characters, karts, and other elements coming to Mario Kart World, it appears that there’s one specific power-up conspicuously absent from its arsenal that would have been ideal for the launch title of the Nintendo Switch 2. Much like previous versions of Mario Kart introduced new items to their repertoire, such as Mario Kart 8 introducing the Boomerang Flower from Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart World follows suit by presenting unique power-ups like the Coin Shell, Kamek, and Dash Food. However, it seems that Mario Kart World might have overlooked a potentially valuable addition to its roster of items, one that could have enriched the game in numerous ways.

Moving on from the revival of side-scrolling gameplay in Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which was released in 2023 to widespread praise, this game garnered notable attention for its unique power-ups. Power-ups such as the Elephant Fruit, Bubble Flower, Badges, and notably, the Wonder Flower, set it apart with its transformative abilities. However, Mario Kart World, another release featuring a former character, seems to have overlooked Super Mario Bros. Wonder and the Wonder Flower, instead transforming that character into an ordinary item in their game.

Mario Kart World Could Have Capitalized On Super Mario Bros. Wonder

Following the Super Mario series’ triumph with several 3D games on the Nintendo Switch, like Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, the announcement and launch of a game such as SMB Wonder was a refreshing shift. However, considering that the console is nearing its end of life and whispers about its successor are in the air, it appears that SMB Wonder might be one of the final new Super Mario games for the Switch itself. Given its popularity and the possibility of SMB Wonder receiving an updated version for Switch 2, the least Nintendo could have done was integrate the game into Mario Kart World.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder Could Have Spared Mario Kart World’s Kamek

Apart from the ongoing debate about the cost of the game “Mario Kart World”, one of its latest additions has sparked disagreement due to its resemblance to the previous character, Kamek. The in-game item in question, also called Kamek, seems to produce random effects like summoning a horde of enemies and transforming players. This may imply that the game developers have opted not to include Kamek as a playable character any longer, instead choosing to incorporate this new item into “Mario Kart World”.

In a different approach, it may not be essential for Nintendo to create a new item like the Kamek item for Mario Kart World. Instead, they could have drawn inspiration from Super Mario Bros.’ Wonder Flower and made it a similar item in Mario Kart World. This would serve the same purpose as the transformative effects of the Kamek item while also allowing Kamek to reappear as a playable character. By incorporating the Wonder Flower into the broader Super Mario universe, it could pave the way for more characters, items, and elements from Super Mario Bros. to be included in Mario Kart World.

Mario Kart World Missed Out On Super Mario Bros. Wonder’s Characters, Locations, and More

It’s surprising that Nintendo didn’t include characters from the Super Mario Bros. Wonder game in Mario Kart World, given that it recently introduced lesser-known characters like Piantas and Conkdors. Even though Super Mario Bros. Wonder is unique as it features characters such as Prince Florian, Poplins, and the Flower Kingdom, incorporating the Wonder Flower instead of Kamek could have enriched the character and course selection in Mario Kart World even more. However, this omission might be strategic if Nintendo has plans for downloadable content (DLC) for Mario Kart World, similar to the Booster Course Pass in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

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2025-04-30 01:34