As the reveal of the Switch 2 neared its end, Mario Kart fans got very excited, as a few moments of what appeared to be the next game in the series were shown off. However, for a subset of those fans, the reveal was another crushing disappointment.
For those, like myself, desperate for a Double Dash!! 2, the lack of a second Mario character clinging onto the back of each kart for dear life was a total letdown.
Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, for those who aren’t aware of the greatest entry in the series, was the GameCube’s entry into the long-running racing franchise. Landing in 2003, it was also one of the most innovative ones ever released. See, in Double Dash!!, you didn’t drive your kart alone; instead, it was a co-op kart racer with one person driving the kart and the other in charge of launching projectiles and helping with power slides. It was an absolutely wild gamble that paid off with one of the best in-person racing experiences ever.
It, however, never caught on in the way other Mario Kart games did, possibly because it was on the underselling Game Cube or because folks were confused by the idea of co-op racing. Whatever the reason, Nintendo abandoned the concept, leaving behind a small but devoted fanbase who have been yearning for a sequel. That fanbase has once again been denied, and they aren’t happy about it.
Some fans haven’t given up hope, though. While this tiny teaser of the game doesn’t show any Double Dash!! action, there are those theorizing that it could be a secondary racing mode for the game. This is slightly more possible than usual considering the fact that the races now have 24 racers in them, doubling the normal amount. That means all you have to do is halve that amount and you could have 12 dual-kart racers in one race. Is it stretching a bit to make that connection? Sure. But as Double Dash!! devotees, we need to believe.
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User PKStarman also notes that there seem to be some items that were featured in Double Dash!! making a comeback in the next Mario Kart game, pointing out what appears to be a golden item box in the trailer. Are we all grasping at straws here? Of course, but a slim chance that more Double Dash!! is coming is better than realizing what is most likely the sad truth: Nintendo isn’t returning to co-op kart racing any time soon.
It should also be noted that this is most likely a very early teaser for the new game and that things will be changing for the final product. Of course, slapping an entire character onto the back of every kart is not one of those things, but it does mean that future reveals for the game will give us a much better idea of just how this Mario Kart will differentiate itself from Mario Kart 8, a game that has come to define the franchise for two entire console generations. While we may not get anything as groundbreaking as Double Dash!!, let’s all hope Nintendo has something more than just what amounts to another track expansion in store for us.
And for those still bummed about Double Dash!!, user draghanite has a small solution.
