Official Next Smash - Speculation & Discussion Thread

[dream1ng]

Actually there are more than 12 racers present in the trailer.

Around 1:53 you can see Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Rosalina, Baby Daisy (I think), Toadette, Birdo, and King Boo in the back.

I think there are 16 racers, but I could be off.

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Sounds like y'all are really gonna hate the new DK game then

What do you know that we don't?

 

[dream1ng]

What do you know that we don't?

Stands to reason the design shift won't be relegated simply to Mario Kart.

 

[Gengar84]

I can still enjoy a game even if I don’t care for the design of the character. Like I’m pretty indifferent to Banjo’s design but I found his game a ton of fun. I don’t really hate DK’s new look, I just think it’s a big step down from his previous appearance. If the game is good, I’ll still be able to enjoy it.

 

[Slime Scholar]

Actually there are more than 12 racers present in the trailer.

Around 1:53 you can see Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Rosalina, Baby Daisy (I think), Toadette, Birdo, and King Boo in the back.

I think there are 16 racers, but I could be off.

there's spots in the starting position for 24 racers.

 

[Laniv]

They better make sure those new joy cons don't drift

 

[NintenRob]

Would they really update the design for DK like this right after opening a theme park using his regular design.

The new Mario Kart seems to be going for a cuter look so I doubt this will be standard. Peach's dress seems poofier (and she has it on a bike)

 

[dream1ng]

there's spots in the starting position for 24 racers.

I know, I said that in the post before that one. I just counted how many racers I saw in the trailer.

 

[SMAASH! Puppy]

I think it's too early to say how much Donkey Kong's redesign is going to carry through. The new Mario Kart is going for a very specific look, which is probably more different than Donkey Kong Country's artstyle than it's ever been (at least for a Mario spinoff with DK in it). This DK in a Donkey Kong Country game would require said game to look...probably something like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which I doubt they'll do.

He might look like this in the next sports/party game though, but even then I have my doubts.

 

[NintenRob]

I think it's too early to say how much Donkey Kong's redesign is going to carry through. The new Mario Kart is going for a very specific look, which is probably more different than Donkey Kong Country's artstyle than it's ever been (at least for a Mario spinoff with DK in it). This DK in a Donkey Kong Country game would require said game to look...probably something like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which I doubt they'll do.

He might look like this in the next sports/party game though, but even then I have my doubts.

They'd also have to update on the kongs to match this Donkey Kongs aesthetic, I feel Funky especially would be weird

 

[fogbadge]

These things are never done out of spite, just stupidity.

ah yes the confuse not for malice that which can be attributed to stupidity saying. I forget what it’s called

 

[Perkilator]

In the start of the Mario Kart gameplay footage, there are road signs blocking what seems to be another path on the road as the racers drive onto the dirt. Are they...are they making new tracks wih unique laps, like the Tour city tracks in 8 Deluxe?!

 

[Opossum]

If I counted everyone correctly, the current confirmed roster for Mario Kart 9 is this:

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Pauline, Yoshi, Birdo, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Koopa Troopa, Lakitu, Shy Guy, King Boo, Bowser, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina

That's twenty-three characters. We know there will be at least 24 due to the new race size.

I tallied up all of the Mario Kart characters who aren't confirmed by the amount of times they've been playable to help see who the biggest omissions are at the moment. I only included Tour in the tally if the character is exclusive to Tour, and left out the Bandai-Namco arcade games and Home Circuit for simplicity.

Three Games: Miis, Bowser Jr., Diddy Kong, Dry Bones

Two Games: Funky Kong, Wiggler, Metal Mario, Dry Bowser, Petey Piranha

One Game: DK Jr., Paratroopa, R.O.B., Honey Queen, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Kamek, Larry, Iggy, Lemmy, Wendy, Morton, Roy, Ludwig, Peachette, Link, Villager, Isabelle, Inkling

Tour Exclusive: Hammer Bro, Fire Bro, Ice Bro, Boomerang Bro, Dixie Kong, Monty Mole, King Bob-Omb, Chargin' Chuck, Poochy, Captain Toad, Nabbit


Edit: Updated to include King Boo and Birdo being confirmed.

Edit 2: Shy Guy confirmed.

 

[AreJay25]

Finally, the Switch 2 is announced.

I look forward to going through this same song and dance again in a few years when there's rumors of a Switch 2 Pro.

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

My main thought is that that clip with the Joy-Cons having glide pads and sliding across the ground would imply that the mouse functionality rumour is true in some form, and if that's the case it better be compatible with Prime 4.

 

[dream1ng]

I think it's too early to say how much Donkey Kong's redesign is going to carry through. The new Mario Kart is going for a very specific look, which is probably more different than Donkey Kong Country's artstyle than it's ever been (at least for a Mario spinoff with DK in it). This DK in a Donkey Kong Country game would require said game to look...probably something like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, which I doubt they'll do.

He might look like this in the next sports/party game though, but even then I have my doubts.

Specific look? Mario Kart doesn't tend to mess with designs that much. Sure they put them in dumb costumes sometimes, but the characters don't experience notable shifts in their standard appearance.

For it to just be one character of the "major cast"... it would seem fairly arbitrary if not reflective of a bigger design shift.

I mean... word on the street is he's getting a new game, which could be a departure from his recent fare... which would line up with an altered design, which would then circulate to other games...

 

[NintenRob]

If I counted everyone correctly, the current confirmed roster for Mario Kart 9 is this:

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Yoshi, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Koopa Troopa, Pauline, Bowser, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy

That's eighteen characters. We know there will be at least 24 due to the new race size.

I tallied up all of the Mario Kart characters who aren't confirmed by the amount of times they've been playable to help see who the biggest omissions are at the moment. I only included Tour in the tally if the character is exclusive to Tour, and left out the Bandai-Namco arcade games and Home Circuit for simplicity.

Three Games: Miis, Diddy Kong, Birdo, King Boo, Shy Guy (counting DS download play), Dry Bones

Two Games: Bowser Jr., Funky Kong, Wiggler, Lakitu, Metal Mario, Dry Bowser, Petey Piranha

One Game: DK Jr., Paratroopa, R.O.B., Honey Queen, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Kamek, Larry, Iggy, Lemmy, Wendy, Morton, Roy, Ludwig, Peachette, Link, Villager, Isabelle, Inkling

Tour Exclusive: Hammer Bro, Fire Bro, Ice Bro, Boomerang Bro, Dixie Kong, Monty Mole, King Bob-Omb, Chargin' Chuck, Poochy, Captain Toad, Nabbit

King Boo and Birdo are there

 

[Opossum]

King Boo and Birdo are there
View attachment 397799

Nice! Totally missed them. Glad they're back.

 

[Slime Scholar]

I know, I said that in the post before that one. I just counted how many racers I saw in the trailer.

Apologies. Didn't see that- new page and all.

Would they really update the design for DK like this right after opening a theme park using his regular design.

The new Mario Kart seems to be going for a cuter look so I doubt this will be standard. Peach's dress seems poofier (and she has it on a bike)

Mario's face also looks a bit chubbier and reminiscent of his design in Wonder.

I'm not fussed about the change. We should probably expect this DK design in future games, but it also probably won't be uniformly used. I think Nintendo should tweak its character designs in an ad hoc way as part of giving their games distinct visual identities.

 

[pitchfulprocessing]

King Boo and Birdo are there
View attachment 397799

King Boo being base game is nice.

 

[Diddy Kong]

I missed a lot of **** apparently !

And damn? New DK looks kinda ugly... Not gonna lie.

We can now truly speculate for a new Smash it seems!

Also, Diddy better be in that new Mario Kart before another 10 years or so pass.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

Apologies. Didn't see that- new page and all.

Mario's face also looks a bit chubbier and reminiscent of his design in Wonder.

I'm not fussed about the change. We should probably expect this DK design in future games, but it also probably won't be uniformly used. I think Nintendo should tweak its character designs in an ad hoc way as part of giving their games distinct visual identities.

Why is DK the only character who can't just keep using his iconic 30 years old design?
It's just weird. It's like they have a bone to pick with him.

 

[SubspaceJigglypuff]

おおっ! https://t.co/2k0XASu4rR

— 桜井 政博 / Masahiro Sakurai (@Sora_Sakurai) January 16, 2025

Sak's excited too. He knows he's about to cook

 

[Swamp Sensei]

Why is DK the only character who can't just keep using his iconic 30 years old design?
It's just weird. It's like they have a bone to pick with him.

The others have design changes too.

 

[SneakyLink]

If I counted everyone correctly, the current confirmed roster for Mario Kart 9 is this:

Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Rosalina, Pauline, Yoshi, Birdo, Toad, Toadette, Wario, Waluigi, Donkey Kong, Koopa Troopa, King Boo, Bowser, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy

That's twenty characters. We know there will be at least 24 due to the new race size.

I tallied up all of the Mario Kart characters who aren't confirmed by the amount of times they've been playable to help see who the biggest omissions are at the moment. I only included Tour in the tally if the character is exclusive to Tour, and left out the Bandai-Namco arcade games and Home Circuit for simplicity.

Three Games: Miis, Diddy Kong, Shy Guy (counting DS download play), Dry Bones

Two Games: Bowser Jr., Funky Kong, Wiggler, Lakitu, Metal Mario, Dry Bowser, Petey Piranha

One Game: DK Jr., Paratroopa, R.O.B., Honey Queen, Baby Rosalina, Pink Gold Peach, Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach, Kamek, Larry, Iggy, Lemmy, Wendy, Morton, Roy, Ludwig, Peachette, Link, Villager, Isabelle, Inkling

Tour Exclusive: Hammer Bro, Fire Bro, Ice Bro, Boomerang Bro, Dixie Kong, Monty Mole, King Bob-Omb, Chargin' Chuck, Poochy, Captain Toad, Nabbit


Edit: Updated to include King Boo and Birdo being confirmed.

I think there’s a frame where if you squint you can see a Goomba in a Kart next to Toadette in the back of a shot.

 

[BritishGuy54]

Nice to see King Boo again.

I think Bowser Jr. really should be there. They’re probably waiting until Mar10 day for a closer look.

Actually, yeah. There’s a chance we get more Mario Kart info prior to the April Direct that got announced because of Mar10 Day.

We’ll probably get a tease of more Mario Kart 9 content, the Mario Movie 2 cast, and I dunno, a port of New Super Mario Bros. Wii or something to keep the Switch on life support.

 

[Opossum]

I think there’s a frame where if you squint you can see a Goomba in a Kart next to Toadette in the back of a shot.

If I'm thinking of the same thing you are, that was the back of Pauline's head.

 

[Sucumbio]

Glad Nate wasn't wrong! Love the larger size especially the joycons. I had to buy an 8bitdo adapter and play ultimate with my aging wii-chuck cause they were too small but these new ones look just big enough to fit comfortably. And yeah please no drift ><

 

[Gengar84]

I think there’s a frame where if you squint you can see a Goomba in a Kart next to Toadette in the back of a shot.

I hope so. Goomba was my most wanted Mario Kart character. Mario Party Jamboree proved that it can ride in a kart just fine. Now I just need Wart and Mouser.

 

[Opossum]

Also worth noting that the DK redesign isn't brand new. It was first seen on this calendar they put out recently.

 

[Ivander]

Pretty cool to see it finally announced.

Though man, gotta wait until April 2nd for all the juicy stuff.

 

[Lionfranky]

Also worth noting that the DK redesign isn't brand new. It was first seen on this calendar they put out recently.
View attachment 397800

Wasn't this design in other cover arts back in day?

 

[Opossum]

Wasn't this design in other cover arts back in day?

His old promo art used his former design.

 

[BuckleyTim]

I'm gonna become the guy that fully believes that the rumoured dk game epd is working on is actually a reboot that ignores anything past dk94 and replaces Diddy with Dk Jr.

Yes, Mario is the villain again somehow.

 

[Scrimblo Bimblo]

The others have design changes too.

Not nearly to a fraction of the same extent.
This DK might as well be a different character.

 

[Louie G.]

I’m here for the design updates, it’s nice to have something a little different. Too early to say how much this will expand out to everything else, the Donkey Kong design will be especially interesting to see the full extent of, but I’m happy with how stylized their approach is this time in a vacuum.

As someone who was head over heels about Wonder when they first showed it off I’m just happy to see such a splash of color and life brought to a cast that has been somewhat stagnant for a while - fundamentally the same since the Gamecube. It gets to a point where I’m kind of just happy that this game doesn’t look like the last one, I don’t know. Would be nice to see that same energy from Smash.

 

[Some AT-AT]

Also worth noting that the DK redesign isn't brand new. It was first seen on this calendar they put out recently.
View attachment 397800

Seems like it's here to stay as DK's new design then. Looks like a mix of his OG and DKC looks. Kinda like how Dedede got a new look for KatFL! Guess it's just something to get used to.

 

[PersonAngelo53]

On a side note. Kind of sucks we have to wait so long for the Nintendo direct now. It’s gonna be a long time before we get any big Nintendo games announced now. We only really have Xenoblade X as for big games are concern to look forward to at the moment. Not counting Metroid prime 4 or the new Mario kart since we don’t have enough info on those yet.

 

[Gorgonzales]

To me the new mario kart models look like how the characters looked in Wonder which is super neat. I actually think it's cool to see DK's face updated since, and let's be real here, he looked really ugly in 8. Glad to see he has some more expression in his face.

 

[PeridotGX]

On a side note. Kind of sucks we have to wait so long for the Nintendo direct now. It’s gonna be a long time before we get any big Nintendo games announced now. We only really have Xenoblade X as for big games are concern to look forward to at the moment. Not counting Metroid prime 4 or the new Mario kart since we don’t have enough info on those yet.

I was really hoping that I watched the European version of the trailer, and the "4/2/2025" meant February 4th. Alas...

at least we'll get new information on Pokemon Legends Z-A on Pokemon day?