Mario Kart 9: 10 Gameplay Features Fans Demand
1. Open-World Story Mode
The number of open worlds in racing games have been increasing steadily over the years. Diddy Kong Racing, SSX 3, Burnout Paradise, and most recently CTR Nitro-Fueled all have had open worlds to some degree.
Nintendo produces some of the best open worlds in existence; they practically invented them! Plus, the graphics in Mario Kart 8 are some of the best they've ever produced, so imagine exploring a world (or seven) that richly detailed at your leisure.
It would mean if you didn't feel like tackling any challenges or races your character could just explore the world, finding secrets, and taking pictures or collecting items. Each world/s would focus on a theme: Mushroom Kingdom, Bowser's Kingdom, ice, lava, desert, jungle, etc.
Think about how Mario could hop on a scooter in Odyssey and drive around New Donk City to each new challenge. Just replace the platforming with a race or similar equivalent.
If you incorporate a funny story, something akin to Paper Mario alongside all (or at least most) of the other features mentioned, then you'd have a game that would become everyone's obsession for the next seven years.