Mario Kart World may seem like a safety-first Switch 2 launch game, but did you know that the plumber’s incredible racing series has never been the flagship title for an all-new console? It’s good, then, that Nintendo has pulled out all the stops to make it the most feature-rich Mario Kart game ever.
Nine mainline entries deep, this latest game takes inspiration from other genre leaders like Forza Horizon and expands the series’ scope with an open world bursting with Nintendo Magic.
Before my hands-on, I was concerned that Mario Kart altering its traditional format would be in danger of sacrificing or, at the very least, diluting the core arcade experience.
After sinking several hours into Switch 2’s flagship title, Nintendo’s vision is clear – Mario Kart World doesn’t enforce its vast exploration on the player. It wants you to play how you want and does so seamlessly.
Welcome detour
Think of Mario Kart World’s free roam as a playground where you’re free to complete dry runs of different tracks alone or with friends, practice stunts, put the brakes on for photo ops, or hunt down collectibles.
Littered every which way on World’s map are P-Switches. Bonk these with your character and kart of choice, and they’ll trigger a bite-sized time trial to complete.
I only managed to find a handful of these between races, but of those I found, all were unique. Collect coins, avoid oncoming traffic (Shy Guys are bad drivers) to reach the goal, or perform a sequence of flawless rail grinds – variety aplenty.
Elsewhere, I spotted a collectible coin embossed with Peach’s face aloft some scaffolding. Reaching it required some light puzzle-solving involving a pressurized manhole cover, but I was pulled into another race before getting one coin richer.
There’s something to do everywhere you look in World’s, well, world. Every side distraction in free roam does share a common thread of never outstaying its welcome, in what is surely by design.
It’s time to race
Races can be started up by hosts of a multiplayer free-roam session at any time. You’re free to opt in or out of these at your discretion, with the host able to set various parameters, including how long an intermission between races lasts.
It’s a smart design decision that results in an addictive gameplay loop. Complete a race and then spend a few minutes of downtime completing overworld activities either alone or with the opponents you just went head-to-head against. Rinse; repeat.
As expected, World’s numerous tracks collectively represent its headline act, all fighting to one-up each other in spectacle. There are no laps to do in the traditional sense here. Instead, each stage delivers a non-repeating race to the finish line that feels like a grandiose cross-country tour.
DK Spaceport captures what makes this new approach so delightful perfectly. Beginning in a construction site-like area, the track, punctuated at every turn with references to the original NES Donkey Kong, crescendos in a near-vertical climb up zigzagging girders and a ride into space while avoiding barrels thrown by a gigantic Robo DK.
Visual storytelling wasn’t what I expected in a Mario Kart game, but that’s exactly what every one of World’s locations feels like.
Opportunities to get ahead of your teammates with alternate routes is familiar from earlier games, but feels vastly expanded. Some of these can only be accessed by performing rail grinds or wall-driving maneuvers, often requiring a sequence of both to remain on the route.
Some are so extensive that they feel like individual tracks in their own right and an oh-so-satisfying reward for investing time in learning their layout.
Racing Royale
VS and Battle mode return from previous entries with more options to complement party play, but it’s Knockout Tour, a brand new addition, that utterly stole my heart during the preview.
Here, 24 players participate in a standard race with a twist. At predetermined checkpoints on the track, the number of players that qualify to continue shrinks as each is passed. Fail to meet the threshold, and you’ll be eliminated, left with the option to spectate or search for a new thrill ride.
It’s a fantastic addition that leans into Mario Kart’s reputation as a go-to party game. Grab some friends, throw in the usual gamut of item pickups plus comeback mechanics, and revel in the boos and hurrahs as winners and losers are decided at regular intervals.
Keeping up
In the five hours I spent with Mario Kart World, I never encountered any performance slips when the Switch 2 was docked. The only time the frame rate dropped below 60 FPS was during four-player split-screen. The game intentionally reduces to 30 FPS in such instances while retaining the 60 benchmark with two-player same-screen play.
Unceremoniously eliminated early from one final Knockout Tour session before the preview came to a close, I found myself enthralled with the new Mario Kart format. Its gameplay proves it’s meant to be the adventure to usher in a new console generation for Nintendo.
Mario Kart World feels like a greater progression for the series than a numbered entry could justify. Nintendo might not be releasing many all-new games for Switch 2’s launch, but Mario Kart World is looking like a classic, something that will keep delivering fun long into the console’s lifespan.
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