Mario Kart World Review

I have been a huge fan of the Mario Kart franchise since it began in 1992, which you probably know if you saw my article ranking all the games in the franchise. Mario Kart World was the big launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, and it is one of the reasons that I wanted to have the console at launch. I've had the game for about a month now, and I figure it is finally time for a review. I wanted to make sure that I played enough to give it a fair chance, especially if I am comparing it to other titles in the series that I have played for years. Will this entry feel just like all the others, or will it do something new and bring a breath of fresh air to the franchise?

As soon as you start Mario Kart World, you are introduced to an amazing-looking title screen. Everything has improved: it has vibrant HDR visuals, an improved framerate, all-new characters, and an awesome-sounding soundtrack. I appreciate that this title was the first to be released on the new console. It can be enjoyed on your own or with others, locally or online; it's not strictly a solo experience.

There are 30 tracks in Mario Kart World with many unique race course locations: driving through snow in Whistlestop Summit, the deserts of Faraway Oasis, cruising on the waves of Wario Shipyard, all while grinding on rails, performing stunts like flips, and using the Feather for an overpowered jump to access shortcuts and avoid enemy attacks. There is a lot more freedom in this version to explore on the tracks and a variety of shortcuts to use to get ahead of your opponents. I have a feeling that this is a game that Nintendo will continuously update with new content, like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Switch. I am sure that as time passes, we may get some new characters or maybe even some tracks to add to the existing stage list.

Each track in the circuit begins with a rolling start, like racing games Forza Horizon 5 and Gran Turismo 7. It doesn’t make a huge difference, but it looks really cool! Each cup seems to have a more gradual change from one course to the next, so they blend together, unlike abrupt changes in courses like in Mario Kart 8, where you are in a desert, then suddenly on a snow-covered course. Some tracks featured in earlier Mario Kart titles, like Moo Moo Meadows, are back here, but instead of being exactly the same, it is changed to seamlessly blend with the circuit that follow or precede it.

There are 24 racers on each track, so it gets quite chaotic at times, especially if you fall to the middle of the pack. It might seem frustrating, but with everyone clustered so close together, it’s easy to throw an item and take someone, or multiple racers, out! Mario Kart World introduces some new items that we haven't seen in the franchise before, like the Ice Flower, Coin Shell, Hammer Bros. Hammers, and the Kamek Transformation Block. The Feather item from the original Mario Kart on the SNES is back, and one item that has been around for years has gotten an upgrade: the mushroom is so useful now. In the past, it felt like a throwaway item that was kind of useless, but now, if you have a shroom, you can really close the gap between you and the racer in front of you or get a greater lead. It is one of my favourite items to use. Items like shells and bananas are automatically held behind you, which is cool, but if you are used to doing that by yourself, you may launch a few items by mistake because of muscle memory.

The roster of racers in Mario Kart World is made up of main and secondary characters. At the start, there are 17 main characters (Mario, Luigi, Peach, Bowser, etc.), and 15 secondary characters including Wiggler, Penguin, and Goomba, to play, as well as others you can unlock, making the overall total 50, with 24 being the primary racers and 26 NPC creatures. I love the new characters that we haven’t been able to use in a race before, like Swoop and the Dolphin, whereas my sons love the Cow and Snowman.

The primary racers have costumes to unlock, though if they are a new secondary character, like Chargin’ Chuck or Para-Biddybud, they currently do not have other clothing options and will just get a boost from the food. To unlock these new threads, you have to pick up the fast food bags that you find on trucks driving on the road or by visiting the Yoshi food stands during races. The clothing will change depending on the region that you are in. I found a lot of costumes while exploring in Free Roam, though each racer has a different number of outfits available to obtain.

Though I did find the character selection screen to be annoying to navigate because each character and their different outfits are shown separately. It would make more sense to display the basic character and a drop-down of alternate forms, allowing you to scroll faster through them, instead of flipping through multiple pages.

There are a few ways to unlock new competitors: primary characters are unlocked by competing in the Grand Prix and winning cups, whereas the secondary ones have you relying on Kamek’s Transformation Spell. The racer you have a chance of turning into will vary depending on the location of the race track. The tricky part is that one of your opponents, not you, has to pick up the Kamek item, and you have to be at a higher position than them. So if you get the item, it will transform someone in front of you. It is not a guarantee that you will get hit with the spell each race. I had to play the Dandelion Depth track 14 times before I was finally transformed into Sweeper, the adorable bat. This makes unlocking these extra characters incredibly challenging and pretty frustrating to do.

The other big change is with the vehicles you will be driving. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you picked the vehicle, the kind of tyres, and the glider, all of which changed the stats. Now, the only thing you select is the kart, and the driver will affect its stats. There is the option to put stickers on your ride, but no other customisation, like colour, can be made. It is worth checking the stats on each vehicle and how they change with the racer you selected. The game once again offers Smart Steering if you, or anyone, wants some assistance to stay on the track, but it may be turned on without you knowing, so if your kart isn't moving how you want, double-check this setting. I have found multiple times where it was set to on when I didn't want it.

Mario Kart World has a variety of modes to play. You can race in a Grand Prix to win a cup, Time Trial, Battle Mode on large open tracks, a Versus match, or as a team with other racers, where you combine all the coins everyone earned based on their placement for a team score. Then there is a new mode called Knockout Tour. We have played modes similar to this in other games like F-Zero, but it's new to the Mario Kart series.

This new mode is super fun and incredibly stressful; you have to stay above the cut-off line at the checkpoint to continue racing. I like how they take place on a long track made up of six individual courses flowing together, not just multiple laps where you are seeing the same thing multiple times. The sections that connect the courses together are totally new and make it feel like a longer journey with a variety of sights to see. There are six different checkpoints along the way where racers are cut out until you reach the final four. You can race locally with friends or online, where you test your skills against other anonymous players around the world. It's amazing how good other players are, especially when they know all the shortcuts and how to get all the boosts. Knockout Tour is intense!

The Free Roam mode is the opposite of the intense racing, as it is a very chill and laid-back experience. You have the freedom to drive around all the tracks and explore how they connect together, or just have fun cruising around. In this mode, I was able to unlock a lot of the different costumes for the primary characters. It is very easy to switch between the racer you are currently using by just pausing the game. You don't have to worry about going to the main menu to swap your character, as it can be done on the fly. The other benefit of having these costumes to unlock is that it gets you to try a variety of racers that you might not choose normally. I'm not usually the biggest fan of Wario or Pauline, but since they had new outfits to find, I was definitely trying them out.

There is so much to love about Mario Kart World. It looks and sounds amazing, the controls and racing feel really good, and I find this version feels more fair — when you get hit by items and vehicles, it’s not as devastating. Though I do find it insanely hard to unlock all the secondary characters since it is so random and you are relying on Kamek to show up and transform you. Plus, a more streamlined racer selection page would be nice. I am having a great time playing this game, especially locally with my family and friends, and I highly recommend checking this title out if you get the Switch 2.