Mario Kart World continues the series’ tradition of providing a simply awesome game to play with friends and online. Updated techniques, a great new mode, and a fun (if a little confusing) Free Roam make it feel like an exciting evolution, and even provide something extra for the single player. However, much like its predecessor did at launch, it also feels like there’s significant room for improvement & additions.

Following up on the best-selling non-bundled Nintendo game of all time was always going to be tough. Then throw in that it had to handle the mantle of being the Switch 2’s only real launch title, AND was also going to cost $80 (R1999), and Mario Kart World had a lot to do to win over everyone’s affection. Now, having played it (almost exclusively) for just over a month – I’m happy to report that, on the whole, both fans of the series and newcomers have a lot to be excited about. However, like the Genie told Aladdin, “There are a few, uh, provisos…”. So, let’s break down what’s new, what makes a comeback, and how this affects the game with friends, online and even as a single-player…

Start your engines…

As a huge Mario Kart 8 Deluxe fan, I was really excited about what new stuff World would be bringing and how they’d freshened up the classics. So, let’s get that out of the way. On what’s new… first of all, the game looks great. The Switch 2 is similar in form and function to its predecessor; however, the improved processing power and especially the increased framerates make Mario Kart World smooth and beautiful. As usual, Nintendo has taken great care to make this cartoony racer bright and welcoming, and there are tons of little details all over the place. The music is fantastic, with remixes of so many Mushroom Kingdom classics that even while streaming, I often found myself pausing to appreciate a new bit of music. It deserves its own player – that’s how good it is. This time around, rather than being able to customise the vehicle, wheels and glider, you only select a kart and then a character (different costumes of which you unlock as you play the game and consume Dash Food items). I was a bit bummed about this at first, however, it has grown on me – but I do hope we get some DLC packs with more costumes and vehicles along the way.

New Charge Jumps and Wall/Rail rides mean you can now perform insane combos that chain together drift boosts, grinds and jump tricks into even crazier shortcuts!

Racing controls feel familiar with drifting to charge mini-boosts, which are still vitally important, especially on twisty tracks. However, thanks to the addition of Charge Jumps (your character basically squats down during the race and then bounces up – like one of those 90s pop up toys), and Wall/Rail rides (Tony Hawk in a Kart), you can now perform insane combos that chain together drift boosts, grinds and jump tricks and even crazier shortcuts are now possible. This takes a little getting used to, but the basics were easy enough for even new players (like my friends and family) to pick up. New power-ups like the Mega Mushroom and Ice Flower have been added giving you some cool new attacking options, while the Shock (which only affects racers in front of you) and Boo (which not only steals an item but also allows you to maintain pace off-road) have been tweaked too – and the new balance will feel a little off for MK8D players at first, but soon you also get the hang of this too.

Three…

As a single player, the familiar favourites, Grand Prix Cups, Battle mode (only Balloon Battel and Coin Colleting games here though) and Time Trials, are back. The latter feels pretty much the same as it always did, except that the new techniques definitely raise the bar for what’s possible for the very skilled racers, and online World Records (and Ghosts that you can download) are, even a month in, a sight to behold. Now, before jumping into the changes in Grand Prix, it makes more sense to talk a little bit about the much-anticipated (and subsequently somewhat maligned) Free Roam mode. So, Nintendo’s early marketing seemed to highlight that one of the biggest changes in this new game was that, rather than several free-standing tracks with defined starting and end points, Mario Kart World would feature a big map. Within this map, you could drive around, not only within the tracks but also in the spaces and routes between them, unlocking secrets, refining skills and perhaps even occasionally meeting up with online friends along the way. People quickly assumed they were getting Nintendo’s version of Forza Horizon’s vibrant open world, teeming with activities… and unfortunately, that’s not exactly what you got.

Free Roam is not quite Mario Forza Horizon, but as a little chilled extra single-player mode, I loved it!

While some, therefore, feel the Free Roam is a bit bland and disappointing, I actually really enjoyed it. Sure, it’s not the big new mode many were expecting – however, I think that was more a marketing blunder than a design one. The opening screen displays Free Roam not as a flashy new mode, but rather as a small option hidden on the bottom right of the score. And seen in this light (as a fun little ‘extra’ for playing on your own), I have loved it. It is a very chilled mode and relies on your self-guided curiosity. However, thanks to P-Switch Challenges (short, timed missions that range from collecting 8 blue coins to completing an insanely tough route before the time runs out), Question Block Panels (5 hidden panels in each track area that you need to activate), and Peach Medallions (special coins located in tricky spots around the world) – I was more than happy roaming around and checking items off a list. I found it all very calming. Of course, the fact that there’s no story mode here to link you to each new area, or to encourage you to try different characters, and having to good way to track where P-Switches and Gold Medallions are located does feel like a missed opportunity and a little confounding – but I suspect that this will likely be more enjoyable that you’ve heard it to be. It’s a fun, if a little incomplete, new addition. And talking of new additions…

Two…

It’s probably time to talk about Grand Prixs. This is a returning mode – and yes, it still consists of 4 races per cup at 50, 100 and 150CC and Mirror Mode options (no 200CC yet unfortunately). This may all seem very familiar; however, the tweak this time around is that rather than completing three laps in each location, you only do three laps on the first track. Then, the second race consists of driving (mostly in a straight line) to the next location before completing (usually) one lap there. This process is repeated for races three and four. Now, I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, driving along the open world is pretty cool; however, the fact that these ‘intermissions or routes’ are less windy than the tracks themselves, drifting becomes less important, and item management is everything. In fact, when playing online, ‘bagging’ (waiting at the back for better items before rushing to the end in the last moments) seems to be the only way of consistently scoring points. And that’s a pity. From what I’ve seen online, many of Mario Kart’s loudest fans don’t like the intermissions for this and related reasons. Nintendo then made it worse for themselves by basically forcing online players to race intermissions way more often than full three-lapped tracks.

Racing between tracks is not a home run, and Battle Mode needs work

That being said, I don’t think intermissions are as boring as others do. And I think it forces you to improve different skills. Plus, given that you can create your own rooms (using just three-lapped tracks) this isn’t as big an issue as some feel it is. Also, given that MK8D featured 96 different tracks and World has far fewer than those, I also suspect Nintendo didn’t want to allow people to not use the intermissions (which number in the hundreds) for fear that then people would complain that the game would not have enough content. It’s a little confusing, but in my experience of playing both offline on my own (where the PC seems to have gotten faster) and online, Grand Prix is still a great challenging mode (especially now with the chaos that comes from 24 racers) and still where I spent a  most of my time. That is… when I wasn’t snoozing through Battle Mode (it is definitely the weakest new mode, and so the less said about it the better) and giggling with glee in Knockout Tour mode…

One…

One of the best feelings in any Mario Kart game, is when you’re towards the back of the racing pack and the finish line is quickly approaching, but just then you realise you have the perfect combo of items and with a well placed bo-bomb, a stream of golden dash mushroom boosts and maybe even the big bad blue spiky shell you destroy the racers in front of you and pass a dismayed race leader just before the checkered flag. It’s exhilarating. Nintendo obviously knew this and figured out that by creating a race where you follow a long route across the map, separated by gates (which sequentially knock out the last 4 racers) they could distil that feeling and give it to you several times per race. It’s such a fun and often chaotic mode. As a single-player (and a somewhat experienced Mario Kart fan) I still haven’t managed to get 3 stars in each cup offline, and online… I still haven’t finished first. And yet, I keep playing this mode. With 24 racers, the tension and push and pull of each race is so enjoyable that this new mode is undoubtedly the new star of the show. Especially if you’re on your own.

 Mario Kart World is an almost perfect Party Game and Knockout Tour steals the show!

Thankfully, though, as a party game, especially with friends on the couch with you of different skill levels, it’s hard to find something better. As before, you can play 4 players on the same screen and doing this with both my family and friends was awesome. We tried Grand Prix, Knockout Tour and even Ballong Battle (which works better as a couch co-op) and enjoyed them all. Plus, having access to the Switch 2 camera meant we could even make our competitive little faces hover above our karts and pull off our own Luigi-face as we drifted past each other in a mixture of evil joy. to Being able to toggle between several accessibility features (like auto-accelerate, steering assists, and more) allowed even new players to have a ball. It is simply fantastic. The higher framerates also shine in 4-player splitscreen, and in fact, my only recommendation here would be to try and find the biggest screen possible to play, because the amazing colours and action are overwhelming on something too small.

GO!

Someone recently asked me if I preferred Mario Kart World to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. And I’ve got to be honest, it was a tough question. The truth is that MK8D (after 10 years of improvements from its initial launch on the WiiU) was pretty much a perfect game in my book, and Mario Kart World just isn’t. Yet. You see, it’s probably not fair to compare what MKW is like now to what MK8D ended up being. So, the better question may be – is MKW better than MK8 was when it launched? And I think that answer is a resounding yes. There are great new modes, the new techniques feel awesome to master and quick enough to pick up, and both online and couch match-ups feel fun, competitive and addictive. However, is Free Roam perfect? No. Have we completely figured out if Intermission tracks should be part of regular racing? No. Is the way of unlocking karts and characters ideal? Probably not. Should this have been the launch game, and more importantly, should this have been the one that cost $80 (R1999)? Maybe not, and I’m not sure – but I suspect the average consumer won’t think so. So, there is definitely room for improvement. Yet, even now, this is a very good video game. In fact, I’ve played it almost exclusively for a month and I can’t wait to get back… and I think if you’re a fan or in need of a party game – Mario Kart World just has to be the first part of your Switch 2 library.

REVIEW CODE PROVIDED BY: NINTENDO

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