I had one standout moment while previewing Mario Kart World as part of my Switch 2 hands-on at an exclusive Nintendo event recently.
Well, that’s a lie; I had many standout moments. Seeing the weather change mid-race in a non-scripted fashion, tossing a gaggle of new items down the course, and picking up collectibles that appeared to unlock new character skins – these were all incredible highlights.
But what stuck with me the most was the following moment. I was exploring a course reminiscent of Mario Kart 8’s Dragon Driftway, up high in the sky. I ended up falling off the course at a particularly sharp corner. ‘No big deal,’ I thought, Lakitu was bound to swoop in on his little cloud and plop me back on track. But he didn’t. And so I fell.
I fell for what felt like 10-15 seconds, eventually landing in a swamp-like region below. Now, I could hop back up to that original race track via a nearby geyser (and yes, Lakitu does still save you during actual race events). But the point is that I was genuinely quite stunned by how open Mario Kart World truly feels.
Just up that old dirt road
The word that best describes Switch 2 launch game Mario Kart World is ‘seamless.’ Both in and out of Grand Prix events, I didn’t see a single loading screen. Plus, the transition between race events is an event in itself; you don’t stop racing, and can instead use that time to reposition and prepare for another start line boost.
Mario Kart World’s ability to keep players in the game at all times is even more seamless than similar open-world titles like Forza Horizon (yes, we’re now in the business of comparing these two) series. Those games are fantastic, but free roaming and events are all segmented by rather lengthy loading screens. This doesn’t appear to be the case in Mario Kart World.
Now going back to my above example of falling without respawning. Should I really have been that surprised? Nintendo has confirmed that this is an open-world Mario Kart game after all. And while that’s true, I don’t think I was expecting it to be quite this open – almost as vertical as it is expansive.
As for exploration, while I didn’t get to do much in my hands-on with the game, I can already see the kinds of things Nintendo is going for. For one, a particular pick-up that looks oddly like the Nintendo 3DS eShop shopping bag mascot (rest in peace, King), seems to unlock new skins for World’s massive roster of characters. I can imagine the developers hiding these in every nook and cranny of the world, like Forza Horizon’s speed boards.
One curious thing, though, is that alternative looks for characters do not appear in a list for any given racer. Instead, they’re treated as their own character in the selection menu. There were two or three alternate looks for Princess Peach, for example, and each had its own listing as its own character.
This was admittedly a little concerning if only because it had me wondering if the character select screen would appear too bloated and unorganized after some time with the game. But I’ll have to get back to you on that.
Gas me up
I got to try two distinct racing modes in my hands-on time with Mario Kart World. Grand Prix has the usual Mario Kart format: sets up four races segmented into numerous cups. The big difference here, as mentioned, is that each race seamlessly transitions into the next. Races here also begin with a rolling start, lending this feeling that you’re always moving.
As an aside, I’ve been pretty glowing in my estimations of Mario Kart World so far, but I do have one major complaint. In its shift to an open world, I do fear that track design has lost some identity and that magical Mario flair.
While racing, no section of track stuck out to me as particularly memorable. The experience felt relatively grounded, with long sections of asphalt or dirt roads with little in the way of interesting scenery or landmarks.
In fairness, I am willing to keep an open mind for now, as I didn’t get to sample some of the more fantastical sections we saw in the trailer, such as that Banshee Boardwalk-esque level populated by ghostly Boos. It could be that I just need more time with the game, especially beyond a busy hands-on session.
Running out of time
The second racing mode I tried is one that’s new to Mario Kart World. It’s called Knockout Tour, and it might just be my favorite addition to the series since Double Dash elected to put two fellas on a single kart.
The concept of Knockout Mode is simple. You’ll drive a route on the open world map from one end to the other, and the four backmarkers are eliminated at each checkpoint. The final four then race for the win across a number of laps.
It’s great fun and really leans into the frantic nature of Mario Kart, hurling items to get any kind of purchase on the pecking order. I did find Knockout Tour to be particularly frantic, often bouncing back and forth constantly between the front and back of the pack. But that’s Mario Kart – that’s exactly what you’re signing up for.
While Knockout Tour is similar to elimination-style modes in games like Forza Horizon 4, it actually greatly reminded me of one of my favorite racing games; OutRun 2. Items are thrown into the mix of course, but racing through picturesque environments while the weather and time of day change around you, it was hard not to think of Sega’s legendary arcade racer. I can’t wait to jump into Knockout Tour online in the full game with 23 other players. It’s bound to be absolute carnage.
Coin for your thoughts
One other thing that surprised me about Mario Kart World was its abundance of brand-new items (and some returning ones). It truly feels like there’s a real grab bag here. One of my favorites is the Gold Shell, which drops coins as it travels along the course. The feather also returns from Super Mario Kart, but here it’s actually useful for leaping over obstacles or accessing hidden shortcuts.
There’s also a rather strange item that temporarily transforms your character into another, but I’m honestly not sure what the practical applications are here. It could just be for fun, which I can obviously get behind.
Finally, it’s naturally worth noting that Mario Kart World is visually stunning. I love the more expressive character models, and the draw distance of the world is truly impressive. Knocking into a pair of binoculars to get an overview of the map at large was a real treat in this regard.
It’s quite hard to believe that Mario Kart World is only a couple of months away, but it’s true. The game will be a launch title for Nintendo Switch 2, releasing exclusively on the upcoming console on June 5, 2025.
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