How do you follow up on the most successful racing game of all time? Between the Wii U and Switch versions of the game, Mario Kart 8 has sold over 75 million copies, delivering consistent chart-topping performance for over a decade. Nintendo is certainly hoping their long-awaited follow-up, Mario Kart World, will get the Nintendo Switch 2 off to a speedy start, but the game has some big tires to fill.
Does Mario Kart World have a chance of matching up to the Mario Kart 8 behemoth? I recently had the chance to go hands-on with Mario Kart World at a Switch 2 preview event (here are my general thoughts on the new hardware) and you can drift on down for my early impressions…
During the Switch 2 preview event, journalists initially had the chance to go hands-on with Mario Kart World’s traditional Grand Prix races, then later could come back to try the new Knockout Mode, in which a field of players race through six interconnected courses in hopes of being the last one standing. Admittedly, my reaction after playing through a handful of Grand Prix Cups was somewhat muted. This was partly due to the fact that Nintendo had set these introductory Grand Prix races to 50cc, so they felt quite pokey, but the action itself was also very familiar.
Mario Kart 8’s anti-gravity gimmick, in which karts could cling to surfaces and course designs were often mind-bending knots, seems to have been largely removed, but many courses still have elevated sections that provide a similar experience. Even without the anti-gravity mechanic, Mario Kart World feels very similar to MK8 in terms of controls, track design, and the way you interact with other racers. Of course, that’s not a bad thing, Mario Kart 8 is a great game, but the feeling of “newness” I was hoping for from MK World wasn’t necessarily coming through during my early minutes with the game.
Granted, Mario Kart World does offer some core gameplay differences. The field of racers has doubled in size to 24, which doesn’t change the feel of the action that much, although there can be times when things get frantic on a level not seen before. And yes, that means you’re going to be on the receiving end of more items than ever, which may not be great news depending on your personal Mario Kart tastes (I think items are half the fun). On that topic, there are some new items, including some useful seeming ones like the new Gold Shell that leaves behind a trail of coins, as well as a few somewhat odd additions, like food items that mainly serve to change the costume your character is wearing (much like Donkey Kong Bananza, playing dress-up seems to be a big focus of MK World).
Players can now also grind on rails and wall jump, although I didn’t encounter a ton of chances to utilize those skills during my hands-on time (admittedly, my eyes probably just weren’t trained to look for those opportunities yet). One of the things that stood out most to me, was that karts no longer plunge into the deep when encountering water, but instead bob along the surface with some decent water effects and physics being on display. It seems like Nintendo may have added a touch of Wave Race to Mario Kart World, in much the same way they mixed a sprinkle of F-Zero seasoning into Mario Kart 8.
Another thing that’s changed is the way Grand Prix Cups progress. Rather than the usual four races of three laps each, you now start with a standard three-lap race, then drive to the three subsequent races, passing through “intermission” transitional courses before taking on a single lap of the next main course. It’s all a bit confusing at first, but you’ll catch on soon enough, and the new approach could result in a much wider array of Gran Prix layouts. While Nintendo hasn't revealed anything like this yet, I could envision a mode where players are given the option to plot out their own Grand Prix Cups.
Mario Kart World’s course design is a mix of old and new, with classics like the SNES’ Koopa Troopa Beach and the N64’s Choco Mountain interspersed with new creations like the dusty desert Mario Bros. Circuit, animal-filled Faraway Oasis, and odd mashup of classic Donkey Kong girders and rocket launch site that is DK Spaceport. Many of the older tracks have been altered in fairly significant ways in order to fit into the game’s new interconnected world, but it's a bit of a double-edged sword. There's a certain consistency between many courses enforced by the connected world, and while I didn’t encounter any bad tracks, some blend into each other a bit.
Mario Kart World looks fairly nice visually, with characters having a new level of pop and personality, although it would be a stretch to say the game looks that much better than Mario Kart 8 (to be fair, that game still looks great a decade on). Even with double the mayhem on screen, the game maintained a silky smooth 60fps and, apparently, there will even be a 120fps mode in the full game, which I would’ve loved to try.
At this point in my impressions, perhaps you have the sense that, while I had fun with Mario Kart World, I wasn’t completely blown away by the experience. In fact, that was more or less the case after I finished playing Grand Prix. Thankfully, after returning to play several rounds of Knockout Mode, I think I began to see more clearly what Nintendo is attempting to do with Mario Kart World and my feelings about the game improved considerably.
Knockout Mode is essentially Mario Kart Battle Royale, with players racing through six seamlessly connected courses, with the bottom four racers being eliminated each time you pass a finish line. The goal is to be one of the last four standing and ultimately win that final race. The Knockout demo was thankfully played on 100cc, and battling with 24 other human players, with your position in the race always being important, delivered a level of intensity rarely seen in past Mario Kart games. The smooth transition from one single-lap race to the next also brought the interconnectedness of the world to the forefront.
Speaking of which, while waiting for other players to connect to Knockout Mode, I got to try out Free Roam, which gave me a greater appreciation of what Nintendo has achieved with Mario Kart World’s map. While you can fully explore the nooks and crannies of whatever course you start on, if you continue driving, you’ll seamlessly transition from one course and biome to the next. During one Free Roam session I started in the icy tundra, transitioned to a jungle area, and eventually wound up in Bowser’s volcanic domain. There wasn’t actually a lot to do while driving around, but hopefully Nintendo reveals more Free Roam activities. Regardless, it’s genuinely impressive how everything ties together.
Knockout Mode and Free Roam are experiences you simply can’t have in Mario Kart 8. Are they inspiring enough to justify Mario Kart World’s $80 price tag? That remains to be seen, but I’m excited to see what other things Nintendo might do with their new asphalt amusement park both now and in the future.
Current Thoughts on Mario Kart World
Mario Kart World feels very much like a shiny new Mario Kart 8 model, which will be great for those looking for more of what that game offered, but there’s no denying the game feels a bit familiar at times. That said, Mario Kart World’s interconnected map is a compelling creation, and while I need to play more, I can imagine a lot of potential ways Nintendo could utilize, and possibly expand, their new racing world. Nintendo may be about to unleash the racing platform they support for the next decade and I’m intrigued to see where this road may lead us.
Mario Kart World launches alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5. Look for more Wccftech coverage of the game closer to launch.
