It’s hard to believe, but Mario Kart has never launched with a Nintendo console. The Legend of Zelda. Check. Mario. Check. Even Luigi managed to get his ghostbusting adventure out the door for the GameCube launch. Mario Kart, however, has never quite made it. Close, mind you, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch back in 2017. Mario Kart World marks a first, then, but not just because of its release date with so many changes to the series, some big and bold and others smaller but definitely interesting. I got the chance to test out the game’s two main modes, Grand Prix and Knockout Tour, and quite frankly, I had a blast. All this talk about $80 and value for money that has been plaguing the internet for the past several weeks feels unimportant, especially when I start to consider just how much fun I had and how many hundreds of hours I am likely to lose getting lost in Mario’s new racing playground.
So, Mario Kart has gone open world… kind of. While I didn’t get much chance to explore for the likely hundreds of secrets awaiting, I did get to see plenty of locales whilst dashing my way through races. I will say this: the world (and the game in general) looks truly fantastic. There’s so much colour popping off the screen, and characters animate in ways that add even more charm to their already characterful personalities.
The lineup of playable characters includes a good mix of returning veterans and fresh-faced newcomers, the latter introducing some truly unexpected names like the Penguin from Super Mario 64, Sidestepper from the original Mario Bros. and even the Cow from the circuit Moo Moo Meadows. There are a few notable gaps in the roster, like Diddy Kong and Petey Piranha (seriously, where is Diddy Kong, Nintendo!?), but whether we’ve seen the whole lineup or Nintendo is perhaps planning new additions as DLC down the line remains to be seen. Some characters can also switch outfits mid-race by picking up the new fast-food item, these scattered about throughout the world. From the brief handful Nintendo has already shown, these do not appear to disappoint with characters donning everything from pirate and biker outfits to vampire and cowboy.
As well as bringing over a handful of items from Mario Kart Tour, like the hammers, coin block, and Ice Flower, Mario Kart World introduces a trio of brand-new additions. These include the Golden Shell (which fires ahead whilst leaving behind it a trail of coins), Kamek (who summons obstacles on the track) and a bag of fast food (more on that later).
While new items are always a fun addition, Mario Kart World isn’t done there. Races now consist of 24 participants, making things even more chaotic than before (in a good way, though). Also, it seems like Mario has been playing a bit of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater since karts now have the ability to grind on rails and ride along walls to gather boost. I can already see the shortcut potential here, players using walls to cut off corners or reach higher routes.
Grand Prix has seen a rather noticeable changeup, no longer just four standard tracks back-to-back (to back-to-back), but instead seeing players actually driving between each circuit. While the first track will be your typical three-lap race, the second will see racers making the one to two-minute journey onto the next, whilst finishing off with just one lap of the new circuit. The same then applies to tracks three and four. It’s an interesting change and one that has definitely spiced up a mode that, let’s be honest, has stayed exactly the same since the very first Mario Kart.
Knockout Tour truly takes advantage of Mario Kart World’s sprawling world, races playing out like more of a rally as everyone makes a dash from one point of the map to the other, each checkpoint along the way eliminating the bottom four placed racers. This mode felt particularly tense, and this feeling only grew with each checkpoint passed, and the field whittled down. What I really loved about the rallies, though, was the gradual changing of scenery, watching as sandy deserts turn to dusty canyons that then transition into grassy meadows before reaching the heavy foliage of a jungle. It reminded me of the exhilarating races of the OutRun games (and that is a high compliment indeed).
Nintendo has revealed that players will be able to hunt down collectables and take on ‘hundreds’ of challenges in the Free Roam mode, so it’ll definitely be interesting to see just how engaging these side distractions actually are.
I’ll be honest, I had a hard time thinking how exactly Nintendo were going to top the truly amazing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, but if my early hands on with Mario Kart World is anything to go by, it looks like the Nintendo Switch 2 will be kicking off with another fantastic entry in the long running series.
Mario Kart World will be released at retail and digitally on the Nintendo eShop exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide on 5 June 2025.
