Every day, I discover something new about Mario Kart World.
I’d like to think I’m pretty good at Mario Kart, but some of the stuff I see people doing online just blows my mind. Mario Kart 8 was the game that introduced anti-gravity sequences to the franchise. Mario Kart World, however, is the one that takes full advantage. Between grinding on rails Tony Hawk style to driving across walls and discovering impossible shortcuts, there’s an impressive amount of freedom available during races.
This is not a perfect game—free roam mode is a major disappointment, and this isn’t quite the same thing you’d expect from the open world racing in Forza Horizon, but it’s safe to say that on day one, the Nintendo Switch 2 has its killer app.
Mario Kart World Is A Celebration Of All Things Mario
The first thing you’ll notice about Mario Kart World is how much respect the game gives to the Mario franchise. Following an already impressive roster of characters in Mario Kart 8, Mario Kart World ups the ante.
While guest characters like Link, Inklings, and Miis aren’t here, there’s still plenty of characters to choose from. In total, there are 50 to choose from, ranging from iconic main characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Yoshi, to the lovable side characters such as Goomba, Dry Bones, and Monty Mole.
Oh, and there’s a Penguin, a Cow, and a Dolphin. I love seeing that stupid Dolphin every time I drive past it.
Every character has their own strengths and weaknesses, but there’s no clear-cut hierarchy for the best and the worst compared to past entries.
That’s not to say that we won’t see any Waluigi/Wiggler combinations that dominate the meta; we’re arguably already in that spot with heavy characters like Bowser excelling with the Baby Blooper kart. Having said that, I’ve been absolutely able to hold my own with a wide variety of characters, most notably Yoshi with the, and I’m dead serious, Lil’ Dumper kart.
It’s a welcome sight that lets us stick with our favorite characters and karts instead of being forced to chase trends that tie into the celebration of all things Mario.
The Soundtrack May Be The True Star of the Show
As much as I love the impressive showcase of characters, Mario Kart World‘s soundtrack is the real star of the show. Aside from the gameplay, that is.
Mario Kart 8’s soundtrack was a highlight, featuring an impressive selection of tracks. Mario Kart World’s score exceeds it. The same jazz, big band-inspired score is here, encompassing the entire Mario Kart library.
Related
Mario Kart World Almost Broke A Huge Series Convention
The developers of Mario Kart World for Nintendo Switch 2 have revealed that the game nearly broke one of the series’ longest-running conventions.
It doesn’t stop there, though. We have excellent renditions of Dire Dire Docks, Jungle Hijinx from Donkey Kong Country, Gusty Garden Galaxy from Super Mario Galaxy, and the theme from Luigi’s Mansion.
Every day, I find something new I love about this soundtrack, just like every day I find something new to love about the game.
24-Player Mario Kart Works Surprisingly Well
Okay, now that we’re in deep, I should probably talk about the racing.
At its core, this is still the same Mario Kart you know and love. Of course, one new little twist is immediately noticeable: we’re up to a total of 24 players in a race. At first, this feels like it would make an already chaotic experience into a full-blown warzone. At times, this is true, but it’s nowhere near as frustrating as the Mario Kart 8 experience.
One big reason for this is how your momentum works in Mario Kart World. The reworked physics keeps you moving forward, no matter how many collisions take place. It helps relieve the stress of being bombarded by shells and bob-ombs, removing so many of the feel-bad moments that existed within Mario Kart 8. I can’t tell you how often I’ve been struck right before the finish line, only to keep moving forward and secure a respectable finish, or even a win.
On the back of Knockout Tour, I absolutely expect to put thousands of hours into Mario Kart World.
This rings the most true when colliding with oncoming traffic. More often than not, your momentum has you merely shake it off and keeps you moving forward. It’s a welcome change from how the game handled, removing my biggest issues that turned me off from playing Mario Kart 8. I’m no longer rage-quitting online matches because I get unlucky. Instead, I’m looking to keep moving forward and focus on driving.
The 24-player races feel better thanks to how races work now. Most of the time, you’ll spend the majority of laps/stages traversing through Mario Kart World’s open world environment. The final lap/stage, however, will take place in a traditional Mario Kart circuit. This results in the necessary balance needed to perform. It’s not just about drifting non-stop through a track’s twists and turns. You need to be able to hit top speed while on the longer straightaways.
This is one reason why the Bowser/Baby Blooper combo is so popular: it produces well-rounded attributes that let you excel at every stage of a race. Again, though, it’s not a necessary combination in the way Waluigi/Wiggler was. I’m sure people will discover the best combination of characters at some point in the future, but for now, I’m just happy to succeed with a wide variety of options.
Free Roam Is A Wasted Opportunity
That’s one thing Mario Kart World lets me do, thanks to its open world structure. Now, as I said earlier, this isn’t Forza Horizon. Don’t expect to freely drive through the open world without any restrictions. Driving off-course during races will mark you out of bounds. Still, there are an impressive number of shortcuts available waiting to be discovered. This is where Mario Kart World truly shines: the amount of creativity that exists with course design is impressive. It’s not only a highlight for the game, but also exemplifies what a major disappointment Free Roam is.
The idea of exploring a true open world Mario Kart style seems like a dream come true. While it’s not quite a nightmare, it’s still incredibly shallow.
If you were expecting a platforming wonderland filled with countless objectives, secrets to discover, and worthwhile rewards, prepare to be disappointed. There are indeed some platforming-type scenarios, and they are admittedly a lot of fun. However, it’s rarely, if ever, worthwhile to complete them.
All you get is stickers, and that’s not enough for me to spend time away from the core gameplay experience.
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Mario Kart World Producer Insists Game Is Not ‘Open World’
it’s Free-Roam, but not Open World, apparently?
The only thing I enjoyed about Free Roam was cheesing the unlockable system. There’s a car you can follow that spits out several coins a second. Around 45 minutes later, I’d unlocked every vehicle in the game. As for costumes, you can quickly travel to various Yoshi stands, or some of the Shy Guy food stands near Shy Guy Bazaar, and pick up most of the available costumes in no time.
You can’t, sadly, unlock all of the random NPC characters available in the game. Those come with the Kamek item in-game, where you have a chance to randomly transform into a character. It’s a frustrating way to unlock some of the game’s best characters. Discovering them in Free Roam would have been a far better usage of my time.
I Can’t Stop Playing Knockout Tour
I say this as someone who isn’t a fan of Battle Royale-style games: I cannot stop playing Knockout Tour. This is the best addition Mario Kart has ever seen. It’s a thrill ride from start to finish that keeps me on the edge of my seat the entire time. 24-player Mario Kart is pure chaos, but Knockout Tour finds a way to deliver the perfect balance between driving and proper item utilization.
No matter what Nintendo says, spending $80 on a game is a hard pill to swallow, and the fact that Free Roam is a major disappointment only adds to the frustration.
Yes, one reason for that is because you eliminate four players from the race at every checkpoint, but the way each course is laid out, both in Knockout Tour, Versus, and Grand Prix, gives players the space to breathe and avoid non-stop item carnage. Having said that, if you’re caught in the pack, you risk being shot down like a fighter jet flying through restricted airspace. If you’re playing intelligently, though, you can avoid this.
Mario Kart has always been about biding your time before making a move, and that’s as important as ever. Most of my wins in Knockout Tour come from laying low through the first handful of laps, biding my time, and striking when the iron is hot.
One big reason for this is the impressive selection of Mario Kart items within Mario Kart World. Old favorites are still here, with some new, very welcome additions. The Coin Shell doubles as a projectile to hit enemies while producing coins on the map, which give you a temporary speed boost. Additionally, the Feather throws you into the air, allowing you to reach certain rails or shortcuts. The same is true for Dash Food, giving you a boost to cut through off-road terrain and cut corners you otherwise wouldn’t be able to.
About That Price Tag…
It’s time to address the elephant in the room: the $80 price tag. I’m not here to defend how expensive the hobby has become, especially during a time of economic turmoil and uncertainty.
It felt like a matter of time before the price of video games jumped again, but everyone expected Grand Theft Auto 6 to bite the bullet, not the company that only sold a handful of $70 games last generation. Yes, it leaves a sour taste in our mouth to spend so much more money than what we were expecting, and I understand why so many people were flooding Nintendo livestreams with “DROP THE PRICE” demands.
Don’t spend money outside of your means. No game, no matter how incredible, justifies corporate greed. Would I regret spending $79.99 on Mario Kart World? No, I’m having a blast and thoroughly enjoying myself with the game. Can you live without it? Absolutely.
Free Roam is a major disappointment, but Mario Kart World is still an excellent game that helps justify purchasing a Nintendo Switch 2. It’s the console’s day-one killer app backed by an incredible soundtrack, well-rounded roster of characters, and addictive gameplay. There’s so much more than meets the eye here. Nintendo has rightfully come under fire for skimping on content with their games, but that thankfully isn’t the case here. After putting thousands of hours into Mario Kart 8, I can see myself doing the same with Mario Kart World. Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to go back online and participate in more Knockout Tour races.
Mario Kart World
- Released
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June 5, 2025
- ESRB
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Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
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Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
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Nintendo
- Some of the best Mario Kart gameplay I’ve ever played
- Knockout Tour is incredible
- One of the best soundtracks I’ve ever heard
- Racing through the open world way better than I expected
- Free Roam is a massive disappointment
- The price tag stinks, even if the game is good
