Ever since Mario Kart rumbled onto the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1992, it’s been the ultimate multiplayer game. An intuitive racer that’s easy to pick up and requires almost as much luck as skill, the series is perfect for family-friendly tournaments while also inspiring countless student drinking games.
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Each entry has introduced something new. Double Dash! had dual racers, Mario Kart 7 welcomed gliders and jet-skis. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, a souped-up version of the 2014 Wii game for the Switch, felt like a greatest hits collection of all that innovation. With 96 courses from across the series and 48 playable characters including familiar faces from Animal Crossing, The Legend Of Zelda and Splatoon, it was easily the biggest Mario Kart game ever. Shifting more than 64million units, it’s also the most successful. So far, anyway.
No wonder it’s taken developers eight years to come up with a sequel. Making use of the bigger, more powerful Switch 2, Mario Kart World is a radical reinvention of the beloved franchise. There are new ways to race, devilishly tricky circuits to conquer and even more dastardly weapons to blast your mates off the road with. Here’s every reason this is the best Mario Kart yet.
It’s a whole new (Mario Kart) World
Mario Kart is a great multiplayer game, but the single player experience has sometimes felt a little underwhelming. There are only so many times you can lap computer-controlled opponents before the thrill of Rainbow Road wears off. In World though, there are literally hundreds of challenges to take on via the shiny new ‘Open Roam’ mode.
For the first time, you’re given total freedom to explore the different courses and the lands between them – all without having to worry about being run down by another kart. Scattered across the open world are countless ‘P Switches’, with each one offering a new, timed challenge that will test your speed, agility and destructive capabilities. Hop across a series of moving blocks and collect all eight blue coins or avoid a herd of bewildered cattle as you race to the finish line to earn a sticker for your kart. For completionists, secret medallions and mysterious panels are also dotted about the place.
The slick ‘Open Roam’ mode isn’t just an excuse for a load of different driving challenges though. Each circuit can be explored at your own pace, making it easy to uncover shortcuts that will give you the edge when things do get competitive – and the bits of land connecting each course have been filled with colourful characters and Nintendo Easter eggs. It feels like a lived-in universe, which is perfect for a relaxing drive if you fancy a change of pace from trying to outrun 23 other racers. You can also invite your friends for a communal roadtrip – just perhaps don’t show them all your time-saving discoveries.
‘Versus Mode’ also makes use of the ‘Open Roam’s world, letting you link up two different circuits for a custom-designed race. It’s as close as the series has got to a course creator mode.
The more, the merrier
Of course, Mario Kart is at its best when you’re playing with friends. Four players can play World locally using a single Switch 2 console while up to 24 people can take part via online multiplayer. The Switch 2’s built in GameChat feature makes setting up an online tournament easy and the new camera means every last-minute blue shell attack feels personal.
Using tech wizardary, one Switch 2 camera can track up to four faces at a time. No matter how much you duck about the place, a live-broadcast of your image remains above your racer. It means you don’t have to ask who’s playing as Bowser after the bruiser takes you out again, and it makes targeting your friends in the revamped ‘Battle’ mode much simpler. Get those victory dances ready.
Knockout mode is the real gamechanger
Things can get pretty intense with Mario Kart but the new ‘Knockout’ mode takes things up yet another gear. Combining the frantic urgency of ‘Battle’ mode with the fast and furious hijinks of ‘Grand Prix’, ‘Knockout’ occurs over a six-course rally track. Players have to place to stay in the race, as the four slowest are dumped at every chequered flag. There’s very little time to recover if you make a mistake and every banana and red shell can end a mate’s game. The first few rounds are all-out chaos as 24 racers jostle for survival while the final four-way skirmish will test friendships.
With 24 racers able to take part, ‘Battle’ mode has also had a rejig. Taking place in bigger arenas, ‘Balloon Battle’ and ‘Coin Chase’ games require a touch more strategy – but you can also be more deliberate in who you want to take out. Keep your friends close…
You can explore at will
As well as being able to drive literally anywhere, World has a load of different ways for players to customise their racing experience. Collecting coins will still unlock fresh karts while earning a trophy in the different ‘Grand Prix’ cups will add a new character to your roster. At launch, 32 characters will be available including old school favourites Yoshi, Toad and Princess Peach alongside newcomers Cow (from Moo Moo Meadows Circuit) and Mario 64’s Penguin. Grabbing a drive-thru meal in ‘Free Roam’ or ‘Grand Prix’ will give you a speed boost as well as unlocking a new costume for your racer. Luigi has nine different outfits, Cow has none (you can’t improve on perfection). Our favourites were Walugi’s gothic Wampire, Wario’s surprisingly metal Road Ruffian and Toad’s adorable Adventurer.
There’s more to the game than just putting the pedal to the metal. Drifting around sharp corners will still give you a much-needed boost but, in World, you’ll also be able to jump and grind to get ahead. It’ll take a hot minute to get your fingers around these new dimensions of play but when you do, you’ll be able to link tricks together like Tony Hawk. If you mess things up, you can rewind time to give it another go – but it comes at a price, as everyone else continues with their race.
Sounds good, right?
Mario Kart World features more than 200 different songs, compared to 8 Deluxe’s 96. This bumper score includes everything from the chirpy music of Peach Beach to the thundering metal that scores the fire and brimstone of Bowser’s Castle. Alongside changing weather and the visible passing of time, the music really brings home the vast expanse of World’s environment. The main theme is a total earworm and if you spend too much time playing, you’ll be hearing that blaring countdown as you fall asleep. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
‘Mario Kart World’ is out June 5 for the Nintendo Switch 2