‘Mario Kart World’ (NS2) Review

Nintendo’s newest entry in the Mario Kart franchise highlights an incredible leap in numerous ways, highlighting the Switch 2’s new capabilities and strengths, with all but one aspect receiving impressive upgrades and improvements across the board. But before diving in, I want to give a bit of backstory in my association with one of the company’s most successful properties.

When I was four years old, my brother gave to me a hand-me-down video game console. It was the first I ever got to have: a Nintendo 64. With it were two controllers and a game that would shape my love of video games: Mario Kart 64. The number of hours I spent playing through the courses, the time trials, and the endless Battles I competed in with my sisters playing as Toad, are hours I will never regret experiencing. As the years go by, getting older, Mario Kart stuck around. One Christmas we got a Nintendo Wii, complete with two titles pushing me to a new chapter of my life. Super Smash Bros. Brawl, and Mario Kart Wii. It wouldn’t be a surprise if my playtime reached the quadruple digits, with endless entertainment and fun, rage, and getting a true first taste of online gaming. It shaped me into who I am today, to a degree.

Fast forward through the years, and no matter what I played or was addicted to, Mario Kart had some part of it. Hundreds of hours in Mario Kart 7, dozens more on the Wii U, and too many to count when it returned for the Nintendo Switch. It had its flaws, but the enjoyment and fun I had were never discounted.

One almost forgets how long it was between the Switch port’s release and this month’s launch of Mario Kart World. Just over eight years is the longest gap between new releases yet, and that’s keeping in mind the version on Switch was mainly a port from its predecessor. When people were still sending “Yeah!” in Miiverse, when the Nintendo NX wasn’t even announced, when Nintendo Directs were still a new concept. With the pandemic, what was more than a decade ago feels even further away, to the point where it feels offputting how long ago it all was. Waiting at the midnight launch with my best friend for the Switch, to doing it all again eight years later, more experienced, wiser, and finally with a pre-order to boot.

Mario Kart World is the true embodiment of the wait being over. For those waiting and waiting for something new, bold, dynamic, and fully prepared for a new generation of video games. After about a decade of small improvements and DLC, a bold new take on racing enters millions of homes, including mine. And while the price is the most controversial part of it, nearly everything else was so breathtaking that as someone who grew up playing the franchise, I definitely got emotional.

At first launch, seeing Mario drive into view as the hit jazzy track kicks in, gave me a sense of starting over. A new beginning, waiting to see what was about to happen. And I didn’t have to wait long, as I jumped right into the ambitious “Free Roam” mode right away. I purposefully didn’t want to spoiler myself on as much as possible, so just roaming around the world felt unnatural. Passing by traffic, seeing the new items in action, all before a single race, like it was meant to give me a chance to feel how different this game was before getting embarassed by racers online. Yes, I felt this way, even though I booted it up as soon as I could.

Virtually every aspect of Mario Kart World is a complete revamp from previous entries. From the menus to the graphical elements to the select screen. Gone are the abilities to modify the kart to your liking, as well as no more Mercedes, in exchange for a dramatic overhaul yet in a refreshing way, a splashy bouncy feel to the gameplay. Nothing feels still or lifeless: everything feels alive. Background characters are all fully modeled, you can see very far out no matter the track you’re on, nothing feels restricted. You can thank the Switch 2’s boost in hardware (expected after eight years!), and a likely fresher, newer team full of people who were also waiting on better performance to make something special.

The new costume changes feel very different. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, some characters took up multiple spots, dressed up in different outfits yet were treated like new entries. One of the biggest and possibly more dividing changes in World is the costume system. Not only are they here to stay, but the method for unlocking them mid-race is a welcome new feature. Changing my outfit mid-race, receiving that outfit, is a great way to unlock them, but each of them taking up a character slot feels a bit cluttered. How Super Smash Bros. Ultimate does it with its Echo Fighters (optionally becomes part of the character’s slot they’re based on) was something I wish was an option here, like changing colors for Shy Guy and Yoshi in MK8D.

Actually driving into the races, it’s immediately clear how much a different 24 racers on one track can be. No longer is there devastation at being 12th place, just epic humiliation at 24th! But with all the new items, moving through the track and competing for the top is even more of a thrill than before.

One mode I have to discuss is the Knockout Tour mode, essentially Battle Royale with Mario Kart. It must be said that the way Nintendo made this work was so impressive it has become one of my favorite experiences in the game. How close things get, how chaotic turns and items can be, all in the hopes of winning an extended thriller, and all with what feels like very good performance between up to 23 other people all feels like a huge achievement to get right. It is, to me, a big selling point and one of the best new modes I think Nintendo has ever added into Mario Kart.

Speaking of Achievements, a weak point for Nintendo’s platforms, they still don’t officially exist for the Switch 2, but are done in a very expertly crafted way for World. Getting stickers has always been a Nintendo game tradition it seems, but MKW takes this several steps further, being the equivalent of achievements in a very dynamic, colorful way. There are small missions and collectables spread throughout the map, completing each one gets you a patch you can place on your kart and have shown off online. With so many you can get, there doesn’t seem to be “one” to have, rather any you just like to look at.

I must also mention performance. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe ran at a nice 60 FPS (frames per second) at a resolution that couldn’t be higher for the Switch, 1080p docked and 720p on the go. The Switch 2’s portable display is now 1080p and when docked supports up to 4K, separately capable of a much higher 120 FPS. As a competitive eSports gamer, higher frame rates are always preferred over higher resolution for me. For World, it remains locked at 60 FPS, whether its while playing multiplayer, or through the console’s new GameChat feature. It remains very smooth, although rumors suggested a new higher frame rate mode was part of the game. Resolution wise, its 1440p docked, a nice improvement on my 4K TV, and a gorgeous 1080p experience when on the go, matching the screen’s pixels and it just looks great. A huge step-up from 8 Deluxe, not like it didn’t look good, but this is nearly the sort of jump you expect after about a decade of small changes. I do hope to see a new Nintendo title reach that golden frame rater soon.

I should also mention the Battle mode. It may be, for the most part, the most underwhelming part of the game. Most of the tracks take its regular race track and change it up in a way that makes it somewhat resemble a battle track. It isn’t as tight-knit as MK8D and especially not as the more retro entries. With that being said, finding out Big Donut from the N64 made its big comeback nearly got me in tears.

Mario Kart is the kind of franchise that’s hard to get wrong. You can make mistakes, especially the Battle mode in Mario Kart 8, but the core remains high quality. 30 years of a franchise built on pushing its platform’s limits early in the console’s lifespan remains a selling point for the platform, selling up to tens of millions of units. This one will be no exception, and is of course helped by being a premium pack in for at least the first few months. But I have to mention its price. At $79.99 in the United States, it is the most expensive Nintendo game in decades. Knowing many will get hundreds of hours out of this game, full of enjoyment, wonder, and thrills, rage, intense gaming with friends and family, some may see the price as understandable. I bought the bundle, which at $499.99, is also a bit much, but in all likelihood, as more games release, Mario Kart World is an immediate staple in the Switch 2 game rotation. A game you can always jump into, knowing thousands will be online all the time, knowing there is so much to explore in, knowing there’s likely something new always waiting. The potential for thousands of hours of racing is there, just as it was before. But unlike the last entry, this one feels like it belongs as a long-term game. No workarounds, no small improvements. You’d hope so for the price, but this is more than a generational title. Millions out there might be jumping into Mario Kart at a young age, possibly starting out with World themselves. They’ve got a whole, no pun intended, World of racing to experience. It sets a new bar.

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