Mario Kart World Review

The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally out, and with it is the all new Mario Kart World—now in 4K 60fps, with a beautiful, open world full of nothing.

I was circling a ridge like a lost tourist at Disneyland, chasing a Peach Medallion—one of several collectible trinkets that don’t actually matter. Eventually, I just drove off, having lost interest. I’ve driven across green hills and through vast deserts and over inland oceans that lack a reason for being, other than the processing power to support them. But is that reason enough to exist? Should there be a purpose behind the pixels?

Uh-oh, Mario Kart has driven me to existentialism.

Here’s the good news: this whole “open world” nonsense is optional. Ignore it. Just start a race and the game suddenly becomes fun again.

The Switch 2 is… fine. Basically the Switch 1, but more expensive and finally in 4K. For a company that made the Wii and DS, it’s weird how little risk they took—but honestly? That’s perfect. If it ain’t broke, don’t break it. You’ll probably end up buying one eventually.

The Good, the Bad, and the Cheep Cheep

I’m relieved to report that the racing in Mario Kart World is still great—drifting, tossing shells, screaming at the TV. That part works. Nintendo ratcheted up the zany—they doubled the racers, added more shells, and somehow perfected chaos.

The Blue Shell is still here, because Nintendo doesn’t think winning should be fun. The Mega Mushroom and Gold Shell are brutal new items, but first place still gets stuck with coins and bananas. It’s a little boring being the best, which might be the point.

Also new: items now drag behind your kart automatically. This used to take skill. Now it’s free. Kids these days have it easy.

Speaking of skills, World adds rail grinding and wall riding—okay, I take it back, these moves take practice. And with longer, wider tracks packed with shortcuts and secrets, good luck setting records in Time Trials.

The weight system has been refined and simplified from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and it’s much better. Plop a big heavy Bowser or DK in a slow kart and they’ll be a perfect middle. Give a little Toad a fast kart and his handling will even it out. Any character can fit any driving style with the right kart. Although, this simplification comes at the cost of karts being pre-built—no more selecting wheels and gliders. (Gliders are also gone—now we have wings!)

World also introduces outfits and stickers to the series, and they’re pretty good. Mario in cheap sunglasses and Toad with a burger on his head—or is that his head? Either way, it’s fun. Unfortunately, Nintendo also left out half the roster from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The Koopa Kids, Diddy, Link? Nope. Instead, we get a cow, mole, and dolphin. How’s it driving? No arms. No legs. No explanation.

Maybe they’ll sell us better characters in a future DLC. For now, enjoy losing to a Cheep Cheep.

Old Man Shakes Fist at Internet

Back in the 8 Deluxe days, I loved racing online. I tell people, “I’m the best Mario Kart player you know,” and often, it’s true. I know my way around a turtle shell. So after getting comfortable with World’s new mechanics, I jumped into Online Play.

It appears to be about 10% skill and 90% insanity. I was in 2nd, then seconds later in 20th. I clawed back to 4th thanks to a Golden Mushroom and a shortcut. I thought that was bad—until I placed 12th in the next race, then reclaimed a tiny amount of dignity with a 6th place finish. That was enough for me.

If Single Player is chaos, Online Play is watching the world burn. Then again, I am getting old.

Multiplayer with friends is the sweet spot. Taking out a friend with a Green Shell is one of life’s great joys. And when they retaliate with a Red Shell at the finish line—that’s friendship, Mario Kart style.

Lots to see, Nothing to do

The biggest new feature of Mario Kart World—and its namesake—is the open, mostly empty world. It’s a giant, funless mini-game dotted with tedious P-Switches and repetitive ? Panels. Where’s the chaos of Blue Shells and Mega Mushrooms? Most of the map is either empty or filled with well-behaved traffic.

There’s a vast world of backpacking Yoshis and Toads in police cars, but Mario can’t interact with them. Even running them over barely makes a dent. Why build a world the player can only watch? It’s lifeless, it’s dull, and they named the game after it. I’m not asking for GTA-level violence but did the devs really test-drive this and think, “Players are going to love cruising through a cow pasture”? It’s a rare miss for the Big N.

Mario Kart courses used to have strong, distinctive identities, like Electrodrome’s disco-ball track, or Dragon Driftway’s Asian-themed twisting track. But in World, races start at the finish line of the previous course, and it takes a lap or two—often traveling over long, straight roads that lack drifting—just to reach the next course. By then, the race is almost over. In the Special Cup—it’s a Mario Kart game, of course there’s a Special Cup to unlock—Mario Circuit detours through Moo Moo Meadows on the way to Peach Stadium. Peach Stadium barely gets a lap before the race ends. Those long, meandering transitions rob every track of its identity.

The fix? Cheat the distance with warp pipes—or skip the open world entirely and play VS Races. Those actually give players three full laps on a single course of their choosing. Boo Cinema’s great that way.

However, one aspect of the open and interconnected tracks I actually like is Knockout Mode, which might be my new favorite way to race in a Mario Kart game. Instead of looping around a course, players race non-stop across the map. Those in the bottom half get eliminated at various checkpoints. There’s a lot of strategy required to ensure a poorly timed Blue Shell doesn’t end your race early.

And ending a race early will happen, so rage-quitters beware. Knockout Mode will test player endurance, and with the increased number of racers, there’s more opportunity to be sniped at a checkpoint by a Blue Shell or a Triple Red Shell—all of which seem more common in Mario Kart World. (And because this is my blog, I’m just going to brag about my first place finish in my first online Knockout race.)

If there’s one thing Mario Kart World gets right, it’s the music. If you accidentally find yourself in the open world, you’ll hear classic Mario tunes remixed in new styles. I enjoyed parking my kart, putting my controller down, and just enjoying the soundtrack. And the throwback music from Mario Circuit on the SNES? Perfection.

Almost Done

Although Mario Kart World was just released, it still feels about a lap shy of a race. The core of the game—the racing—is 100% Mario Kart, but for an $80 game, there should be more.

Knockout Mode is probably the closest a Mario Kart game has ever come to a Pro racing mode, but that’s being generous. I’d like to see an update with seasons: Green Shells Only, Mushroom Mayhem, or Season of the Flowers. Switch it up! For now, I’m keeping Mario Kart 8 Deluxe installed on my Switch 2, but there’s a future where World is all we need.

But first, the game needs something to justify this open world. Tears of the Kingdom lets players glue Koroks to jet engines. I’m not saying it’s right, but it’s fun. The racing and battle modes in World are total chaos—where’s that chaos in the open world? If Nintendo can deliver a few real updates—something better than medallions and P-Switches—maybe Mario Kart World will finally earn its name. Until then, it’s just empty cow pastures.