REVIEW - Mario Kart World is a visually sumptuous next step
Have all the bluey.
By Jonathan Garrett
01/07/24
Reviewed on Nintendo Switch 2.
Retail copy purchased by Burly Bird Media.
After the relentless longevity of the Deluxe re-release, Nintendo saw fit to finally revisit their stalwart franchse with Mario Kart World. This feels like the biggest series refresh since Double Dash dared to experiment with dual karts and character specific weaponry back in the lauded but commercially softer GameCube era. World pushes the formula in a couple of noteable directions, but in spite of the obvious scale and interconnectivity, there is a sense that this is just the first step on a longer journey.
The addition of Knockout Tour is probably the highlight of the package, creating longer and higher stakes elimination races. Throw into the mix Mario Kart World's expanded sandbox of items and each checkpoint becomes a panicked melee of last second clutches. One odd ommision is the inability to join Knockout Tour races with a friend in open public matchmaking (even though you can do that in other modes). It's already convoluted enough navigating these menus without this unnecessary restriction. After all these years, the lack of a party system that works across game modes is an egregious misstep.
The amount of content at launch is generous, with a wide variety of locales featuring plenty of cheeky shortcuts and tricks. Surfing on power lines remains consistently satisfying, and if you're willing to invest the time, there's plenty of nuance to be found in the mechanics. Traditional power slides are complimented by wall runs, charge jumps, and dynamic off road traversal. You can see that trademark Nintendo magic in the takeout power ups triggering dynamic costume changes, air dropped item boxes peppering the open world, and the Odyssey style possession mechanics for specific vehicles.
The tracks themselves are visually stunning, as the modern Nintendo art style scales nicely to the 4K resolution. In handheld and docked modes, performance is rock solid. Split screen works as advertised, and after taking it for a spin using the Switch 2's sensible new kick stand and a bunch of bigger joy cons, Nintendo have definitely got the local side of things locked down. Another lovely flourish is the Free Roam mode, which can be accessed by pressing "+" from the main menu. This instantly plops you into the game, using the previous character and kart you've chosen, but without any loading screens. It’s well optimised and another pleasing addition.
At this stage, one of the biggest issues remains one of identity. The sheer scope of the open world means there's a lot of ground to cover, which inevitably neccitates some less interesting regions. There's a fair amount of negative space, and while bombing around Free Roam has a certain allure, many of the tracks themselves aren't that memorable. At least the new open world formula allows for new areas to be slotted in down the line. It would be nice to see a retro specific zone that connects some iconic circuits together, as the existing races that evoke Mario Kart's abundant history are clear highlights.
Thankfully, you won't be short of secrets to uncover, and ways to shave seconds off your best times. Mario Kart World is a game that rewards investment, and as a launch title for Switch 2, a great foundation for the future.
Jolliness in key art form.
WORTH IT?
At the bottom of every game review, we ask the question: Worth it? And the answer is either “Yeah!” or “Nah”, followed by a comment that sums up how we feel. In order to provide more information, we also have “And” or “But”, which follows up our rating with further clarification, additional context for a game we love, or perhaps a redeeming quality for a game we didn’t like.
YEAH!
Mario Kart World is a giddy and immediately satisfying follow up to one of Nintendo’s most reliable franchises.
BUT
There’s some nitpicks to be found in the online set up and a few of the track designs.
4/5 - GREAT
TARPS?
At the bottom of some of our articles, you’ll see a series of absurd looking images (with equally stupid, in joke laden names). These are the TARP badges, which represent our ‘Totally Accurate Rating Platform’. They allow us to identify specific things, recognise positive or negative aspects of a games design, and generally indulge our consistent silliness with some visual tomfoolery.
