Mario Kart World Review - An Almost Flawless Race

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Of all the first-party franchises Nintendo could’ve picked to become its launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, I’m glad Mario Kart did the cut. I’ve always enjoyed this legendary racing series and its lighthearted yet destructive aspects. Mario Kart World takes a bolder and bigger approach to Mario and friends’ vehicular mayhem, and it almost finishes first. I say almost because, while its game modes are terrific and Mario Kart World has gorgeous visuals that showcase the power of the Nintendo Switch 2, its biggest gimmick falls short.

The Ultimate Racing Experience

Undoubtedly, Mario Kart World features the series’ best racing mechanics, tracks, and characters. Some people will say that Mario Kart 8 is still at the top, but World dethrones it easily. There are a few modes I didn’t like and some that felt like a mixed bag, but overall, it shines in almost every aspect.

For starters, the biggest standout is the Knockout Tour. You race against 23 racers, bringing the total count to 24, in a chaotic race where you must reach a certain spot to avoid being eliminated. If you don’t do so, you’re out of the race and must start anew. What makes this so fun is the pure 24-player mayhem that occurs at every moment in the game. One moment, you’re all looking to stay in the first 20 spots; the next moment, you’re praying for a blue shell to spawn so you can get that first place and win the race. While it is a great mode to play against the CPU, multiplayer is the way to go and can lead to some of the game’s most frustrating yet enjoyable moments. It’s easily my favorite game mode of the whole series.

The Grand Prix mode was a mixed bag. It doesn’t work like the Grand Prix we’ve all been used to. The first track works like always: you do a few laps and finish the race. The next tracks, however, see you starting on a highway as you move into the track and then reach the finish line. It isn’t a bad design idea, and it certainly feels more dynamic, but I would’ve loved the classic approach of doing laps around any of the gorgeous new courses.

Battle Mode is another one that felt a bit underwhelming. Instead of having arenas, you have smaller portions of certain tracks and fight in them. The gameplay aspect is great, and the new items lead to unexpected and fun ways to pop your opponent’s balloons. Still, it isn’t the best Battle Mode we’ve had in the series, and at times, it feels a bit rushed.

Overall, and despite my complaints, Mario Kart World has hooked me more than any previous Mario Kart entry. Even if I’m not a fan of all its game modes, the Knockout Tour is the best addition to the franchise, and I hope it keeps getting more updates because I can see myself playing it nonstop.

A Gorgeous Collection of Racing Tracks

Another highlight of Mario Kart World is its visuals. To everyone’s surprise, World can easily reach a 4K resolution and maintain a steady 60 FPS in docked mode. It switches to 1080p on handheld but keeps those 60 FPS. It is a technical marvel and the perfect way to showcase the power of the Nintendo Switch 2. In that regard, I have zero complaints and can only say that it is the smoothest Mario Kart ever made.

Regarding racing tracks, all of them are fantastic, and I really have a hard time choosing a favorite. Every course is perfectly crafted and even elevates some of the classic tracks we’ve seen in the franchise. It gets even better during some of the game modes that take you seamlessly from one place to the other.

Yet, the biggest takeaway is the sheer number of courses we got at launch. There are 30 in total, and all of them are unique, as expected. Add to that some of the series’ most memorable soundtracks, and you have a perfect lineup for day-one racers.

Some people have complained about the highways, some of them being too wide, but I like it this way. There are races that house 24 players, so I think their size is perfect. Plus, having cars coming at you at all times just adds to the innate chaos of every race, so I’m all in for that.

Stalling Its Main Gimmick

If you thought I forgot the open-world part, which is the game’s main gimmick, that wasn’t the case. I wanted to dedicate a whole section to it because it stalls in many ways, unfortunately.

As the name implies, the game’s world is the big selling point of this entry. You can go from one track to the other without a loading screen, which is already a huge achievement. However, the things that populate this world feel a bit shallow. Compared to other racing games that have an open world, like Forza Horizon, this doesn’t encourage me to explore it fully.

For starters, unlockables. There are so many characters you can get by playing other modes, with most having different outfits. However, to unlock the latter, you have to pray you get the right food item, which you obtain by grabbing lunch bags in the world. There is no way to figure out what item does what. Sometimes, you’ll transform into a character and other times; you’ll get an outfit for the character you’re using. But there’s reasoning behind it. The game expects you to use as many food items as possible, hoping to get that last costume you’ve been waiting for.

Challenges, on the other hand, are fun but also miss the mark. I never felt encouraged to do them other than to reach other spots in the track, and that’s it. Having outfits or characters tied to some P-Switch challenges would’ve been great, but everything in the open world feels meaningless.

Beyond that, it is sad that Mario Kart World doesn’t use its biggest strength: the open world. With so many modes that take place in the tracks you can explore during Free Roam, it would’ve been great to start said modes from the map and not from a menu. Going back to select a mode outside of free roam eliminates the seamlessness that Free Roam is going for. Still, we’ve seen other Mario Kart games improve after launch, so I hope Nintendo does something to make Free Roam feel more rewarding.

A Top-Notch Mario Kart Experience

Even if I have some complaints and find some game modes a bit underwhelming, I’ve clocked dozens of hours in Mario Kart World, which is something I can’t say for previous titles. The track design is the best of the franchise, and the character lineup will have you digging through food bags until you fill up your roster or keep using the beloved Cow, as we’ve all been doing lately.

While it is unfortunate that the game’s biggest gimmick falls short, I’m hopeful that it will improve with further updates. In the meantime, Knockout Tour is the best addition to Mario Kart World and one that I will keep playing until I manage to reach that first spot without getting hit with a blue shell.

Mario Kart World (Nintendo Switch 2 Reviewed)

8 Great!

Mario Kart World is the most visually impressive entry of the series, and its Knockout Tour mode is the best addition to the franchise. However, its open-world component feels shallow and doesn't encourage players to pursue it.