Summary
Mario Kart 8 Deluxewas a big game for the Switch, unlike on the Wii U, which struggled to sell software regardless of how good the games were.Mario Kart 8 Deluxewas a second chance at life that helped lift the Switch and Nintendo to new heights.Mario Kart Worldis a bolder step for the franchise, featuring many new modes and mechanics unseen in any previous entry.
While there are some things that fans may miss fromMario Kart 8 Deluxe, they should be happy withthese changes inMario Kart World.Hopefully, Nintendo will keep this game alive just as long as its predecessor, with other new additions in the future.
6Food-Based Costumes
Dressing Up The Roster
Mario Kart 8 Deluxehad some amazing characterchoices, especially the crossover characters like Link fromThe Legend of Zeldaand Isabelle fromAnimal Crossing. Then there were some less cool characters, like various versions of Mario, including Tanooki Mario and Metal Mario.Mario Kart Worldfixes this problem by giving most characters multiple costumes instead of cramming the roster with just one character getting all the costume love through multiple iterations.
Even a lowly character like Lakitu has some cool costume choices, which is another big revelation. There are a lot ofclassicMarioenemieswho can be played as, too, from Goombas to Piranha Plants. Costumes can be unlocked by finding food vendors around the world and trying out new food items, from burgers to kabobs.
5Free Roam
Not Quite Open-World, But The Closest The Series Has Come To It
EveryMario Kartentry plays relatively the same. Find a track, play it alone or with friends, or check out some other modes like Battle. The biggest new mode inMario Kart Worldis Free Roam, allowing players to literally drive from one end of the world to the other.
Racing games have boasted about this type of interconnectivity before, soMario Kart Worldis not as big or impressive as something likeThe Crew. It is an improvement from past games, though, and overall, the courses feel bigger and less one-note. It’s not an open-world filled with tons to do, but it will keep fans exploring for a while to uncover as many secrets as possible.
4Knockout Tour
Mario’s Second Battle Royale
Super Mario Bros. 35was a reworking of the originalNES Super Mario Bros., transforming it into a Battle Royale experience. It was released to celebrate Mario’s 35th anniversary in 2020, but it was sadly discontinued a year later.Mario Kart Worldbrings back the Battle Royale vibes with a new mode called Knockout Tour.
Players have to stay in a certain race placement to remain in the game, which gets narrower as the races progress. If they can’t get into a certain placement by the next checkpoint, it’s Game Over. This is the most pulse-pounding mode in the game, and players will assuredly be obsessed with it online, or at least they will be for a good few weeks until the Switch 2’s next big multiplayer release.
3Multiplayer Lobbies
No Longer A Spectator Sport
Mario Kart Worldfixes multiplayerlobbies in a big way, both for the series and for games as a whole. InMario Kart 8 Deluxe, players had to spectate while they waited for their chosen mode to start. InMario Kart World, players can drive around in Free Roam until their match is ready to begin.
The best part is that anything they unlock or complete during this Free Roam time will count toward the player’s overall progress. Players can even meet others online while they’re waiting to have some adventures. It beats looking at a phone for a few minutes until a match starts, that’s for sure. Also, the matchmaking overall just feels quicker and more responsive on Switch 2 when compared to the Switch or Wii U.
2Driving Trucks
And Other New Powers
There are some new powers inMario Kart World,along with some old ones. One super-powered move that cannot be used during races is a truck that players can take over for a short time. They can plow through vehicles like they are a one-man wrecking ball, which is hilarious to witness. There are big boats floating around the water that can be commandeered, too.
One new power that appears during normal races, though, is the Coin Shell, which can damage enemies and spews outcoins used to unlock vehicles inMario Kart World.Kamek is another new item that can change players into classicMarioenemies, which is funny but not useful offensively.The Ice Flower first appeared inMario Kart Tour,as did the Hammer, along with its debut inMario Kart Arcade GP.Since those two games may be unfamiliar to Nintendo console owners, these items may as well be new, and they are fun to use regardless.
1The Redesigns
A Double Dose Of Change
When this game was first revealed, one big takeaway fans noticed was that Donkey Kong had undergone a redesign. This was made abundantly clear whenDonkey Kong Bananzawas also revealed, which sported many new looks for the Kongs.Donkey Kongis not the only redesigned figure inMario Kart World.
Most of the cast had subtle changes made to their looks, but the biggest revamp has to be Daisy.She looks much younger than herMario Kart 8 Deluxeself, and she’s more spunky in her animations, too.It’s funny that both D-named characters received the biggest tweaks inMario Kart World,but maybe with time, other characters will be changed too.
