Mario Kart World is Doubling Down on Series’ Most…

Nintendo’s next console, the Nintendo Switch 2, is launching with a strong first-party offering in Mario Kart World, and it gets stronger with each public showing. As of the April 17 Nintendo Direct, most of Mario Kart World's courses, characters, and modes are known, and all that's left is waiting for the game to come out at the beginning of June. It's a good thing that said wait won't be very long, as World looks like the most polished Mario Kart yet, and fans everywhere are eager to pick it up after spending the Switch’s entire generation with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

The secret recipe that Mario Kart World is using to win people over is an increased scope. Races take place on wider tracks with more ways to navigate them, which is necessary thanks to the upgrade to 24 racers in typical gameplay. Furthermore, the space outside the racetracks is fully explorable for the first time, giving Mario Kart World an open world that can not only be explored but also used for multi-track marathons. Mario Kart World has brought its series into a bold new form, but that may come at a cost for certain players.

Nintendo Fans Still Have 1 Big Complaint About Mario Kart World

Nintendo's latest Mario Kart World presentation is a reminder that fans are still upset about one thing in particular when it comes to the new game.

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By Dalton Cooper

Items And Other Hazards Reign Supreme In Mario Kart World

The Casual Mario Kart Scene Is Getting A Huge Boon

Mario Kart is not a simulation racing franchise; instead it opts for more cartoony arcade-style races. To that end, every Mario Kart title comes with mid-race item pick-ups to keep the action unpredictable and give struggling players a chance to catch up and even pull ahead if they're lucky. Catch-up mechanics are controversial in just about any game they show up in, though at this point, anyone buying a Mario Kart title knows what they're getting into. Recent Mario Kart's have generally ensured that skill will counter luck in most circumstances, so the chaos that items represent is acceptable even to their detractors.

It's unknown if Mario Kart World has inherited the fine control over VS Mode items that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe gained during its Booster Course Pass, but it has at least confirmed an Items option that can probably turn them off for those who want that. What doesn't have an off switch are the new hazards scattered across all of Mario Kart World’s courses, serving as generic dangers that can be sprinkled almost anywhere. Bullet Bill launchers, rolling Chain Chomps, and brigades of Hammer Bros can now menace players on top of other racers, suggesting an emphasis on one of Mario Kart’s oldest values.

Mario Kart World’s Extra Hazards Indicate A More Casual-Minded Experience

Chaos has been prevalent across the Mario Kart series as one of its major selling points, but Mario Kart World seems to have doubled down on keeping the action full of wild swings. Track hazards have been abundant in the past, but World’s mobile aggressors and enemy encampments have been framed as much more prominent and dynamic than most hazards, meaning racers will always have to be ready to dodge, no matter their current placement. Much like with Mario Kart’s items, this could lead to sudden and extreme fluctuations between first and last place in the most volatile situations.

Mario Kart World Supports Fun And Competition, But Favors Fun

The intent here seems to be ensuring that the larger racing spaces are always filled with something for the higher number of racers to do, and it’s just one piece of the puzzle in that regard. MK World's new features, like charged jumps, rail grinding, wall riding, and temporarily controlling a speeding sixteen-wheeler, are all also around, contributing to Mario Kart World’s wild arcade environment while still allowing for new methods of skill expression. Mario Kart World is not going to have many problems keeping its players engaged, even if some of them may be left yearning for a slightly less hectic experience.

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