After 29 long years away, Mario Kart World brought players on a triumphant trick back to one of the series' most forgotten tracks. Mario Kart World is a daring entry for the series, mixing up the series' usual formula in several areas. This includes its treatment of its retro tracks, a selection that frequently includes fan favorites such as Waluigi Pinball and Yoshi Circuit. However, Mario Kart World saw the return of one track that may not have been so widely anticipated. The end result, despite the odds, is a track that is a lot of fun to revisit.
Among the tracks in Mario Kart World are many remade versions of previous tracks in the series. Typically known as Retro Tracks, these returning tracks have been a tradition for the Mario Kart series ever since Mario Kart DS. Coincidentally, this is one of the areas where Mario Kart World has decided to go a different path from its predecessors. While it still has Retro Tracks, their titles no longer include the games that they originally came from, and they are not placed in their own set of cups. Despite these changes, the tradition of reworking old Mario Kart tracks is still alive and well.
The Unwritten Rules of Mario Kart World Explained
Before starting their engines in Mario Kart World, players should take note of a few unwritten rules about what they should be prioritizing.
Mario Kart World Brought Wario Stadium Back to Life
Wario Stadium Was Mario Kart 64's Last Track to Return
Even though Mario Kart 64 has dedicated players to this day, until Mario Kart World, there was one track from that game that never saw a return. Despite being in a well-received game, Wario Stadium was far from its most polished track. It had a good premise, being a motocross track designed by Wario, but it had one of the game's blandest designs. This was not helped by it being the second-longest track in the game, which only made its weaknesses clearer thanks to how long each race took. Perhaps it's not such a surprise that it took Wario Stadium so long to return.
Despite Wario Stadium's length in Mario Kart 64, it had a glitch-based shortcut that could finish a lap in under 10 seconds.
Mario Kart World's Mario Stadium Has Seen Significant Upgrades
The version of Wario Stadium seen in Mario Kart World's Grand Prix has seen some significant upgrades. While the N64 version was dominated by gray track and sandy brown walls, the new iteration has plenty of color to keep it visually interesting. In addition, the grungier scrap metal aesthetic is a good fit for the rough and tough Wario. It helps that the big jump from the original was remade with more bombastic flourishes like flamethrowers and fireworks, fitting Wario's boisterous personality. It is significantly shorter than the original version, which can be contentious, but overall, the new Wario Stadium feels like an improvement.
Tricks Make Wario Stadium Much More Fun to Race On
Another big feature that helps Wario Stadium is Mario Kart World's trick system. Mario Kart 64 did not have tricks, even though a course full of jumps like Wario Stadium was practically begging for it. As a result, the track failed to live up to its potential due to the ramps adding very little. On the other hand, the inclusion of tricks makes Mario Kart World's version much more dynamic. Now it's a track where players can almost constantly be doing stunts throughout every lap. That change alone works wonders to make Wario Stadium a much more enjoyable track to race on.
Wario Stadium has come a long way since its first iteration. While Mario Kart World's Free Roam is its biggest innovation, the general creativity present in the track design also deserves plenty of praise. This is clear with most of the game's tracks, with the remade Wario Stadium is a triumphant example of such. The original Wario Stadium was a track with a clear vision that ultimately ended up missing the mark. Mario Kart World's iteration captured that vision and turned it into an excellent track worth playing.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 87 /100 Critics Rec: 97%
- Released
- June 5, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone // Mild Fantasy Violence, Users Interact
- Developer(s)
- Nintendo
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
- Genre(s)
- Racing, Open-World
