Mario Kart World Review

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is one of the best-selling games of all time with over 68 million units sold and counting, so it’s really no surprise that Nintendo decided to launch the Switch 2 with its followup, Mario Kart World. The Switch 2’s flagship launch title, Mario Kart World expands the established Mario Kart formula with some wild new features while still staying true to what fans love about the series in the first place.

Mario Kart World delivers more of the same chaotic racing action as its predecessors, but bigger and better. Playing Mario Kart World on a docked Switch 2 in 4K is a visual treat, with vibrant colors, impressive animations, and a large open world that is rendered with zero performance issues of any kind. From a technical and graphical standpoint, Mario Kart World is incredibly impressive and a showcase of what the Switch 2 is capable of. What stuck out to me the most was the shifting weather as I sped across the game world, with dark thunderstorms giving way to gorgeous sunsets that had me stop and take in the sights. Mario Kart has always looked great, but Mario Kart World takes things to the next level.

Mario Kart World‘s stunning visuals pair well with its fantastic soundtrack, typical of Nintendo. Different areas and tracks have their associated tunes, with new music mixed in with nostalgic throwbacks. The game is full of iconic sound effects and little audio touches that go a long way in giving Mario Kart World endless personality. From the frantic slot machine sound when players pick up an item to Pauline singing whenever players perform tricks with her off a jump, Mario Kart World‘s brilliant sound design stands tall alongside its eye-popping graphics to deliver an often jaw-dropping presentation.

Presentation-wise, Mario Kart World is practically perfect, and while one would normally expect some of its visual splendor or performance to be compromised when playing in split-screen, that is absolutely not the case in my testing. Mario Kart World runs beautifully in single-player and in split-screen multiplayer, with players once again able to enjoy up to 4-player split-screen with friends. Two players can even play in split-screen against others online, which is much appreciated.

Mario Kart World is Full of Fun Game Modes

Mario Kart World features the standard game modes that one has come to expect from the franchise over the years. Of course, the flagship Grand Prix mode is back in Mario Kart World, with each cup a joy to race through. Mario Kart World tweaks the typical Grand Prix set-up by having players race on each track for a single lap, and then literally drive to the next track as part of the same, ongoing race. All of Mario Kart World‘s tracks are stunning and fun to race on. There truly isn’t a bad track in the bunch, and players will have a ton of fun seeing what each one has to offer.

Battle Mode is also back, slicing sections of Mario Kart World‘s map into arenas for players to duke it out match types like the classic Balloon Battle and Coin Runners. Battle Mode is always good for some laughs, and that’s no different in Mario Kart World, with players able to enjoy it locally or online.

The standout new game mode in Mario Kart World is Knockout Tour, where players have to finish each race in a certain position or avoid being eliminated. Knockout Tour is challenging and hard to put down. I found myself playing it for hours, chasing after the elusive goal of finally winning one of Knockout Tour’s high-stakes 24-player races.

Mario Kart World expands races to include 24 players, and while that may sounds daunting on paper, it works well. Thanks to the added horsepower of the Switch, Mario Kart World achieves 24-player races without compromising performance at all. Bumping up the racer count also gave Nintendo an excuse to give Mario Kart World the franchise’s most-varied roster of characters to date, with the usual mainstays joined by surprise characters like a literal cow and penguin. Many of the returning Mario Kart racers have unlockable outfits that count as individual racers, plus there are plenty of different vehicles to earn as well, ensuring near-endless variety even without MK8 Deluxe‘s kart customization.

Mario Kart World’s Free Roam Leaves A Lot to Be Desired

When it comes to the returning Mario Kart game modes and Knockout Tour, Mario Kart World defies expectations. Unfortunately, the game’s defining new mode, Free Roam, is a massive disappointment. One of the most-hyped modes leading up to release, Mario Kart World‘s Free Roam gives players the chance to freely explore a huge map that connects all the game’s tracks. The open world is filled with P-Switches that unlock challenging missions for players to complete in exchange for rewards, along with collectible coins and other secrets to discover.

Mario Kart World‘s open world is visually-impressive, and there is some fun to be had exploring and trying to complete all the missions. The problem is that Free Roam lacks direction. It plops players into the middle of it and lets them fast-travel anywhere right off the bat, doing anything they want with no sense of progression. What makes matters worse is that the game does not keep track of completed missions on the map, which makes trying to do everything a needlessly overwhelming task. This is a big oversight, and hopefully Nintendo patches in a way for players to have a better understanding of what they’ve already done and where they still have missions to complete.

Exploring Mario Kart World‘s Free Roam map in multiplayer is also disappointing. P-Switches disappear when playing in co-op, and there really isn’t anything to do with friends in the open world. It’s a glorified lobby for the races, and that’s a real shame. But while Mario Kart World‘s take on the open world concept doesn’t quite hit the mark, there is obvious potential there, and I hope future installments do the idea justice.

I am disappointed with Mario Kart World‘s Free Roam, but the game nails everything else. It’s good for near-endless hours of entertainment, and it will definitely stay in my Switch 2 rotation for years to come. Mario Kart World is the best the series has ever looked or played and a definite must-have for Switch 2 early adopters.