Today, Nintendo revealed their Mario Kart World direct. It’s time to take things on the road once again. For the first time in franchise history, Mario Kart will be open-world. Don’t worry, the new format will bring you the races and shells of the past we all know and love. It’s a whole new world out there and here’s what you can expect to find as you travel from the new Mario Bros Circuit to the snowy trails of Starview Peak.
Mario Kart World will be a completely open world, allowing you to travel anywhere you want to go. Drive across the map to your next race, meet up with friends or just heading out to explore. This will be a whole new experience for fans of old and new. We have returning characters like Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach and Yoshi, but, we’ll also be introduced to new racers like Goomba, Spike, Cow and others.
The Return Of A Classic Map
While out touring around the world, whether it be in the free roam mode, as you collect snacks by stopping off at a gas station and hitting the drive-thru to gain new cosmetics or hitting P Switches scattered throughout the world for mini challenges, collecting hidden coins or panels, there is a lot to do throughout the map to keep you going. BUT, if you are fast enough in the Grand Prix, you might just be rewarded with the return of a classic map, Rainbow Road.
Other race types include Knock Tour, a new mode that will take you from one end of the map to the other. All the while trying to stay ahead of last place before getting eliminated by the current check point. Battle modes return with Balloon Battle or be the first to collect the largest amount of coins in Coin Runners.
New moves like the Charge Jump will allow you to leap over oncoming traffic, dodge out of the way of incoming shells or grind your way around the map. For the first time in a Mario Kart game, you will be able to Rewind time. That’s right, hit a mushroom you didn’t see coming, now you can rewind your crash. But be warned, however, while you rewind time, others in your race keep pushing forward and might just pass you.
4 player split screen makes its return. You can play with local wireless play and up to 8 players can play across systems with 2 players on each system if needed, all while racing for the top spot in a 24 player race.
Don’t forget about that camera. In local play, a camera will be able to detect up to 4 people’s faces all while on the same system to place their face above their racer, allowing you to line up where you want your next hammer to throw down.
New and returning items are here to help aid you during your race. Coin Shell will knock rivals off course, Ice Flower will freeze your opponent as they spin out of control or bring the Hammer and you lob a barrage of hammers upon the competition, these are just a few of the new items coming to the game.
And lastly, for beginners joining Mario Kart for the first time. World will have roadside assistance to help keep our newbies on the track. How many times have we all fallen off the edge and lost the final lap?
Mario Kart World has stepped things up with the next iteration, from going open-world, to reinventing old maps and bringing new racers. Mario Kart World arrives on June 5th, the same day as the Nintendo Switch 2. Will you be getting Mario Kart world? Let us know in the comments. Who will be your racer of choice?
