The recently concluded Mario Kart World Direct unveiled a wealth of exciting details about the upcoming kart-racing title in the Mario Kart series. Dive into the specifics of the game's innovative free-roam world and its myriad features.
Mario Kart World Direct Reveals
An Interconnected World
Nintendo's Mario Kart World Direct on April 17 provided an in-depth look at the game's expansive features. Players can explore Mario Kart World, navigating through both familiar regions and brand-new territories within the series.
According to Nintendo, "In Mario Kart World, the game’s courses are interspersed across the world with roads leading from one to the next – so players can experience navigating roads in between courses!"
Experience the world of Mario in a fresh way, with scenic views and iconic landmarks spread across the landscape. Players can discover hidden items and undertake missions to enhance their driving skills beyond traditional races.
The game introduces a mix of new and classic courses, including Mario Bros. Circuit, Crown City, Salty Salty Speedway, Starview Peak, Boo Cinema, Toad's Factory, Peach Beach, and Wario Shipyard. These classic courses have been creatively reimagined to seamlessly integrate into the expansive new Mario Kart World.
Grand Prix and Knockout Tour
Mario Kart World offers two main racing modes: Grand Prix and Knockout Tour, both accommodating up to 24 racers, marking the largest field in the series' history. Racers must navigate a variety of obstacles, including cars that launch Bullet Bills and assaults from Hammer Bros.
In the Grand Prix mode, players compete in four consecutive races to win cups such as the Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, and Star Cup. A unique feature is the requirement to travel to the next race location to continue the Grand Prix. Completing all the cups unlocks a mysterious "colorful course," speculated to be the iconic Rainbow Road.
The newly introduced Knockout Tour mode challenges players to race across the entire world map. This survival-style race requires players to place well enough to advance to the next race, with elimination for those who don't make the cut.
Items, Characters, and More
Mario Kart World introduces a fresh arsenal of items for racers, alongside beloved classics. New items include the Coin Shell, which can knock opponents aside while leaving a trail of collectible coins, the Ice Flower, which freezes opponents on contact, and the Big Mushroom, which temporarily enlarges players to squash competitors.
The game features a vibrant roster of classic Mushroom Kingdom characters like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and Bowser, joined by newcomers such as Goomba, Spike, and even Cow. Players can unlock alternate costumes for these characters hidden throughout the world.
Playing With Friends
Mario Kart World offers a variety of game modes for multiplayer enjoyment. Time Trials enable online competition against other players' ghost data. VS mode provides extensive customization options for team racing. Battle mode returns with Coin Runners, where the goal is to collect the most coins, and Balloon Battle, where the last racer with an intact balloon wins.
The game supports both local and online multiplayer, allowing up to four players to race in split-screen on a single system. Local wireless play accommodates up to eight players (two per Switch 2 device). The new GameChat feature on the Switch 2 enhances social interaction, allowing players to communicate and view each other's screens.
Additional features like Smart Steering help keep players on course, Auto-accelerate automatically propels racers forward, Tilt controls add immersive motion control, and the new Joy-Con 2 Wheel enhances the racing experience.
Mario Kart World is poised to revolutionize the kart-racing genre by offering an open-world map for players to freely explore the vibrant universe of Mario and his friends. Set to launch on June 5, 2025, exclusively for the Nintendo Switch 2, stay tuned for more updates on this exciting new title!
