Mario Kart World: Review-in-Progress

Given that Mario Kart 8 is one of the world's best-selling games ever and also Nintendo's second best-selling game, trailing only Wii Sports (which, as you know, came with every Wii console), it's no exaggeration to say that nothing is hotter at the Switch 2 launch than Mario Kart World.

In fact, it's been eleven years since a Mario Kart game was last released for a Nintendo console, and on June 5 it's finally time for its arrival. Prior to this, Gamereactor had the opportunity to visit Nintendo in Frankfurt to try both this and the Welcome Tour, and we are not talking about an early version but the full game with everything available. My impressions here are the same as what will be in the review we'll publish as soon as possible.

So... before we get into all the fun, I'm sure many of you are wondering with horror if Nintendo has managed to create a worthy successor to the best party racer ever. I was one of them, and I've been playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe pretty much every week since its release, and fortunately I have positive news. I haven't played everything yet and haven't had time to explore enough for a definitive opinion, but yes, it seems that Nintendo has a new timeless wonder on its hands, where now they have also managed to bake in all the trends that are so important today and that are intended to be relevant for a long time.

When I grab Nintendo's new Pro Controller for the first time to play, my hand is sweating almost before the green light appears and the starting claxon sounds. What greets me is a very cosy start screen where Mario is out and about in the now wide-open world, while I get a number of classic options, as well as the new Free Roam option.

During the extremely well-planned event, the idea is that I and other visiting journalists and influencers will have time to try as many aspects as possible. But it all starts with some good old-fashioned cup racing where we get to choose whichever one we want and try out this new set-up. Depending on the cup, I start in one place and by the end of the race I'm in another, a clear concept that renews the classic system in a way that feels logical and thus avoids the feeling of changing for the sake of changing.

When I choose drivers (for me, it's usually Luigi and Waluigi), I don't notice a huge difference from Mario Kart 8, but when I pick a vehicle on the next screen, it's clear how much has changed in terms of technology. The detail and textures are on a completely different level to its predecessor, and there doesn't seem to be any wheel selection or hang gliders from what I could see, something I'm not sad about, to be honest. A lot of things in the form of both drivers and karts are locked, so there is seemingly plenty to earn.

I choose to start soft with 100 cc in the classic Mushroom Cup, where the racing starts at Mario Bros. Circuit, and then via Crown City and Whistlestop Summit, and eventually rounds off at DK Spaceport. It looks mighty to watch 24 drivers cross the finish line in a kind of mascot cavalcade of famous and much lesser known creatures from the Mushroom Kingdom. When the green light appears, I jet off and it's clear that the superstar races still work the same way.

The biggest gameplay difference this time is that jumps are back. These were already present in the very first Mario Kart, but disappeared along the way. Here, however, they have a slightly different function and are used, among other things, to allow you to ride on walls. In order to do this, however, you have to charge up your jump, and it's immediately apparent that this is going to mean that I'm going to have to change my play style quite a bit. Trying to slide through every bend as smoothly as possible is no longer automatically the best thing to do, and can lead to missing important shortcuts, and there seems to be a lot of them, so learning to master the jumps will undoubtedly be important.

Other things I'm quick to note are details like how you no longer need to hold a button to keep a green shell behind you, but it's something that's done automatically when you pick up the item. So you only need to press the button when it's time to rip it off, which is a lovely and really user-friendly feature I appreciate. Other little things are that you can now clearly see how much boost you have left on gold mushrooms, which makes them easier to time and use. Spontaneously I would also say that the computer opponents seem to be a little easier this time, and even though I should obviously win 100 cc, it's still the first time I play this without knowing either any shortcuts or new game mechanics, so I eek out a victory by a margin.

The Mushroom Cup is rounded off with an absolutely phenomenal uphill run at DK Spaceport, whose design is reminiscent of the construction site in the original 1981 Donkey Kong, where a giant robot monkey stands and throws down barrels at the riders in an absolutely delightful sequence. From here I played on and chose the watery reinterpretation of Wario's Galleon and Moo Moo Meadows, both of which have been thoroughly revamped. The water racing feels distinct and naturally offers a different feel to the solid ground underneath the wheels, and I think I can feel slight influences from the Wave Race games, which is all positive.

After playing cups, we had the opportunity to try out the Versus mode. I started my journey at Mario Circuit and after playing it, I chose Acorns Heists and got to experience how the world changed from a classic racing environment to a lush green track. From there, my journey then took me on a race towards Boo Cinema, and the leafy environments quickly transitioned into something more autumnal and soon towards outright (well... for Nintendo standards) horror-like with racing in a haunted cinema with lots of cool effects. I rounded off my Versus travels with a trip to something more lively again, choosing a race that went to Dandelion Depths.

Playing this way is delightful and I'm really encouraged to experience it all, as along the courses there is the opportunity to unlock new suits via food parcels hiding in the periphery. The costumes are really quite different and can, for example, transform Waluigi into a more Dracula-like creature, and they therefore make me feel motivated to find them. I definitely think I'll be keen to try and find everything when I can sit down and play at home in peace and quiet.

The Free Roam game mode provides the opportunity to really scrutinise the majestic game world properly, where it is possible to drive just about everywhere. As in Forza Horizon, leaving the roads behind for a bit of exploration is a must, as Nintendo has hidden secrets just about everywhere, usually in the form of P Blocks. Crashing into them gives you a timed challenge of varying difficulty, and completing them then unlocks new content (not least Stickers to pimp your carts). Some of these challenges feel a bit puzzle-like in design, others are racing-orientated, and still others revolve around flying. I've only had time to try out a fraction of what's available, but I can say that no challenge was poor, even if some feel a bit random. The vast majority seem really cleverly designed and thought out, and there is also a Photo Mode, which I think many will appreciate.

So far so good, but the real Mario Kart World star for me is the new battle royale flavoured Knockout Tour. A game mode for up to 24 people across six races, where it is important not to finish in the bottom four because it means immediate elimination. The last race therefore only includes four people, and the set-up automatically makes it a lot more exciting. In the cups, I get slightly less points if I don't cross the finish line first, but I can still win by doing well in the other races. If I fail, I'm knocked out, which will mean Game Over.

Before each race, everyone gets to vote on which course they want to play among three pre-selected options, but you can also bring up the map and select any course. Since there is a draw between everyone's choices, it could be your favourite track, even if it was only you who chose it. The prestige was palpable as everyone in the room came together in this utterly delightful game mode (where I can't help but tell you that I managed to win outright). Being right on the edge of elimination during a race is stressful beyond most things and the "just one more race" feeling is palpable.

Other options are the recurring Coin Runners and Balloon Battle. They don't offer any major surprises, but the larger number of players combined with better courses and fun bonus items made both a joy to play. Clearly two game modes that have a future both online and offline.

Incidentally, I think I've noticed that the powerful bonus items are a bit more generous this time around, possibly a result of the fact that there are now 24 players on the track so there are a lot of people getting the chance to launch blue shells. But even superstars and Bullet Bills were used a little more frequently than I think I'm used to. There is a setting to adjust the bonus items, but I'm still a little unsure to what extent.

So there's a lot to suggest that it's a real winner Nintendo is releasing later this week. The only negative thing I have to say is that I experienced the performance with Joy-Con 2 when four people played on the same screen - using Switch 2 Camera as well - as noticeably laggy. Whether this was due to some setting in the game or the TV, or whether the camera actually takes up so many resources that it affects the gaming experience, I can't say for certain until I've tested it thoroughly at home. Regardless, it's not a big deal because it's an optional accessory.

We'll be back with our complete review in the reasonably near future, when we'll tell you exactly how good Mario Kart World actually is, but in the meantime, things are looking very promising. The fearful excitement I mentioned in the introduction has turned into sheer delight, and on June 5, the race is on.