Here’s Everything We Know About ‘Mario Kart World’

The addition of a fully open world and a 24-player count has a tremendous impact on the kinds of modes available in Mario Kart World. Basic racing is called Grand Prix, and is like what every Mario Kart game has as its base mode. Players pick a cup (Mushroom Cup, Flower Cup, Star Cup, etc.) consisting of a series of four races. However, unlike in previous games where each match ends and picks up at the next course, World demands that players keep racing throughout its regions as part of the cup.

The Mushroom Cup will start off at the Mario Bros. Circuit course, but the next race in the queue actually covers the distance between the first and second tracks. In practice, it feels somewhat indecipherable — a race is a race, after all — but it adds a level of immersion and intensity where nothing ever quite stops down for a break.

The intensity is ratcheted up much further in Knockout Tour, which has the same basic cup-based setup as Grand Prix but introduces a battle royale-esque dimension. The goal of every race is to make it to the cutoff standing (i.e., finish in the top 12 or 8). Otherwise, you’ll be eliminated. If Mario Kart was a somewhat stressful endeavor in years past, just playing with 12 buddies vying for a simple win, it becomes a pulse-pounding fever pitch of anxiety when 24 racers are at their most cutthroat to avoid elimination round after round with no breaks.

Beyond the primary racing modes, there are standard balloon and coin-based battles that haven’t been highlighted much by Nintendo. They’re usually a good time with friends who otherwise aren’t keen on losing the same races repeatedly. Lastly, there’s Free Roam, which is the game’s biggest innovation. Giving players the ability to slowly explore every inch of the map at their own pace, learn and practice each course, and find secrets that can unlock things like new costumes, it’s a very different experience from anything seen in Mario Kart before.