Mario Kart Worldreview: Getting there is half the game

It would have been exceptionally easy for Nintendo to stick with an established formula for Mario Kart World. While the series has added a few crucial new features here and there since its Super NES debut, it has settled into an extremely comfortable groove since the 2014 release of Mario Kart 8 on the ill-fated Wii U. Since then, we've seen the franchise lean on nostalgia-rich DLC as it introduced a barely differentiated Switch port and a series of course-packed expansions rather than another distinct sequel. Save for the expert-level, ultra-fast 200cc racing mode, the broad strokes of a Mario Kart game have gone from staid to practically frozen in amber in recent years.

Mario Kart World doesn't completely abandon the basic structure of those previous Mario Kart games; there are still twisty, turny, shortcut-filled courses loaded with items and opportunities to power slide. But it builds on that skeleton more than any Mario Kart game ever has, adding new modes, new driving techniques, and a new focus on the vast swathes of land between the intricately designed race courses. The result can feel a little inconsistent but also like a necessary shot of new ideas into a series that has been growing stale.

Too many karts

The first thing you're liable to notice loading up a race in Mario Kart World is just how crowded things have gotten. The expansion to 24 racers on each track (from 12 in Mario Kart 8 and eight in previous franchise titles) serves as a good way to show off the added processing power of the Switch 2. It also provides a good excuse to greatly expand the number of selectable characters and outfits available in the game, which dredge up options from some of the deeper depths of the Mario catalog (your day has finally arrived, Sidestepper fans).

From a gameplay perspective, though, the expansion might add just a bit too much chaos to an already chaotic racing experience. That's because doubling the number of karts in each race also practically doubles the number of items you can expect to be flying around every time the pack crosses a set of question-mark boxes. That makes it just that much more likely that you can be sniped from behind by a red shell, squished by a Mega Mushroom-enhanced racing giant, pummeled by a rain of Hammer Bros. hammers, or any number of other threats that can halt your momentum and set your racing position back a dozen places at a time.