Entertainment Kart World is the chaotic peak of Nintendo’s classic running franchise

There is something special in a match of Mario Kart. Even after more than 30 years of versions and evolutions, the basic essence of the game remains practically the same – and you don’t have to change. Be stacked on the bedroom floor in front of an old tube TV or now talking live with friends via Zoom inside your own game, the joy of running kart with friends remains timeless.

But when it comes to NintendoThere is a unique ability to change things just right to turn known land into something new. Although Switch 2, its new console, is not exactly the most ambitious of the company, its main title is certainly. With Mario Kart Worldthe companyBo Banders ideas that developers had been in a long time, creating a larger and more chaotic game than ever – without neglecting the small details that give the franchise soul.

As much as the most cynical can easily discard it as a variation of more of it, or a deviation of route instead of a major essential release for the new console, Mario Kart World personifies all the best in Nintendo. It is a game with accurate systems, camouflaged depth and an inexhaustible sense of fantasy – that promises longevity. Maybe it’s even the best of the series.

A totally new world

From the beginning, the most evident addition to the classic formula of Mario Kart It is in the name: a large -scale interconnected world. Historically, the games in the series put the players to play some selected races in a World Cup, and this still exists in the new version, in many ways. But now each track is integrated on a fully exploited world map. In Free Roam mode (free exploration), accessible directly from the main menu (albeit separate as if it were a more alternative experience), players can choose between dozens of characters and exit the freely exploring ground.

In the beginning, the feeling is strange – leaving the track seems to go against the traditional and well -defined proposal of Mario Kart. But by cutting their way along the secondary roads and hills, players find that there is much to explore. All the game clues are completely accessible to drive freely, allowing you to look for collectibles (are hundreds) and alternative paths that can be useful later in races. There are also classic P buttons (again, hundreds), which activate short and timed missions – such as collecting coins or dodging enemies – that help develop skills and familiarize the player with the world.

The world itself is vibrant, though not exactly dense. NPC cars circulate through the map without danger, and there is no consequences when colliding with other vehicles or people (no Gta here). Players used to more complex open worlds may find Free mode gnaw a little empty, but scattered missions connect fluidly – one almost always leads to the next, with more P buttons on the horizon after each challenge completed. It is easy to get lost in a sequence of tasks naturally, until something draws attention, like a new fantasy icon, a medal of Peach or a secret lever to be discovered.

Interconnected regions follow the classic design philosophy of Nintendothat dates back to Super Mario Bros. 3 and especially the Super Mario WorldSNES: Each area has its own thematic geography (snowy zones, deserts, volcanoes, etc.), and houses about four clues that maintain this identity. In Grand Prix mode, when choosing a four -way pantry, the player, in practice, selects a thematic region to cross, with all circuits presenting an environmental continuity. Even when you are not exploring the open world alone, it is present in almost every aspect of the game.

A chest full of content

Out of free roam mode, Mario Kart World Deliver all the established modes of the franchise. Grand Prix continues as a series of four races, with three difficulty levels (and increasing speeds), but now the Cups have clear themes, which gives a feeling of greater cohesion. When choosing, for example, Flower Cup, the player travels a path that begins in the desert (Desert Hills, goes through the sandy Shy Guy Bazaar, advances to Wario Stadium’s rally style and ends in the high Airship Fortress, floating by heaven.

It is not a rigid rule – some clues still come up with unexpected scenario changes – but curatorship works well: it is no longer a random mix of circuits to become a journey of A A D, with purpose and rhythm.

The journey element shines especially in the Knockout Tour, the game’s Battle Royale version. In this mode, 24 players compete in a sequence of four to six fully interconnected tracks. While the Grand Prix pauses between the races to show the results, the Knockout Tour is a continuous, almost breathless race – a marathon between tracks where competitors follow accelerating with just a brief range before the next round.

For those who like the adrenaline of an intense experience in Mario Kart, the Knockout Tour is the height of the concept. As with all Battle Royale, the player needs to stay in the first places – who is below the cut line is eliminated from the match. Mario Kart always shone when friends fiercely vie for first place, but here, with the actual risk of a single wrong curve to get you out of the game, the tension goes upstairs. Beat the cup after escaping a triz during a 20 -minute session delivers the same adrenaline of the golden times Fortniteonly amplified by the absence of breaks. If you are that friend who screams with each race Mario Kartthis mode will leave you without voice.

In addition to group races, the game also offers classic modes such as Time Trials (Running Against Time) and VS Race, which can be played soil or multiplayer. In VS, you can configure personalized rules, such as the types of items available and the free choice of clues. There are also battle modes such as Coin Runners and Balloon Battle, who remain the favorite of players who can’t stand out in the races. With up to 24 players (twice the previous limit), the battle maps have been expanded, but remain as frantic as they have always been.

The whim in the details

Despite the vast amount of content, perhaps the best aspect of Mario Kart World Be in the details. With 50 playable characters (compared to the 42 of the last game), including the classics Mario, Luigi and Peachthe cast now has absurd and unexpected figures from the Mario universe – including secondary characters that were once just extras. Now you can run with the penguin of Mario 64 or with the Southerna tiny crab, all excited with a unique personality.

By 2025, living character animations should no longer impress so much, but from the selection screen to the race itself, each pilot overflows charisma. It’s easy to catch up watching the huge Wiggler dancing like the Carlton (Fresh Prince) or the Moled Baturizing happily in the belly as she swings. Details like this Mario Kart World Modern seem subtly – even if the graphics are not ultra -realistic. Nintendo understands that showing the power of its new console does not depend on achieving absolute realism, but on making the game world even more magical and charming.

The level of detail also has a direct impact on how Mario Kart World It really works. With the increase in karting power, the game has gained more complex physics and new possibilities within the races. While previous titles depended a lot on the memorization of the tracks and the precise direction in each curve, now there are many other ways to reach the opponents and take the lead.

As in Mario Kart 8Run a teasing with the drift button on top of a ramp gives a slight speed impulse. But now, with the introduction of the jump cartoon (using the same button on straight passages), you can jump on top of tracks, electric wires or walls to slide laterally. Slipping on rails offers a boost – which can be renewed with a new provocation – creating sequences that keep the player at high speed. Small opportunities appear all the time: strong water waves, for example, can raise their kart just enough to allow an extra impetus, and attentive players can chain these actions to cross areas that would otherwise be slower.

The tracks have been expanded to hold the corridors, but this also generates open stretches where so much happens while it is difficult to follow everything. Small “parallel conflicts” appear in the corners of the map – such as minibatids in fields covered with sandstorms – while you may be quietly grinding a grind on the side of the track. This all contributes to the feeling that each race is full of emerging elements, even if many of the obstacles are still scripted. The way 24 people react in real time is what keeps each dispute unique.

It would have been easy for Nintendo to launch a Mario Kart 9 More conservative, trapped in the linear roots of the series. But by relying on what already works – and to make the most of what fans love most: accessibility, charisma and chaos – Mario Kart World It turns out to be one of the highlights of the franchise. It’s a game that has everything to master the time on living room TVs or the rear seats of cars for many years.

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