Just the other day, Nintendo showed off a more extensive overview of its Switch 2 exclusive launch title, Mario Kart World. You can check out that YouTube video linked below.
Thing is, having already used Nintendo's new console at preview launch event, I'd already played the new Mario Kart game – and now, quite honestly, June can't come soon enough.
That's because this launch title will define the Switch 2's legacy. It's the game to have on day one, so its adoption rate is surely going to 99% of players who possess the new console.
And, based on my play experience, I suspect all of those players will be 100% satisfied. Because Mario Kart World is the biggest deal in the game series for many years. Here's 5 key reasons why:
1. More course variety
I got to play Crown City as my first course, which is like 'the big city'. Except, here you can spread wings and glide in certain sections of the course, adding further variety.
Variety is name of the game in Nintendo's book, with seven Grand Prix cups comprising four courses apiece, totalling a baseline of 28. But that's just for starters – Nintendo promises much more than that too.
As Mario Kart World is, indeed, a 'world', you can drive between courses across a full map, in which you'll find minigames and all sorts of goings-on – plus classic nostalgic tracks to play from Mario Kart games of the past.
My big take-away from my first 20-minutes of playing Mario Kart World was just how many routes and trick options are available, whether surfing across water shortcuts, or wall-riding to a higher-level track section as a shortcut.
That gives me confidence that this latest caper will be great for beginners, but even more appealing to pros and time-trailers looking to find the best routes, shortcuts and tricks to get through.
2. More characters to play
There are a lot of characters you can play in Mario Kart World. Like, a lot – more than 60. At my demonstration I didn't have time to count them all, but screen after screen of playables were up for grabs.
Some notable additions that caught my eye were King Boo, Monty Mole, plus wild new options like Cow (yes, a cow), Spike, and Goomba. Shyguy is my favourite, though, he's always my go-to in Mario Party Jamboree.
You can be sure that various characters will become available as you progress through Mario Kart world, too, unlocking additions to add to the bank.
Nintendo isn't done there either. As demoed in the Mario Kart World Direct, there are even Yoshi's food stops, where the food you consume can define the threads that you wear – such as princess Peach in a sushi-inspired outfit.
The sky looks to be the limit here. Although it's hard to beat a classic character pick sometimes.
3. More vehicles to race
Just like with playable characters, there are a whole bundle of different vehicle types to choose from too.
Whether on four wheels – or three, or two, as bikes and trikes are part of the party – you're able to pick your best match.
Karts vary in their Speed, Acceleration, Weight and Handling, some offering much-needed benefits to one or multiples that can be best applied to different course types as you learn them.
Having played every other Mario Kart title, I can see the importance of this, perhaps more than ever in World, though. Those course shortcuts will be more easily acquired through the right choice combinations.
4. More power-ups to use
When playing this was the other most prominent point – new power-ups! Except, on my first runthrough I had no clue what some of these new options did.
Feather, for example, makes you jump up in the air. Little did I know at first that this could be used to dodge leader-seeking shell strikes and suchlike, making it a lucrative option – even more so for finding secret shortcuts.
There are all the usual classics, plus plenty of further additions – check out the YouTube video above for the full visual example – including Hammer Bros hammers, Ice Flower to freeze opponents, and more.
Even without knowing what the feather was for initially, it didn't really matter – despite messing up its intended use, it still made me laugh, and that chaotic play is a big part of what Mario Kart is all about.
Especially in this game, as World has up to 24 players on any one course, which is more than any game before it. The chaos is real, the competition even trickier – and while I've played side-by-side with another player on a Switch 2, I'm sure that online play worldwide will quickly become a very competitive battleground.
5. More to explore
I was a little worried that Mario Kart World's announcement as an 'open-world' game would unpick what has made the series so popular. But I needn't have fretted.
When in a course – whether Time Trial, Grand Prix, or Knockout Tour – you're locked into that course and the laps that you need to do to place.
Sure, there are plenty of tricks per course to discover, but there's still a sufficient structure to these courses – they feel like racetracks, not sprawling spaces where you've no idea where you're going.
The open-world element is more to thread together a fuller map, to allow for side quests and minigames to be unlocked. But it's not the biggest part of the game – you can always dash into a course to race nice and easily.
It shows that Mario Kart is evolving. And while I'd first thought that no true new 3D Mario game at launch was going to cost the Switch 2, I think Mario Kart World will very successfully fill that gap. From what I've played so far, it's a solo, multiplayer and online treat.
