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The Age
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Age
Nintendo pulls off an incredible expansion with open world Mario Kart
Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, producing the single bestselling game on each of the company's last four consecutive systems. So it's understandable that Nintendo chose the party-favourite racing series as an exclusive launch title for its brand-new Switch 2 console. What was less expected is that it would overhaul the design so fundamentally. While each previous Mario Kart has featured a variety of circuits to choose from, World has a completely open and navigable continent to drive across, taking in deserts, grasslands, cities, jungles, snowfields, wetlands and even lava plains. Where Mario Kart 8 – which was updated over the course of a decade – ended up having close to 100 courses to race in on the original Switch, World has 29 major locations, which can function as traditional circuits but can also be driven past, through and between during exhilarating rallies, with a massive 24 racers taking part. The result is a game that feels fresh and exciting, even as it keeps everything great about the series. All the major locations, including 16 original concepts and 13 areas inspired by tracks in previous games, are stitched together ingeniously in the open world. So while Toad's Factory can be raced as a traditional circuit, feeling much like it did originally on the Wii, it's also a location you can come at from any angle; through the front gates, or directly into the central yard after floating down from an overpass. Being able to see the towering Bowser's Castle or DK Spaceport in the distance, or skipping across the ocean from Crown City to Peach Stadium, gives the entire game a cohesion unlike anything previously seen in the series, and the main game modes make great use of that. In the remixed Grand Prix you take a road trip through four locations, with the roads between also serving as part of the race. In the brilliant new Knockout Tour you go on a huge rally, usually coast to coast, with the slowest four racers being eliminated at each checkpoint. And in Free Roam, you can go anywhere you like in the world, completing challenges and hunting collectibles. Out on the road Free Roam is a great way to get to know the game without the pressure of racing, and a showcase for the impressive scale of the map. There are more than 100 buttons scattered around that activate tasks from mini races to stunt challenges, as well as panels and coins that can require some tricky driving to get to. I do wish this stuff was easier to track, or resulted in some tangible rewards – each one nets you a sticker you can attach to your character as bragging rights – but as an addition to the core racing platform, it's a nice option for casual driving. If you've played Mario Kart before, you'll largely know what to expect from the actual racing. You jockey for position and drift around corners, using items like mushrooms and koopa shells to attack and defend along the way. The most powerful items are only found if you're further back in the pack, making comebacks commonplace and first position generally fleeting.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
Nintendo pulls off an incredible expansion with open world Mario Kart
Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most popular franchises, producing the single bestselling game on each of the company's last four consecutive systems. So it's understandable that Nintendo chose the party-favourite racing series as an exclusive launch title for its brand-new Switch 2 console. What was less expected is that it would overhaul the design so fundamentally. While each previous Mario Kart has featured a variety of circuits to choose from, World has a completely open and navigable continent to drive across, taking in deserts, grasslands, cities, jungles, snowfields, wetlands and even lava plains. Where Mario Kart 8 – which was updated over the course of a decade – ended up having close to 100 courses to race in on the original Switch, World has 29 major locations, which can function as traditional circuits but can also be driven past, through and between during exhilarating rallies, with a massive 24 racers taking part. The result is a game that feels fresh and exciting, even as it keeps everything great about the series. All the major locations, including 16 original concepts and 13 areas inspired by tracks in previous games, are stitched together ingeniously in the open world. So while Toad's Factory can be raced as a traditional circuit, feeling much like it did originally on the Wii, it's also a location you can come at from any angle; through the front gates, or directly into the central yard after floating down from an overpass. Being able to see the towering Bowser's Castle or DK Spaceport in the distance, or skipping across the ocean from Crown City to Peach Stadium, gives the entire game a cohesion unlike anything previously seen in the series, and the main game modes make great use of that. In the remixed Grand Prix you take a road trip through four locations, with the roads between also serving as part of the race. In the brilliant new Knockout Tour you go on a huge rally, usually coast to coast, with the slowest four racers being eliminated at each checkpoint. And in Free Roam, you can go anywhere you like in the world, completing challenges and hunting collectibles. Out on the road Free Roam is a great way to get to know the game without the pressure of racing, and a showcase for the impressive scale of the map. There are more than 100 buttons scattered around that activate tasks from mini races to stunt challenges, as well as panels and coins that can require some tricky driving to get to. I do wish this stuff was easier to track, or resulted in some tangible rewards – each one nets you a sticker you can attach to your character as bragging rights – but as an addition to the core racing platform, it's a nice option for casual driving. If you've played Mario Kart before, you'll largely know what to expect from the actual racing. You jockey for position and drift around corners, using items like mushrooms and koopa shells to attack and defend along the way. The most powerful items are only found if you're further back in the pack, making comebacks commonplace and first position generally fleeting.
