Mario Kart World is just two days away, and fan expectations are rightfully high. It’s the flagship launch game for Nintendo Switch 2, the first open world in the series, the follow-up to the hugely successful Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and on top of all that, it’s Nintendo’s first $80 game since the N64 days, which has caused no shortage of internet discourse. There’s a lot riding on this one, so I’m pleased to report that after spending roughly five hours with unrestricted access to the final build, I’m confident Mario Kart World’s thrilling racing will kick off Nintendo’s eighth generation with a rocket start, even if I’m still not completely sold on its open-world exploration.
My first hands-on preview back in April was very limited. Steering assist was turned on, the demo was locked to 100cc, and we only got to see a couple of modes. But this time, the training wheels came off and I played what appeared to be the version you’ll be able to buy on June 5, complete with an enormous roster of characters (including everyone’s favorite, Cow) and freedom to choose any mode or settings I wanted.
So I first chose to play as Mario (basic, I know) and swapped between multiple karts – including the incredible R.O.B. bike – to try out Free Roam, which is still the biggest question surrounding Mario Kart World. In a series first, Free Roam takes the spotlight off of racing and shines it directly on exploration, allowing players to drive across the wide, interconnected highways. Nintendo promised hundreds of P Switch missions in Free Roam, and while I won’t spoil the final total, I can confirm that it only takes a few seconds of driving in any direction to spot one of these challenges. They are littered everywhere, and after worrying they’d all be too easy based on the footage Nintendo has released so far, I was pleasantly surprised that I failed a couple of the P Switch missions on my first attempt – by either running out of time or missing a key jump – and some of them felt like they demanded mastery of Mario Kart World’s new Tony Hawk-inspired parkour mechanics.
One mission in the Bowser’s Castle area had me driving on walls and flipping off the side at the right moment to transform into an airplane, and the timing was genuinely tricky – but you’re thankfully given the option to retry a challenge immediately after failing rather than having to drive back to the start on your own. P Switch missions can also summon temporary objects and creatures to the terrain, like one where I had to steer my airplane around a few dinosaurs that showed up. I only tried a handful of the hundreds of challenges that await, and I’m not entirely sure the novelty will last through the time required to tackle them all, but I’ve enjoyed what I’ve seen to this point.
Sadly, the rest of Free Roam hasn’t gripped me yet. IGN’s Simon Cardy wrote a feature sharing his concerns about the open-world mode, and while I think I’m a little higher on it than he is so far, I agree with the general sentiment that there’s just not that much to do outside of the P Switches. There are collectibles scattered throughout by way of Peach Medallions and ? Block Panels that unlock one of hundreds of stickers you can slap on the side of your kart, but the ones I found felt neither special nor difficult to discover, and I missed the feeling of surprise and delight that other Nintendo games like Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Odyssey completely nailed.
Even driving around itself can feel a bit too slow when you go off road into grass or sand. This limitation makes sense for the racing in Mario Kart where veering off the intended path without a Mushroom has punishing consequences, but the feeling of diminished speed across tougher terrain made me less inclined to explore. I’ve still barely sunk my teeth into Free Roam, so maybe there’s a game-changing discovery waiting to be found, but I’m not counting on it. So far, Free Roam feels decidedly like a side dish rather than the meaty, transformative open-world experience many are hoping for.
And perhaps that’s fair, because the main course of Mario Kart World was always going to be the racing, which felt completely right the second I started my first lap on 150cc. The turning, drifting, and boosting all feels as tight as you’d hope, and the open-world design fully shines in this bold new take on the formula. Knockout Tour remains the star of the show, as driving cross-country against 23 other players while doing everything you can to stay out of the bottom four before the next cutoff point is exhilarating. Every shell I threw felt critically important, and whether I was in the front or the back of the pack, my heart was pounding as I desperately tried to qualify for the next segment.
These six-part races take place almost exclusively on the highways in between Mario Kart World’s dedicated courses, and as I passed through fun reimaginings of returning tracks like Mario Kart 7’s Shy Guy Bazaar and brand-new locations like the adventurous, Uncharted-like Great ? Block Ruins, I began to recognize the impressive amount of alternate paths that I’m excited to perfect once the full game is out. A well-timed Golden Mushroom can catapult you from the back to 1st in the blink of an eye, as some of the shortcuts presented on the highways allow you to cut a huge amount of the track. I can already tell that hardcore players (myself included) are going to have a blast finding the optimal routes and pushing these courses to their limits.
I’ve been concerned that the long stretches of very wide straightaways – present in both Knockout Tour and the revamped Grand Prix – could be boring compared to the twists and turns of the courses, but Nintendo has covered the interstate with cars to avoid, enemies that spew projectiles, and plenty of opportunities to grind on rails and make use of the new Charge Jump technique to reach optional areas. In most straightaway sections, there was always something demanding my attention – although there were a few select times I was just holding A and not doing much else, and the wide road design made things feel a bit slow compared to the close-quarters racing on the dedicated courses. Still, my fears have largely been squashed, and now I’m just waiting to see how these sections will hold up over dozens of repeat play sessions.
For all you Mario Kart purists who just want to do three laps around the 30+ courses in Mario Kart World, that classic option is one of the main draws of VS Race and Time Trials, and I was very satisfied to find that the quality track design fans have come to expect hasn’t been sacrificed in favor of the open-world elements. The reimagined Peach Beach took me through familiar waterfront straight from Double Dash before exploring an entirely new village, while DK Spaceport is a fantastic homage to the arcade game that started it all – complete with final lap music any Donkey Kong fan will feel nostalgic for. If you’ve been worried the courses wouldn’t feel as special as in past Mario Kart games, I think you can breathe a sigh of relief.
Speaking of the music, Mario Kart World might just have one of the greatest soundtracks in Nintendo history. Each course has its own dedicated theme as usual, but beyond that, the remixes that play during Free Roam and Knockout Tour make Mario Kart World feel like a proper celebration of Super Mario’s 40th anniversary. In my short time with the game I heard references to Super Mario Bros., Yoshi’s Island, Donkey Kong Country, Super Mario 3D World, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, pretty much every past Mario Kart, and a lot more. Each track I heard was beautifully remixed to fit Mario Kart World’s adventurous road trip vibe, and I can’t wait to hear every tune it has to offer. And I won’t have to wait long, because Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 will be here in less than 48 hours. Stay tuned later this week for our review in progress followed by our full review of Mario Kart World as we get more laps under our belts.
Logan Plant is the host of Nintendo Voice Chat and IGN's Database Manager & Playlist Editor. The Legend of Zelda is his favorite video game franchise of all time, and he is patiently awaiting the day Nintendo announces a brand new F-Zero. You can find him online @LoganJPlant.
