6 ways I hope Nintendo levels up Mario Kart World

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Summary

• Excessive rubber banding leads to unfair CPU advantages.
• Free Roam lacks useful maps or a helpful checklist to track challenges.
• The lack of classic three-lap races is disappointing.

The Nintendo Switch 2 is finally here, and the big launch title is a new Mario Kart. Mario Kart World is the latest instalment in the kart-racing series, and it’s been a long wait. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released way back in 2017 for the original Switch, and that in turn was an enhanced version of the original Mario Kart 8 that launched on the Wii U more than a decade ago.

It’s fair to say that excitement has been mounting for Mario Kart World, especially after we learned that the game would include some open-world elements. Having played a lot of Mario Kart World since getting the Switch 2, there’s no doubt that it’s a great game. It keeps the best of what makes Mario Kart games insanely popular, and adds in a few new twists, such as the new wall-riding and rail-grinding mechanics that let you race in ways that have never been possible before.

I’ve been having a blast playing Mario Kart World so far, and my kids love it, too. However, there are a few things that I wish had been added to the game that would make it even better.

1

Fairer rubber banding

Please stop hitting me with blue shells

One of the great things about Mario Kart games is that they’re games you can play with people of different skill levels. My youngest child has always struggled to keep up on a lot of multiplayer games, but he’s always been able to do reasonably well on Mario Kart.

That’s thanks to a feature known as rubber banding. This is where the game tries to level the playing field by doing things such as giving more powerful items to the people who are further behind, and weaker ones to those in the lead. My son loves picking up a Bullet Bill and soaring his way from the back of the pack and back into the race again.

I also don’t think I’ve ever been hit by as many blue shells in such a short space of time, and it always seems to be when I’m closing in on a win.

In Mario Kart World, however, the rubber banding seems to go a little too far, especially with the CPU-controlled characters. There are times when I’m getting boosts from drifting or tricks, but am still being overtaken by CPU characters who are just driving normally.

I also don’t think I’ve ever been hit by as many blue shells in such a short space of time, and it always seems to be when I’m closing in on a win. It says a lot that on my first try, I was able to get a screenshot of a blue shell about to hit me just before the finish line on the final lap of a race.

2

A good Free Roam map

What good is a map without any roads marked on it?

Free Roam is an interesting new addition to a Mario Kart game. At times, it does feel a little like Nintendo added one in because it felt it should, rather than because the game needed one. Free Roam can be a lot of fun, although it has some serious flaws.

Arguably, the most frustrating is the lack of a decent map. There are a lot of things to find across the open world, but the maps are of very little help. First off, there’s an impressively detailed mini-map that shows the location around you, but it’s often too small to be of much use for tracking down challenge items.

The full-world map is even less useful. It shows you the different locations around the world, but doesn’t show the routes in between them. You know, the one thing a map is supposed to include. It would be so much better if it included the ability to place pins or had map markers to show where P-switches are located.

3

Better battle modes

Renegade Roundup is sorely missed

This has been one of the biggest disappointments for my kids, and by extension, for me. They love playing the battle modes in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and particularly love Renegade Roundup. It’s a fun game for us to play together as a family, screaming at each other to come and unlock the cage we’re all inevitably trapped in before the final player gets captured.

Unfortunately, Renegade Roundup, which was a new battle mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, hasn’t survived to Mario Kart World, and neither have Bob-omb Blast and Shine Thief.

Unfortunately, Renegade Roundup, which was a new battle mode in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, hasn’t survived to Mario Kart World, and neither have Bob-omb Blast and Shine Thief. The only battle modes available are Balloon Battle and Coin Runners, which are fine, but not my kids’ favorites. In fact, after playing them in Mario Kart World, my son asked if we could go back to playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe instead, so we could have another session of Renegade Roundup.

It’s also not possible to change the round time in Mario Kart World. In Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, you could change the default three-minute rounds to something else, but in Mario Kart World, you’re stuck with three-minute rounds whether you like it or not.

4

A 200cc mode

Bring back the mayhem

Another notable omission from Mario Kart World is the hardest engine class. 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc are all available, but unlike in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, there’s no 200cc option.

200cc is the most challenging way to play Mario Kart 8, with speeds so fast that you suddenly feel the need to start braking. The toughest option in Mario Kart World is 150cc, and while it does feel faster than 150cc does in Mario Kart 8, it still doesn’t have the same level of insanity that you get with 200cc. The faster speeds of 200cc would also seem more suited to the long straight stretches between courses.

200cc was only added to the original Mario Kart 8 as an update, so it may be the case that 200cc will make an appearance at some point as DLC. For now, however, we’ll have to make do with 150cc.

5

A Free Roam checklist

Just let me know how much more stuff I need to collect

Another big issue with Free Roam is that there’s no way to see how many of the challenges you have left to complete. The map shows three icons with a total for your P-switches, Question Panels, and Peach Medallions, but it doesn’t show how many are left to collect.

You can see how many Question panels you’ve collected in each city, and this does show how many there are in total for that location, but there’s no overall total, and no way of telling how many P-switches or Peach Medallions are still out there to find.

A checklist would make this so much better. You could then see which challenges you’ve completed in which locations, so that you don’t spend an hour searching for more P-switches that simply aren’t there. You’d also have an idea of how close you are to completion, to stop you from giving up when you’re only a few short.

Some way of tracking down these challenges would also be useful. There are binoculars that you can use to get an aerial view that can help you spot some of them, but it’s not ideal. A system like the one used in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, where you get notified when you’re close to a shrine, would make it easier to help track them all down.

6

Good old-fashioned 3-lap races

Laps have lost all sense of meaning

This is one of the biggest issues I have with Mario Kart World. The new open world means that when you’re taking part in multiple races, the start of each new race involves driving across the map to the next course. While this is fine, it means that when you finally reach the destination, you often only get to experience one lap of the true course before the race comes to an end. You don’t get to learn and love the courses in the same way when you play so little of them.

What’s worse is that if you’re playing online, there’s no way to choose classic three-lap races. Most online players end up selecting random courses because this gives you the best chance of getting an old-school three-lap race, but it’s far from guaranteed. There should definitely be an option to select traditional multi-lap races rather than being forced into races that include the routes between them.

You can experience the more traditional style if you play in VS mode, as this allows you to race four unconnected tracks, so you don’t have to drive between them. Still, it would be nice to have the option to just race round a track three times like in the good old days.