A new Mario Kart is usually built around some kind of notable feature. Double Dash added co-op play, while the DS iteration let you play other people online. With Mario Kart 8, it was gravity-defying tracks and, later, the idea of expanding the game through DLC courses. With Mario Kart World, perhaps the biggest launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, there isnât one single innovation that sets it apart. Instead, itâs the overwhelming chaos created by all the new features â and itâs a blast.
You can tell World is different right when you start a new race. Instead of beginning from a stopped position, your kart is already in motion before the race begins. Thatâs a small detail, though. What struck me when I played the game is just how much is going on. The tracks are larger, with wider roads and more alternate paths, and there are lots of moving pieces. Hereâs a small sampling of the obstacles I faced during a few races: a road with towering giraffes and speeding ostriches getting mixed up with traffic; goombas that not only walked around but charged as soon as they saw me; koopa troopas that tossed things to knock me off course; and thwomps that would block the road b …
