4/5 ★ – DarrensTrashBag's review of Mario Kart World.

It's quite unfair to compare this game to 8 when it had a small chance on coming close to being as good. To start off, obviously this game isn't worth the $80 price tag. They probably made it cost that much because of the open world/free roam. However the free roam is very bleak. I collected all of the p switches, peach coins, and ? switches and it was very much like purgatory. This would be fixed dramatically if they add in some QOL improvements like having a better map that shows you what collectables you have found and where you found them, like they did with Mario Odyssey seven years ago. I'm not the biggest fan with the Grand Prix format being 3 laps on the first track and then spend three minutes driving to the next location just to do one lap. I just want to race in circles around a map. Unlocking all of the characters was a pain, plus the roster isn't close to being as good as 8's. The new characters are great though. Finally my biggest issue with this game, is it's AI. The AI in this game adapt their difficulty not to the amount of CC, but instead on how well you are playing. So if you drift a lot, do lots of tricks and grinding, then the CPU's will go faster and get better RNG. This wouldn't be so much of a problem if the scaling wasn't so one sided. If you are trying to do your best to win a race by drifting every corner, grinding every rail, then in 95% of your races, the CPU's will go 2.5x the speed cap and race past you on the final lap. EVERY TIME. This is easily the most idiotic design philosophy I have seen in a video game. They make the game impossible because you are trying to get better, which discourages bad players to get better and encourages good players to purposefully play worse. They genuinely need to update this system because it kills any replay value for single player. Wii and SNES do have worse AI, but this is getting close. What saves this game are three things: The driving, the tracks, and the score. The grinding and wall riding are phenomenal new mechanics that make each race much more intense. This easily has the smoothest movement out of all the games. The base part of Mario Kart, the karting, is perfect. The new tracks are all great, however I do think that the new tracks in 8 are way better but these new ones are aesthetically pleasing as well as fun to drive on. All of this is backed by a fantastic score. The best part of free roam was vibing with the playlist of remixed mario music. All of my issues with this game stem within it's single player, specifically with the baffling decisions with the unlocking system and AI. The Mario Kart of Mario Kart is peak. Thoughts on each track: Mario Bros. Circuit: I think it's a good starting track given that we never started with a desert theme. Crown City (both sections): I like the crane section more but I wished there was a big version with all of them connected. Whistestop Summit: One of my favorites with all of the rails to encourage insane movement. DK Spaceport: Love the theme but was kind of disappointed with this one, wished the robot messed with the player more. Desert Hills: better than the DS version but there is still a lack of added features. They just removed the sun and that is it. Probably my least favorite track. Shy Guy Bazaar: Fantastic, the added rails makes a great map into a perfect one. Wario Stadium: They took the worst map in 64 and made it playable. It's good. Airship Fortress: One of the best DS maps is just as great here. In free roam, it was the place I had the most fun exploring. DK Pass: Once again the same as the DS but better with the added rails. Starview Peak: Very nice looking but was kinda disappointed on the track design, nothing really interesting despite it being Mario Galaxy. Sky-High Sundae: Took a below average map and made it into a masterpiece with the new ways you can speedrun it. Graphically, I can now look at it without being blinded with saturation. Wario Shipyard: The only downgrade from the original. The atmosphere was so much better and the underwater sections getting removed made the course worse. Went from a 9/10 to a 6/10 Koopa Troopa Beach: I really liked that it was 5 laps and the DJ Koopa, but that is it. Faraway Oasis: I wished that the track itself had more animals on it but overall was what I consider to be in the middle of the pack. Peach Stadium (both sections): The ground level section is only three turns and that is it, would be the worst map in the game if the top section wasn't such a banger. Peach Beach: I really liked the added section. I am not sure why this is the only returning map with a tour-like map format. Took a great DD map and made it better. Salty Salty Speedway: I really like this one. My only gripe is that I wish that it was easier to get from the water to the side paths. Dino Dino Jungle: This is one of my favorite redesigns. Love the Jurassic park theme and the added dinos. Great ? Block Ruins: Probably my favorite map in the game. Lots of great movement opportunities with a sick atmosphere. Cheep Cheep Falls: I like the theme but driving in the water is very difficult in this one, especially with the short turns. Dandelion Depths: Love the look of this one. I'm not sure what, but I am left asking for more with this one. Great overall, maybe needs more shortcut opportunities. Boo Cinema: My second favorite map. The idea here is genius, I just wish that it was longer. Dry Bones Burnout: This is the Ice Ice Outpost of this game and it is made better by the new movement. Really great. Moo Moo Meadows: I don't know why they brought this back. It is literally the same one as in 8. Choco Mountain: This might be my second least favorite remake because of the added slow sludge that you have to sludge through. Toad's Factory: They fixed the final corner so the map is perfect. Bowser's Castle: Probably my favorite Bowser's Castle in the series, every turn and shortcut is smooth and the atmosphere is peak, especially in the lightning storm. Acorn Heights: a track that has grown on me now that I have found the perfect route, so yeah it is very great. Basically a better version of Maple Treeway. Mario Circuit: Probably the best version they can come up with but it is still SNES Mario Circuit 3. Also not a very good course to have in the Special Cup. Rainbow Road: My third favorite Rainbow Road with DD and 7 overtaking it. I really liked how long it was, just a spectacle throughout the whole thing. Probably the course that they spent the most time designing. Perfection. Overall, the single player is dull and infuriating, the rewards aren't rewarding, and the price is too high. But in terms of the idea of Mario Kart, it is fantastic. Movement is perfect and the tracks and soundtrack are great. Needs a lot of QOL updates and new content to come even close to 8. 84/100