3.5/5 ★ – Onahx's review of Mario Kart World.

Crazy that this is the first new Mario Kart in over a DECADE. And no I don’t count the mobile game and the toy one. And after the wild success of Mario Kart 8, I really respect Nintendo for making something new here and not just rehashing what they knew worked. Not all of the swings here are home runs but the game’s core is very strong and as addicting and chaotic as ever. The open world that acts as the crux of this whole game is remarkably detailed and the feeling of every Grand Prix being a sort of road trip is a super unique feeling that really separates this game. It’s however also probably my biggest gripe. The highways just aren’t as fun to race as the courses themselves and I really hate that most of online games are spent driving /to/ the courses rather than /on/ the course if that makes sense. It’s even more of a shame because the tracks here are honestly fantastic. There’s so many standouts. DK Spaceport, Boo Cinema, and the new Bowser’s Castle are all some new all time favorite Mario Kart tracks for me personally. And lots of the updates to returning courses are so refreshing. The other gripe I have is that these races actually may cross the line into /too/ chaotic at times with 24 racers. It feels like I’m being slammed by a different item every other moment. The overall slickness of the racing makes up for it though. The controls here have never felt more natural. And the new parkour elements, while not game changing or anything, are a fun option to keep things new occasionally. There’s much more to praise here and I could keep going on and on. The roster is insane, the music is phenomenal and filled with great remixes of so many memorable songs throughout the franchise, and the game looks gorgeous and really makes use of the new hardware. And while I don’t believe I necessarily l favor it over Mario Kart 8, I love it for what it is. I’m sure this game is going to get oodles of DLC over the Switch 2’s lifespan so I’m excited to see how it evolves.