We finally got our hands on the Nintendo Switch 2—and of course, the very first game I wanted to jump into was the newly released Mario Kart World. From sleek visuals to chaotic tracks, here’s what my first few hours on the road have felt like.
Ever since I watched the Nintendo Direct where they unveiled this new game, I’ve been super excited to try it out. To finally be able to “Tokyo Drift” my way in the new maps or to go off-road and just cruise along the desert – I just had to jump right in!
Getting Started with the Switch 2
Like many people out there, I waited (not so patiently) for the doorbell to ring, snatch the box, and bring it into our home like a little gremlin. I was happily surprised with the packing of the Nintendo Switch 2 and so glad that it came with many friendly and easy-to-read instructions. I am not so confident in my “tech” skills, so I was making extra sure that I was pressing the right buttons as I transferred my data from my old switch to the new one.
When everything was done, I immediately got my Mario Kart World code and downloaded the game. I set up the dock in our living room (swapped it out with the previous one) and increased the TV’s volume. I popped the Joy-Cons into the “doggy” grip (you know, the Joy-Con holder that looks like a puppy face), and booted up the game.
First Time on the Track
The colors looked amazing and once the main menu appeared I clicked on “Single Player” and chose my racer: “Penguin”. Oh that cute little Pingu, I loved it. I played the first cup and was pretty much floored by the game.
The music of each racing track, place, and cup is great. According to some studies, Mario Kart is the game that has the highest BPM increase – and after playing a couple of Mario Kart games I definitely agree, I think you can also agree to this statement (for those who have played before). This stress-inducing game is just too good to set down though.
I love the fact that the more I played, the more little details I started noticing. An example of this is that sometimes you can see the shadow of a camera helicopter that’s following you around. Of course, I could see way more once I was watching Michael play. Once Michael got home from work and got everything ready – I told him to play the game on the TV.
Watching Michael Race
During his first race he was already 1st place after just a couple of seconds. He’s incredibly good at the game – so you guys know, I have been able to beat him only once…
He was masterfully Tony-Hawking his way from rail to rail—grinding, jumping, and somehow finding shortcuts I didn’t even notice. I usually just drive safely and try not to fall off the map.
Trying Free Roam Mode
If you’ve played a Mario Kart game before, then you pretty much know the whole gist of the game. The new aspect this time – free roam. I have to admit that I only tried this for like 5-10 minutes, before getting lost and then waiting to play a cup again. Maybe, once I’ve played all the cups again, but at a higher difficulty, I will sit down and really give it a shot.
Unlockables and Customization
I think I’ve spent a couple of hours playing MKW, and was so happy when I spotted one of Yoshi’s Diner, because it means possible new costumes! I have unlocked a couple of characters and skins – which is why I’m playing every cup with a different character.
Another good thing is that you can collect 20 coins per race. I find this a positive thing, seeing that it allows you to unlock vehicles faster. Being able to unlock stickers you can use to decorate your vehicles is going to be a nice side-quest to do. I’m not going to specifically try to collect them, but if I unlock any, then awesome.
Before writing this piece I unlocked the special cup – I am guessing it has all four races being a different rainbow road or the last one of them is. This is going to be a challenge, because I – as many other racers – have fallen victim to this rail-less map and have just skidded into oblivion.
Handheld Feel & Final Thoughts
I was worried the new Switch might feel heavy in handheld mode, but it’s actually really comfortable. It’s an ideal game if you wanna jump in for a cup or two, or even play for hours on end. I think I’ll be playing some cups daily these next few days – for sure.
I will definitely be playing some more Mario Kart World in the next couple of months. I’ll try to get all the costumes available and unlock the characters that I am missing. I honestly hope they bring some characters from Animal Crossing (they could bring Timmy and Tommy and make something similar to how the ice-climbers work in Super Smash Bros), Splatoon and more.
I honestly think this is a solid game for NSW2 and that they will definitely release more characters and tracks – very much like how they did with Mario Kart 8 and the “Booster Course Pass”. I also want them to release more costumes, they are really cool and cute!
So for now I’ll give it a solid 7.5/10 at the moment. Once we’ve played some more this rating can change, but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Have you tried Mario Kart World yet? Who’s your main racer? If you enjoyed this post, give us a thumbs up or let us know in the comments or over on Instagram!
