5 Honest Questions after the Mario Kart World Nintendo Direct
Mario Kart World has been the subject of both excitement for its awesome-looking features and controversy for its outrageous price. While it looks like it will be a worthy entry in the Mario Kart series, is a kart racer really worth $80? Well, today’s Nintendo Direct gave people a look at Mario Kart World’s various features, but here are five questions we still have.
1. Why Doesn’t Mario Kart World Have Customizable Vehicles?
Vehicle customization was introduced in Mario Kart 7, where you could pick your vehicle’s chassis, tires, and glider. This feature continued into Mario Kart 8 and was even referenced in The Super Mario Bros. Movie, so naturally, gamers assumed that Mario Kart World would also have customizable vehicles. Instead, the Direct showed that vehicle customization is gone, which feels like a step backwards. It won’t ruin the experience, but people will miss spinning the wheels to build the perfect kart or bike.
2. Do The Outfits Do Anything?
The Direct showed racers stopping at “Yoshi’s Diner,” where they can pick up snacks that change their outfits. Different types of food activate different outfits, and after you unlock an outfit, it will be selectable to race in. A neat feature, but do the outfits add to your stats, or are they merely cosmetic. It’s still a fun feature if the outfits are cosmetic, but it would be more fun if they affected your racing skills.
3. What Are the Missions in Free Roam Mode?
Free Roam Mode, as shown in the first Mario Kart World trailer, lets you drive around the open world as you please and take pictures. It sounds like fun, but when the trailer first dropped, I wondered if there would be any actual missions or secrets to find. Well, the Direct showed that you can find P-Switches and other triggers to activate missions and coin drops. Of course, this has me wondering what those missions actually are and what the rewards are. Can you carry the coins from Free Roam mode over to the main game and use them to unlock things?
4. Are There Only Seven Grand Prix Circuits?
The Direct showed the menu for the Grand Prix, and there only appeared to be seven circuits. Given that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had twelve circuits, plus twelve more in the DLC, this feels like another step backwards. Will more circuits unlock as you complete objectives? The Direct did tease that “if you conquer all Grand Prix cups, rumor has it that a certain colorful course will appear,” which likely means that it unlocks Rainbow Road, but will there be other unlockable tracks with it?
5. Is Mario Kart World Worth $80?
Throughout the Direct’s stream, people were spamming the chatbox with “DROP THE PRICE!” The game looks amazing, but is $80 a justifiable price for a Mario Kart game? There is a cheaper alternative: if you buy the Nintendo Switch 2 bundle with the digital Mario Kart World download, the game will technically only cost $50. Since you would have to buy the system to play the game anyway, this will likely be the option many gamers choose.
Conclusion
Despite the questions and the possible steps backward from previous Mario Kart entries, Mario Kart World still looks like an amazing game that will provide hours of racing fun. While I have my reservations about the price, I will probably be picking up the bundle with the Switch 2 and immersing myself in the endless charm of Mario Kart.
