With the launch of Nintendo Switch 2 on June 5, 2025, the vast majority of gamers settled for the Mario Kart World that came bundled with the console. After all, paying 90 euros for a game is something that, at first, most of us reject (unless it’s a Zelda, a GTA, or we’re loaded with money). However, what should have been the Tetris of Switch 2 has fallen a bit short. Yes, of course it’s fun. It’s a Mario Kart, after all, but with glaring errors that are impossible to overlook, which for many have turned it into the worst game in the entire saga. Are you coming to see if it’s the best they’ve ever made or the title from hell that some claim it is?
Worse: Unimaginative clues
We all remember authentic conceptual wonders like the Tic-Tac Clock, the Coconut Center, or the Sunny Airport. However, in Mario Kart World there are no thematic tracks, beyond sand or water: no matter how well-designed the courses are, nothing stands out because there is a lack of imagination and, why not say it, ambition. In the end, each of the tracks seems the same as the previous one, and they seem to have been afraid of success. The final result makes it impossible to remember a single one, no matter how many hours you put into it. What a shame.
Better: Non-repeating Circuits
That said, to Caesar what is Caesar’s: it is impossible to get bored because, unlike other Mario Kart sequels, learning the circuits is much more complicated. After all, most of the tracks, instead of repeating over and over, continue moving forward all the time, preventing you from repeating strategies and providing much more fun, longer races, and secrets to discover in the form of shortcuts. Future games in the saga should take note!
Worse: There are no major advances
It is impossible for Mario Kart World to have everything that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe had, of course: 24 cups, 96 races, 42 characters… But the worst part is that it feels like a step back. There are no advancements of any kind and the gimmicks from other games in the series are not deep enough. There is no gameplay daring: at a basic level, it’s more of the same, with nothing that can surprise a player who is not an expert: the new items are more annoying than anything else, and I wish it weren’t so. It’s a shame.
Better: Interconnected Circuits
That said, there have been people thinking and with the intention of creating the most interconnected game in the entire saga. In each cup, instead of putting four circuits taken from here and there, there is both an aesthetic and gameplay connection, because it is set on an island: the sandy part, the water part, the countryside… This also opens up possibilities for the future with its inevitable DLC, and gives the feeling, as they intend at Nintendo, of playing in a complete world, with its open world and everything. That is not necessarily good.
Worse: The open world is incomplete
And the open world is completely empty. Yes, you can do a couple of challenges, but they would be more fun if you didn’t have to search for them on a gigantic map filled with absolute nothingness. Great idea to create different themed routes, but next time, if you want to include a free mode… could we have something to do in them, please?
Better: A New Way to Run
Indeed, there are no gimmicks (like flying, going underwater, or having a partner in the car), but the more veteran and competitive players will have a blast climbing the rails, gaining speed, finding secret shortcuts, and learning when and how to jump to maximize speed. Mario Kart World is not the game that casual fans wanted, but it is certainly the one that competitive players deserve. From there, you decide if it convinces you or if you better switch to Pokopia.
