With the arrival of the Nintendo Switch 2 also comes the next iteration of Mario Kart, and it’s been revealed that there’s going to be a Mario Kart World.
Though players are expecting to race in all kinds of themed tracks, MKW is also going to be coming with an open-world for players to freely roam around. So how does it work?
Free Roam Mode in Mario Kart World Explained
Though previous Mario Kart games usually just place players into a track for them to run laps in, the Free Roam Mode for Mario Kart World promises a fully interactive world where players can drive around even when they’re not in races.
Check it out in action here:
While it does seem like the appeal of Free Roam is to discover the world that’s surrounding the tracks, the tracks themselves are also available to explore, and Free Roam is a mode where players can take the time just looking at every nook and cranny of specific tracks—trying to find out of there are any secret passageways or shortcuts.
click to enlargeBased on the new game modes that the game is presenting, a fully-drivable world does seem to service the new format. Unlike previous games where certain tracks are put together and players have to go through them one-by-one, the tracks in Mario Kart World are all interconnected, and players will have to drive to the next track once they finish one that’s part of a specific lineup.
Gameplay specifics are still under wraps. Some fans with keen eyes spotted an achievement system of some kind while in free roam, but whether players will be able to interact with the world beyond just exploring tracks without the stress of getting hit by a red shell remains to be seen.
If anything, the format does feel a lot like Forza Horizon where players can just free roam the world doing tricks and all kinds of shenanigans as they cruise around looking for a next challenge.
With Nintendo embracing more of the multiplayer aspect of Mario Kart World, it would make sense that they would provide an open-world which would encourage exploration from players. Not only can players drive outside of the tracks, but they are now free to go on all kinds of terrain from water to air.
It’s unclear how the increased racer count is going to make games feel, but for now it does seem like a whole new era for Mario Kart enthusiasts.
Mario Kart World is expected to be a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2 which comes out on June 5.