# Mario Kart World ## Thoughts I don't think this *Mario Kart* title is quite as impactful as [[Mario Kart 8]] and [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]], but I like that they tried some different things with it. The visuals and sound are excellent, and I really like the variety of character models that you can pick from. Additionally, I think streamlining kart/bike selection down is a better experience for getting into races more quickly, even if it's a bit deep as a result. The open-world mode, Free Roam, is pretty cool as something to play around with. I'm not sure how I feel about the tie-in of race tracks and the intermission roads, as it's pretty cool as a concept, but I also think that the overall quality of courses suffer a little bit. Looking ahead, I'm not sure how they'll be able to do any kind of DLC without having to do a lot of overworld work in addition to the tracks themselves, but it'll be interesting to see if they do that or just move onto a new title entirely. One would hope that they don't wait another *ten years* or so… again. Having been playing this game here and there over the last year, I'm interested to try MK8 again sometime to see how it feels by comparison. Having been around so long, MK8 seems like a benchmark *Mario Kart* title to me. ## Progress **Grand Prix:** Completed[^1] **Knockout Tour:** *Incomplete* **Free Roam:** *Incomplete*[^2] --- [[2026 - May 15 - Friday]]: I was messing around with this game again yesterday. I played a couple rounds of Grand Prix and the elimination mode, followed by a bit of Free Roam. It's fun to just mess around with different characters to unlock their skins and try to find the P-Switches and such. --- [[2025 - September 8 - Monday]]: I feel like this game didn't have as much staying power as Mario Kart 8 did. It's really fun and has a lot of charm, but I also feel like the new racing dynamics takes a little bit away from solo play. It's possible that it's way more fun with multiple people — IRL that is, since playing online is just chaos. --- [[2025 - June 9 - Monday]]: Finally there's a sequel to [[Mario Kart 8]] and [[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]]! It seems really fun so far. [^1]: I generally aim to complete all cups across all engine sizes in a *Mario Kart* game to say it's "done." I'm sure there is more that I could unlock, though, like kart accessories and parts. [^2]: I don't expect to ever get to 100% in this mode — there are way too many things to cross off for me. It's a fun side mode to mess around with, though!