Mario Kart World's Knockout Tour Could Hold the Key to an F…

Mario Kart World is making changes to the traditional Mario Kart formula with a full open world to explore in Free Roam and interconnected tracks in Grand Prix. All of these new changes solidify Mario Kart World as the true next-generation Mario Kart experience that players have been waiting for.

As well as altering the standard gameplay of the series and adding some Mario Kart newcomers, Mario Kart World also introduces a new racing mode: Knockout Tour. The mode is a great new addition to freshen up the series, and it may also be the answer to F-Zero’s future.

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Knockout Tour’s Eliminations Fit the Frenetic Gameplay of F-Zero

Knockout Tour Is a Racing Battle Royale

Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour pits 24 racers against each other in a race across six segments of the map, and the bottom four players are eliminated as they reach each checkpoint. Players will need to use every shortcut and item at their disposal to remain ahead of the pack, or they will risk getting knocked out.

In standard Mario Kart races, players in lower positions are compensated with stronger items like the Bullet Bill or the dreaded blue Spiny Shell, but these are not a comfort in Knockout Tour because of the looming threat of elimination. Things become more dangerous for leading players, too, as the fewer racers there are on the track, the higher the chance that someone nearby has access to one of the more powerful Mario Kart items.

Why Knockout Tour Is Perfect for F-Zero

In F-Zero games, players must fight against the course as much as other racers. The hazardous terrain and sharp turns can result in a machine losing power and being eliminated from the race. The core game design, being focused on staying in the race to avoid getting knocked out, aligns itself well with Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour mode. The F-Zero series prides itself on difficulty, relying on the player to push through the intense races, which is the exact experience offered in Knockout Tour.

The battle royale spin-off F-Zero 99 shares even more similarities with Mario Kart’s new mode. In particular, the rank out system works very similarly to knockouts in Knockout Tour, which thin the player count with each successive lap. Mario Kart World ups the intensity by removing a more significant percentage of racers, and this is something F-Zero could learn from. While recent F-Zero 99 updates have raised the stakes somewhat, it would be interesting for the series to adopt Knockout Tour’s rules within its main mode.

As much as both are tests of endurance, the gameplay gets particularly hectic the further back in the race the player is. In F-Zero 99, players are equipped with abilities to knock other players out early by draining their energy, so those in a lower position are likely to desperately claw their way to a secure spot. In this new Mario Kart mode, items don’t mean instant elimination, but they can be the difference between survival and knockout if used thoughtfully.

Mario Kart Shares DNA With F-Zero

It makes sense that Mario Kart World’s new Knockout Tour mode fits with F-Zero, as the series are closely related to one another. Players are already able to experience the exhilarating speeds of F-Zero’s Mute City and Big Blue in Mario Kart 8, by using the Captain Falcon Mii costume and Blue Falcon kart, should they want a familiar F-Zero experience. With Mario Kart’s common references to F-Zero, it’s possible that the Knockout Tour eliminations were inspired by the series.

Mario Kart does make frequent reference to the F-Zero franchise, but the inverse is just as true. Rainbow Road has become a staple track in the Mario Kart series, appearing as one of the final courses in each entry. However, it has also featured in the F-Zero series. Its first appearance was in the Nintendo 64’s F-Zero X, but it also served as the inspiration for F-Zero GX’s Phantom Road, which uses a similar rainbow theme. Nintendo Switch Online subscribers with the Expansion Pack will have access to GameCube games on the Switch 2, which includes F-Zero GX, giving them a chance to race on Phantom Road for themselves.

F-Zero Is Ready for a Revival

The future of the F-Zero series looked bleak for quite some time, but the recent release of F-Zero 99 has breathed some life back into the series. However, it is not a completely new installment, but rather the addition of a battle royale mode to the SNES original with some minor tweaks. By leaning into the battle royale concept and making Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour fit the series, it’s not impossible for F-Zero to be revived for the Switch 2.

Even if it is similar to the mode in Mario Kart World, a new F-Zero title could still stand on its own. Knockout Tour is undoubtedly intense, but the items keep the mode casual, giving players close to elimination more opportunities to catch-up. F-Zero instead relies fully on the player's mettle and their capabilities to control their machine at blistering speeds. Rather than players only being eliminated passively, F-Zero would also allow them to actively knock others out, making for a more chaotic race experience. The producer of F-Zero GX has expressed interest in a new project, and Mario Kart World may have provided a golden opportunity.

Mario Kart World is an impressive new take on the series, daring to go against tradition to try new gameplay features. The Knockout Tour mode stands out as a bold direction for the franchise, but the parallels with the F-Zero games cannot be hidden. F-Zero has not received a new mainline release in around two decades, but the new Mario Kart mode could present a path forward for the series. By emphasizing the destructive gameplay of the originals and incorporating the focus on elimination introduced in F-Zero 99 and Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour, F-Zero could have a promising future ahead.