Mario Kart World Shouldn't Feel Pressured to Reveal Too…

The newest entry in the Mario Kart series, Mario Kart World, is rapidly approaching its launch alongside the Nintendo Switch 2. Nintendo's latest console is staking a lot on this game by including it in the Switch 2’s first system bundle, but Mario Kart World looks capable of starting the Switch 2’s life on the right foot. Even compared to the massive amount of content Mario Kart 8 Deluxe released back at the original Switch's launch, Mario Kart World may be the most ambitious game in the Mario Kart series yet.

It doesn't take long to glean why, as this entry is bringing a whole new dimension to the series’ classic kart-racing. Mario Kart World has gone open-world, and although linear tracks still exist, many of its modes now incorporate some sort of element that’s in-between the standard racecourses. Layered on top of new, platformer-appropriate racing mechanics, Mario Kart World has already had a strong showing, and it's only just been revealed. Nintendo has teased that there's still more to see, but one other new aspect of Mario Kart World would be better if it was kept under wraps until launch.

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Mario Kart World: Most Exciting New Characters, Ranked

Mario Kart World introduces some exciting and niche characters into Nintendo's karting world, and here's the most exciting of the bunch.

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By Matthew Whitehurst

How Mario Kart World’s Costumes Work

Mario Kart World has a fresh approach to cosmetics, having decoupled them from the karts themselves for the first time. Whereas Mario Kart 8 players had to balance looking good with the different stats of each part, Mario Kart World instead allows players to unlock and select costumes for all or most of World’s enormous roster of racers. The extent of this system isn't known yet, but at least the Mario Kart series regulars, like Mario, Luigi, Peach, and so on, have multiple costumes available that can be swapped mid-race through the use of special items.

Mario Kart World Has More To Say About Its Outfits

That already sounds like a much more compelling implementation of different racer versions than Mario Kart Tour, even if the exact implementation of World’s cosmetic items and whether they confer any other benefits hasn't been revealed. A Mario Kart World Direct that's planned for April 17 could clear up heavy mechanical confusion wrapped up in the system, along with plenty of other things like the existence of a story mode in Mario Kart World or what some of the other new items do, but it shouldn't show every costume coming to the game, nor should any other previews.

Mario Kart World Should Hold Some Costumes Back As Surprises

It's Important For Mario Kart World’s Cosmetics To Feel Fresh

One of the core appeals to unlocking things, especially cosmetics, is a sense of surprise. Having a lot of costume options for Mario Kart World's many familiar Mario characters holds plenty of inherent value, and it will feel best if players are surprised by what they find. It could end up feeling comparable to how the Super Smash Bros. Series handles its own unlockable characters, though in this case the base roster could all be pre-unlocked so that visiting friends can still play as their favorites, potentially picking up their favorite costume over the course of their session.

None of that can happen if Nintendo plays too fast and loose about showing character outfits in the remaining weeks before Mario Kart World launches. If there is still more of the game to show, like some returning courses that Mario Kart World hasn't revealed on its map, then that sort of expected content should be the focus. Even slipping new costumes into the background of footage isn't necessary, even if only the most dedicated fans will see it. Keeping the full extent of Mario Kart World’s wardrobe under wraps should ensure that players will enjoy digging into it once the game arrives.

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