The jury is still out on whether Mario Kart World is the “richest” experience in the series yet, but there’s no denying its sheer amount of content. Nintendo has already showcased tons of new racers and courses, but how many can players look forward to?
It’s a difficult question because, as producer Kosuke Yabuki notes in an Ask the Developer interview, “You don’t just race on the courses. The areas between courses are also used for racing. So it’s as if there are courses spread out all over the world, and if you were to add up all the possible variations, it would easily exceed 100.”
The open world is also notable for offering optional activities, like unlocking new outfits and hundreds of P Switches with their own unique challenges. It looks pretty good, but that’s only half the Mario Kart presentation. The other half is the soundtrack, with tons of new songs promised.
“For other modes like Free Roam, we prepared lots of music in addition to course themes and made it so the game would automatically select the right track depending on the situation,” says music lead Atsuko Asahi. “During development, we called this the ‘jukebox.’ For this, we created lots of arrangements of music composed for past Super Mario and Mario Kart games.
Overall, there are more than “200” in the “jukebox,” which Asahi reveals are “all brand-new arrangements, and we also did live recordings. We prepared pieces from quite a wide variety of musical genres. I believe those who are well-versed in video game music as well as those who aren’t will enjoy listening to them.”
Mario Kart World launches on June 5th for the Nintendo Switch 2 at $79.99 and has garnered controversy for being the company’s first game with this price point. You could also pick it up in a bundle with the console for $499.99.
Check out our feature for more details. You can also learn more about how its development started on the Switch and why Nintendo opted to move to the Switch 2.
