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Mario Kart World was recently released as a Nintendo Switch 2 launch title.  I was lucky enough to get a Switch 2, thanks to help from my family.  So let’s take a road trip tour at all the tracks you can race on in the game.  So grab your road trip snacks and let’s roll!

The big new draw of Mario Kart World is that each track is interconnected on an open world map.  So you drive to each track, making it more of a rally race than a lap thing.  They should’ve called it Mario Kart World Rally, but considering another Mario Kart clone used that same title (Pac-Man World Rally) I guess they didn’t want to do that.  One of the problems is that they made it really hard to just race on tracks in laps, and they could’ve easily done that.  Just make a new mode that says “Classic Cup” or something where you can just do laps on tracks.  They could then call the other mode Rally Race or something.  Knockout Tour has you racing straight through six tracks, but every so often the stragglers are eliminated.  It’s fun but also frustrating in the harder levels and online.

My only other big problem with the game is that I’m probably the only person in the world who doesn’t like the new trick system where you can grind on rails and drive on walls.  I can never get it to work for me.  I wanted to play Mario Kart, not Mario Hawk Pro Skater.  But that’s just me I guess.  I do like the open world free roam mode where you can just drive around and do P switch challenges and find hidden stuff, but it does get old after a while and doesn’t quite capture the ‘getting there is half the fun’ feel that Road Trip on the PS2 had (now there’s a hidden gem of a game). 

But despite all that, Mario Kart World is STILL a lot of fun.  It may not be worth 80 bucks (at least not yet, we’ll see what the DLC brings and I hope it’s free but I have doubts), but it’s still an enjoyable game and I appreciate them trying something different.  I think my favorite parts are the Yoshi’s Hamburgers stands.  On the road you may spot a familiar looking building and sign, kind of like when you are looking for a place to eat on a road trip.  You can then drive through and pick up some Dash Food.  This gives you a speed boost and even unlocks new outfits for some characters.  So I’ve had lots of fun finding these spots.  I wish I could eat at a REAL Yoshi’s Hamburgers!  Wouldn’t that be fun?

Anyway, with that little mini review out of the way, let’s look at the tracks!

Mario Bros. Circuit

This track in the middle of the desert has lots of neon lights, a gas station and diner, and really gives off that Cars Radiator Springs vibe.  But considering the road trip feel of the game, it’s a good way to start.

Crown City

This city track is fun to explore.  You can even drive around a parking garage!  The cups use this track in several versions since there’s so much of it. The city is kind of a mix of San Francisco, Seattle, and Tokyo.

Whistlestop Summit

This mountain track has a lot of trains going around it.  You’d think it would be more interesting than that, but I didn’t find it that way.  There are lots of train tracks for you to grind on, though.

DK Spaceport

You know how rocket and space shuttle launch sites have a lot of scaffolding and ladders?  Well what if you took that and made it look like the first level of the Donkey Kong arcade game?  Because that’s what they did here.  As you climb up, you’ll use jump pads to hop over barrels rolling at you thrown by a giant robotic Donkey Kong!  The music, which is a remix of the arcade’s tunes, intensifies as you get higher, too.  They also make reference to the Game & Watch DK games, too!  Definitely one of the best new tracks in the game!

Desert Hills

This classic track was from the DS I think.  The original was a bland desert track, and this one is kind of, too.  But I like that they added characters from Super Mario Land in it, like those Easter Island heads that run at you and fly!

Shy Guy Bazaar

Another classic track, this one from the 3DS.  It’s a neat race through a desert market and rooftops, and has a lot of Mario 2 references.

Wario Stadium

This classic track from the N64 got a major overhaul.  They trimmed out a lot of the fat and it’s almost unrecognizable.  But the big jump has lots of neat pyrotechnics so it’s still fun.

Airship Fortress

They didn’t change much from this classic track, but it’s so good they really didn’t need to.  You just drive around the flying airships and avoid Rocky Wrenches, Bullet Bills, and flame jets from Mario 3. 

DK Pass

This track from the DS is supposed to be like a ski resort.  It’s a bit plain which was forgivable on the DS, but here I wish they would’ve went with DK Summit, which is another ski resort style track but this time on the Wii.  It’s just a lot more fun, but oh well.  One thing I like about the Wii Mario Kart game is that it sure had some neat track designs.

Starview Peak

This new track has kind of a Rosalina’s Comet Observatory vibe, but since it’s also an ice track they have some references from that one Mario Kart 8 DLC ice track with those green and yellow paths.  You can really appreciate this track in free roam, where you can drive through a library and planetarium.

Sky High Sundae

This track was in the Booster Pack for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe!  But I played it on the Mario Kart Tour mobile game.  It’s entirely made out of ice cream, so it’s in the snowy area of the map so it won’t melt.  I’m not a big fan of sweets, but I do like ice cream from time to time, so I like this track.

Wario Shipyard

Since this track was first on the 3DS which introduced underwater driving, and this game doesn’t have that, this track got changed a bit since you can only ski across the top of the water.  And it’s a bit less colorful.  But it still fits the mood.

Koopa Troopa Beach

I know I’m the only one who thinks this, but this is my favorite track in the game.  It’s the second Koopa Beach track from the original Super Mario Kart, so it’s all flat and short.  In fact, you race around this one with five laps instead of three, just like the original game.  But they redesigned this track to look like a party beach!  There’s a DJ Koopa, Yoshis dancing, water sports, fireworks at night, and peppy remixes.  In free roam, you can find a P Switch challenge around this track that lets you race around the other Koopa Beach track from Super Mario Kart as well!

Faraway Oasis

This one kind of has a African Savannah watering hole outpost kind of feel.  Sometimes you might have to avoid animals on the road like giraffes, zebras, ostriches, and elephants.  You’d think this track would be more interesting but it really didn’t stand out to me for whatever reason.

Peach Stadium

Nearly every Mario Kart game has a track right by Peach’s iconic castle from Mario 64, so here’s that one.  The track waves all around the castle and you can even drive on the roof in free roam and there’s lots of pink.  Down below acts as a centra hub with lots of crossroads and a train station and everything.  It’s kind of a boring track but I like it anyway.

Peach Beach

This classic track from the GameCube gets an overhaul here.  Lap 1 is the same as before, but laps 2 and 3 have you drive around the town and rooftops as well!  I appreciate them trying to do different things with the classic tracks.

Salty Salty Speedway

I think this track is going for a Venice vibe since you drive atop a lot of water street canals.  There’s also a Birdo mermaid statue you drive past.

Dino Dino Jungle

Another GameCube classic track gets a makeover.  The track layout is mostly the same, but they added more cool dinosaurs!  And the cave area is now a laboratory that the dinosaurs escaped from.  You can tell they were influenced by Jurassic Park!

Great ? Block Ruins

These ancient ruins high in the sky have giant ? blocks and bricks from Super Mario Bros.  This track is so high up that if you fall off of it in free roam, you’ll plummet to a jungle lake below but you’ll freefall for about a minute!

Cheep Cheep Falls

This track is absolutely beautiful and really shows off the graphical prowess of the Switch 2.  It has a Japanese theme as you race down river rapids with Cheep Cheeps substituting koi fish.  So many cool details like the falling leaves landing in the water and floating down as you race. 

Dandelion Depths

It’s a cave track with giant dandelion puffs and watery areas.  I dunno, this one really didn’t stick out to me.

Boo Cinema

Now this is one of the coolest new tracks in the game!  Most Mario Kart games have some sort of haunted area or Luigi’s Mansion style track.  This one is a haunted movie theater.  You race around the lobby and into the seating area, and then you drive right into the screen!  Then the graphics get that black and white sepia tone as you race on film reels!  In free roam, outside the track is really cool, too, as it has lots of planked docks around a giant swamp.  You can activate P switch challenges here where you can race on the original Ghost House tracks from the first Super Mario Kart with the same music and everything!

Dry Bones Burnout

Another new track, this one is near Bowser’s Castle and has lots of bones and lava.  So much lava.

Moo Moo Meadows

This Mario Kart 8 track is just a spruced up version of Moo Moo Farm from the N64. 

Choco Mountain

They really gave this N64 classic track an overhaul.  Instead of it being a mountain made of brown chocolate, they’ve made it more like a monster truck stadium with lots of chocolate mud.  I guess Charging Chucks are using this area as their training grounds as you’ll see them running around in the mud and throwing footballs at you, too.  While I think I like the original N64 style, I do appreciate them trying new things.  Another cool thing is that just like Koopa Beach and Boo Cinema, there are P switch challenges nearby that let you race on the original Choco Island tracks from Super Mario Kart.

Toad’s Factory

I said earlier that one of the reasons why the Wii Mario Kart game is one of my favorites is because of the track designs, and this was one of those tracks.  Of course, I also like this one since Toad is my favorite Mario character.  If you’ve ever wondered where the items boxes in this game get made, well here you go.  I like the variety in this track.  One minute you’re outside avoiding bulldozers and inside you’re on conveyor belts! 

Bowser’s Castle

Every Mario Kart game has to have a Bowser’s Castle!  This one’s OK.  There have been better ones in other games.  It is kind of neat to drive around here in free roam since the castle is so freaking huge!

Acorn Heights

This forest themed track has lots of giant leaves, acorns, and apples.  It’s all right, but I think I liked the forest track from the Mario Kart 8 DLC more.

Mario Circuit

I liked how they handled this retro track.  Since the original Mario Circuits from the SNES game were so small and flat, here they just took three of them and combined them into one track!

Rainbow Road

Every Mario Kart game has a Rainbow Road that is the final challenge.  This one is a single lap style track from point A to point B with checkpoints along the way.  Most of it is typical Rainbow Road stuff, with colored tiles that really look nice on the Switch 2 as they are all iridescent and everything.  At one point you’ll be driving on a glowing river on an enchanted crystal asteroid.  Later you’ll be on a space station and can even see the rocket from DK Spaceport docked there!  On the final stretches, a flying train goes by and the passengers are from other Mario Kart tracks, like the dinosaurs!  It’s not my favorite Rainbow Road, but it is better than the disappointing space station only Mario Kart 8 rainbow track.

And those are all the tracks! At least so far as of this writing.   Like I said before, this game is fun, but I don’t think it’s worth 80 bucks yet.  It’s not even one of my favorite Mario Kart games.  I like Mario Kart 8, the Wii one, and even the SNES game more than this.  Anyway, in the comments section, let me know what you think of Mario Kart World and what your favorite kart games and tracks are.  Later!  --Cary