The “Mario Kart World Direct” was under 17 minutes, but the Nintendo presentation did everything it was supposed to do. Showing off courses, characters, items, modes, and new features galore, Nintendo unveiled everything fans need to know before purchasing the game — and with it, the Nintendo Switch 2 — as soon as possible. The unusually high $80 price point, however, is still distracting from what was otherwise a great presentation.
Breaking down the Direct
The first original “Mario Kart” in over a decade looks well worth the wait. The big hook this time is the titular “World,” an interconnected hub of tracks that players can now physically race between as opposed to mashing the “A” button. This opens up many new possibilities, including the new “Free Roam” mode. This mode allows players to explore the game’s dozens of courses at their own pace, completing minigames, and collecting items along the way.
The mode is a big deal, as it is basically the closest thing “Mario Kart” has had to a single-player adventure since “mission mode” in Mario Kart DS (2005) — let alone the idea of an “open-world Mario Kart,” which was an exciting enough prospect on its own.
It does not end there. “Knockout Tour” is essentially the “Mario Kart” remix of a battle royale game like Fortnite, and staples like “VS Race” and “Battle Mode” also return. The game’s plethora of playable characters is also exciting, with a variety of bizarre inclusions which includes obscure Mario series enemies like Cataquacks, Sidesteppers, and Conkdors — not to mention a cartoon cow that has already taken over the Internet. Each character is also equipped with a series of outfits, making possibilities for in-depth customization.
The mechanical changes also took center stage during the conference. New items like the Coin Shell and Kamek join the Ice Flower and Hammer, which both make their console debut after appearing in the mobile title Mario Kart Tour (2019), and all promise to completely alter the playing field — or, track. Multiplayer matches have doubled in size, from 12 to 24, and additions like rail-grinding, driving on walls, and even rewinding time should revolutionize each race.
Price of admission
Simply put, this new game looks incredible, and it is everything fans could hope for. So what is the hold up? Everyone should have bought a Switch 2 by now, right? Besides the delay of Switch 2 pre-orders, of course, there is another vital factor at play: price.
Media outlets nationwide have already exhausted the subject of the console’s steep base price of $450, an unexpected $150 jump from the original Switch. But if you break it down, the base price of Mario Kart World is even higher.
Mario Kart World has a digital edition that retails for $80 USD. For decades, games have retailed for $60, and only recently in the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S generation, select games have become $70 propositions. But Mario Kart World smashes both barriers.
Both of those moves are upsetting, but these are not separate transactions. Mario Kart World is a Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive, meaning that to get this new title in your hands, it is going to cost $530 plus tax! There is a bundle available with the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World included that is $500, valuing the game at $50 but even that price tag is a tough pill to swallow. Plus, that bundle will only be available for a limited time.
The price tag woes do not end there, though. Suppose you want to play this game with your friends. Even if everyone is comfortable with playing on a singular Joy-Con 2 — the Switch 2 comes with a pair of them — you will have to buy an additional pair of Joy-Con 2 for another $90 if you do not previously own any original Switch Joy-Cons. Taking this into account, the cost of playing Mario Kart World in four-player multiplayer comes out to a staggering $590.
But what if your friends are not at home? Well, then online multiplayer is your answer, but that requires a Nintendo Switch Online subscription of $20 per year for the base plan – meaning you and your friends will have to pay $520 each to play Mario Kart together, assuming you are all able to secure the bundle. A four-player online multiplayer match of Mario Kart World therefore costs you and your friends a grand total of $2,080 — and that is assuming none of you invest in additional accessories like the Switch 2 Pro Controller or Joy-Con Wheel.
In conclusion…
I am very excited to play Mario Kart World when I get my hands on it. The game looks like everything a fan of the franchise would hope for. However, I cannot in good conscience recommend it right now for its current price, and that is because the original Nintendo Switch is still right there.
Why spend $590 dollars when you can buy a Nintendo Switch for $300 and the still-excellent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) for $60? If you are hungry for multiplayer and new courses, buy a year of the Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack for another $50, as that includes online multiplayer and the “Booster Course Pass” for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, bringing the total playable tracks in that game to a solid 96.
Your remaining $180 can be spent on other multiplayer games like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate (2018) or Nintendo Switch Sports (2022), or you can save it for future releases. As someone who has owned a Switch since 2020, I can personally guarantee that investing heavily in the console’s games has paid dividends for me.
The Switch 2 will promise a standard of quality that only Nintendo can deliver, and Mario Kart World looks like another slam-dunk for one of gaming’s most consistent brands. But even for a top-of-the-line experience like “Mario Kart,” charging a premium price might still be too much for consumers to swallow.