Mario Kart World’s Accessibility Features Are Why It’s Included With Switch 2
“A person at any skill level can compete.”
Nintendo has always appealed to more casual gamers. From easy-to-understand games like Wii Sports, which introduced many older players to the hobby in the 2000s, to the cutesy appeal of characters like Kirby for younger audiences, there’s something for everyone in Nintendo’s deep catalogue of franchises. And that will continue with the Switch 2, which just got an official release date and price.
With the Switch 2, Nintendo’s age-old philosophy of appealing to players old and new played a big part in why the company is packing in its most hotly anticipated launch title with the console instead of capitalizing on its popularity by selling it separately: accessibility. Nintendo’s head of gaming software product development Nate Bihldorff tells Inverse that the series’ balance of depth and approachability played a significant role in the decision.
“It comes back to that idea that this is a game that really is going to satisfy any kind of Nintendo gamer, and even somebody who isn't a Nintendo gamer yet but might be later,” Bihldorff explains.
Mario Kart World is the perfect game for new players, according to Nintendo, without ignoring hardcore players looking for an endlessly replayable and highly competitive game.
Of all the games in the original Nintendo Switch’s incredible library, no game has had the unprecedented success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. The racing title has sold more than 67.4 million copies since its release in 2017, meaning well over a third of all Switch owners have added the classic to their libraries.
It’s why it's surprising that Nintendo is willing to give away such a sure-fire mega hit players are likely willing to buy at a deep discount (the launch title is $30 cheaper in a bundle). It’s become far more common to see consoles like the PlayStation 5 pack in a lesser-known, shorter experience like Astro’s Playroom with new hardware.
The Switch 2 has no shortage of titles like this. Tech demos like the launch title Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour, which introduces early adopters to the console's coolest gimmicks, seem like the exact sort of game console makers would include in the box. Even something like the arcade-y sports game Drag X Drive seems like an easy-to-understand game that will get new players acquainted with the console’s mouse controls.
Nintendo has always been concerned about welcoming first-time players looking to get into the hobby of gaming.
According to Bihldorff, however, those games don’t have the depth scalability for new players who either want to get good, or for those who are already seasoned gamers.
“The skill ceiling is incredibly high for people who are really into it,” Bihldorff says. “You saw this with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as well. If you really want to play it at a high level, at the highest speed, the highest competitive level online, you're going to spend a lot of time with this game, finding the best routes, finding the best techniques.”
As the title suggests, Mario Kart World will take the classic series open-world for the first time. The game’s reveal during Wednesday’s Switch 2 Nintendo Direct showed off its massive open world map and the Forza Horizon-like structure of its single-player and multiplayer modes. World adds a new wrinkle of exploration to the formula, which will likely keep vets playing for dozens of hours.
All of Mario Kart World will take place on a single massive map with various biomes.
That depth, however, doesn’t get in the way of approachability. Players who simply want to have a good time with the Mushroom Kingdom’s colorful cast can play alongside the pros and still get something out of it, according to Bihldorff.
“World has as many settings as you'd like to make it so that a kid at any age, or a person at any skill level, can compete. Stuff like auto accelerates, smart steering, which basically guides you back onto track,” he says. “You can turn them all on if you have a five-year-old kid, give them the controller, play it on 50CC, and they may beat you.”
For the players who aren’t into the popular Mario Kart franchise, there will still be plenty to play when the Switch 2 launches this summer. Several popular third-party games will be coming to a Nintendo console for the first time, including Cyberpunk 2077, Yakuza 0, and Hogwarts Legacy. For players with large Switch libraries, Nintendo has confirmed the majority of those games will be playable on Switch 2, some with added features and upgrades.
