The giant sprawling world is at your racing fingertips inMario Kart World(MKW). This is the most ambitious title in the series yet, bringing more chaos and more fun than ever before. Being in development since 2017, this title has Nintendo’s classic secret-loving charm poured throughout every inch of its open world.
While you’re racing past everything, you will easily miss out on some of the smaller details that the developers hid withinthe fun-filled, detailed world.By taking the slow road in Free Roam for hours, you may find some of the game’s most hidden details and Easter eggs.
11Sarasaland
Daisy’s Empire Rules
MKW’s environments range from lava lands to towering trees that all feel distinctly Mario, with many famous locations scattered throughout. One location, however, is very different in design, and that is the desert area to the bottom left of the map, which includes Desert Hills and Shy Guy Bazaar.
Unlike other entries where desert tracks are a more generic desert area based on the nameless deserts from the modern platformers, this one is very distinctly Sarasaland from Super Mario Land. Daisy is the ruler of Sarasaland and, on top of her having a palace in this area, it is also filled with enemies that have only appeared in Sarasaland, such as the Batadon and Tokotoko, hinting obviously that it is Sarasaland.
10NPC Characters
Here For A Reason
MKW has one of the strangest rosters of any Mario Kart game with some generically fun choices, such as Para-Biddybud and the cow from Moo-Moo Meadows. The specific characters they chose as these NPC drivers seem quite random at first, but, in actual fact, almost all of them appeared as background elements in some form across the series, and each represents a different era and game in the Mario series.
We are all struggling to unlock all these characters as it all relies on the Kamek item transforming you into them, which can sometimes feel like a complete random chance. However, there are actually set transformations for every location and track in the game, which is a super nice detail for those wanting to unlock their favorites fast.
If you are struggling to unlock one specific character, have a drive around in Free Roam to see if you may spot them in any of the tracks as background characters.
9Outfit References
Dressed In Details
The cast of classic Mario characters has never lookedmore fashionablewith a wide range of unlockable outfits in MKW. While some of these are returning fromMario Kart Tour,some are fresh new styles that even reference other games in the Mario series.
For example, Mario and Luigi’s Pro Racer outfits are a direct reference to their first racing appearance in Famicom Grand Prix II: 3D Hot Rally, which predates the Mario Kart series. Meanwhile,Super Mario RPGfans finally get some love with Yoshi’s Biker outfit being a not-so-subtle reference to Boshi, and his Swimwear outfit looks identical to Mario’s fromSuper Mario Odyssey.
8Kazumi Totaka’s Song
A Secret Hidden In Many Nintendo Titles
One of the series' most iconic sound designers is the veteran who has been working for Nintendo since the 90s, Kazumi Totaka. In every title Totaka has worked on, he has inserted a fun secret song known as Totaka’s Song, usually hidden somewhere within the game, and, of course, Mario Kart is no different.
In the previous entry,Mario Kart 8,this tune could be found being hummed by any spectator Yoshi’s if you got close enough to them. In MKW, Yoshi once again gets to hum this wonderfullittle secret tune,but this time, it’s featured front and center. If you hover over any Yoshi or his costumes on the character select screen for long enough, you will get to hear the wonderful melody.
7Track Layout References
Mario Kart would be nothing without the fun creative tracks to race across and with all of them being interconnected in one giant world in MKW, they are better than ever. While many retro tracks have returned in the game’s Grand Prix, more can actually be found through the new tracks by exploring in Free Roam.
Many sections of tracks have elements of tracks from previous titles. For example, in the intro of Bowser’s Castle, the first corner is almost identical to the Mario Kart 8 version of the track, and Wario Stadium has elements of Waluigi Stadium scattered throughout. Some Super Mario Kart tracks even appear as secret tracks around the map, such as with Ghost Valley being near Boo Cinema and Koopa Beach near Koopa Troopa Beach.
6Outfit Icon Poses
Hey, We’ve Seen That Pose Before!
Despite how poorly organized the character select menu is, there are plenty of details that Nintendo put into this. While nearly every outfit has been bought fresh for MKW from the nearest Coconut Mall, these outfits may look strangely familiar when looking at their icons. That’s because almost all of them reference a previous render of that character.
Take, for example, Mario in his Pro Racer outfit is doing the exact same pose as the render that his Super Mario series amiibo is based off is in, and the same goes for Peach’s Farmer outfit. This is a little detail that makes the costumes feel that much more familiar, despite this being the first in Mario Kart history for some characters appearing in alternate attire.
5Vehicles And Water Form
Decked Out Ride
While vehicle customization was cut from the series in MKW, we got plenty of creatively crafted karts and bikes to drift around every corner of the world. Some of these karts have neat references baked into their design, such as the R.O.B. H.O.G. being a R.O.B. toy from the NES or the Hyper Pipe using elements from the original Mario Bros. such as pipes and POW blocks.
Every vehicle has a cool detail when entering any water boating section, as instead of getting a generic propeller like in previous entries, they get familiar-looking jet ski exhausts. These are based on F.L.U.D.D fromSuper Mario Sunshine, and this is such a cute detail. While Professor E. Gadd may not have been invited to race, he is clearly behind the scenes, making all the vehicles in the game.
4Interacting With NPC Drivers
Free Roam has become one of our favorite ways to relax after a stressful day, and with such a massive world that you can drive all over, there are many hidden secrets. What breathes the most life into this world is the NPC drivers that drive around. These law-abiding road lovers actually have set paths that they will drive to, and, best of all, they will even react to you.
If you wave to a driver or honk, they will do it back with things such as buses having everyone aboard, giving you a cute smile and wave. On the other hand, if you want to cause some roadside chaos, you may stop your kart dead in its tracks and cause a massive traffic jam if the drivers don’t have the chance to drive around you.
3Nintendo References
Welcome To Mario Kart!
Nintendo as a company is very fond of its own history, and nowhere does that show more than their flagship series, Mario. From tiny details such as the unlockable stickers with references to the Game & Watch to a billboard with sprites from the original Super Mario Kart, there is no shortage of love for the company and series past in MKW.
DK Spaceport is a track that is stuffed to the brim with Nintendo references, and it really shows how much passion went into MKW’s development. From the Donkey Kong arcade girder level design, to the Robo DK having a Donkey Kong Game & Watch system on its back, this track is a blast to explore every small detail in Free Roam.
2Rainbow Road
A Celebration Of The Series
Going into MKW, one of the few things that was left completely secret was the new iteration of Rainbow Road, and for good reason. This track is always something special, but in MKW it almost brings you to tears with how grandiose and incredible it is. From the gorgeous visuals to the climactic emotional music, this track is like no other.
One thing that makes this Rainbow Road even more special is the fact that it celebrates the history of the series by referencing sections from nearly every Rainbow Road. From landing on a planet like in Mario Kart 7’s to long winding paths like Mario Kart Wii’s, every stretch of the track is full of love for the series, and combined with music references, it makes for the perfect celebration of how far the series has come.
