Summary
Wario has been a staple of the Mario Kart series since the N64 version launched in 1997 and continues his legacy with an appearance inMario Kart Worldfor the Nintendo Switch 2. This heavyweight driver will do anything it takes to win, and has no problem bumping into other characters to push them off the track.
One of Mario Kart World’s new features is unlockable outfits that help certain characters express different aspects of their personalities. Wario has seven hidden costumes for you to discover, and while they are original designs made specifically for this game, something about them reminds us of some of ourfavorite microgames from the WarioWare series.
7Pro Racer
Hectic Highway
Wario’s Pro Racer outfit is his most serious, proving that he is here to actually win, rather than just causing chaos. The man spends a surprising amount of time on the road, so it’s not too surprising that he has a professional uniform in his closet beside the rows of sleeveless jean jackets and mustache cream.
Hectic Highway is one of the first microgames in the entire series and requires you to dodge traffic while Wario drives down a busy road. The microgame gets harder by increasing the size of Wario’s vehicle and the speed of traffic, but if you play it enough times, you’ll start feeling like a Pro Racer yourself.
6Biker
Unexcite Bike
Wario and motorcycles go together like garlic and cheese, and Mario Kart World keeps that tradition going with a new design that makes him look ready for a coast-to-coast trip across the Mushroom Kingdom. From his new pair of shades to the tiny ponytail, Wario’s Biker outfit is just as exciting as the microgame it reminds us of.
9-Volt is a character in the WarioWare series who usually has microgames inspired by past Nintendo titles, including Unexcite Bike. Here, Wario must drive his bike across a track from Excitebike while avoiding pits and other racers. It’s unclear whether this task was mandatory for Wario to get his motorcycle license, but it definitely helped improve his skills.
It’s kind of scary to think about how well Wario would fit in with the world of Mad Max, but the Road Ruffian outfit feels like it fell straight out of 1981’s Road Warrior. With an open-chest jacket, a helmet with a mohawk, and an uncomfortable amount of leather, this costume will either strike fear into your heart or make you want to avoid eye contact with Wario.
Road Wario is a motion-based microgame where you need to tilt either your Wii controller or 3DS to steer a vehicle across the finish line. Not only is the name of the game a great play on the Road Warrior title, but it will kind of make you feel like you’re in a less-tense chase scene from Fury Road as you avoid cows, trees, and other obstacles.
4Work Crew
Assembly Line
Wario might seem a bit lazy at first, but he’ll do anything to make an extra dollar or two. The Work Crew outfit is a friendly reminder that he will do anything once he sets his mind to it, even if it includes manual labor. With his sleeves rolled up and a towel around his neck to wipe away sweat, this Wario looks ready for anything.
Assembly Line isanother original microgamethat you can easily imagine Work Crew Wario playing during his ten-minute breaks. Here, you must control the body of a vehicle to make sure it lines up with the wheels on the ground. This seems like the kind of place where Wario would thrive. He can build cars for paying customers while charging them more for unnecessary features like a treasure tracker or a garlic dicer.
3Oasis
Wishful Thinking
It’s hard to imagine anything more disappointing than having Wario pop out of a magical bottle, but the Oasis outfit in Mario Kart World gives him a mysterious and compelling aura. He also kind of looks like a shady merchant, the kind of person who would sell you something for a high price before you eventually found out it was counterfeit.
The microgame that the Oasis outfit reminds us of the most is Wishful Thinking, which requires you to free a genie by quickly rubbing a lamp with your DS stylus. You might wish for the Oasis outfit Wario to return to his lamp once you see him, but he might be able to help your dreams come true with his stubborn ambition.
2Pirate
Admiral Blowhard
Between his greed and sense of adventure, Wario could be a decent pirate if he wanted to be. Everyone knows how much he loves treasure, and it’s easy to envision him barking out commands to his crew. His Pirate outfit suits him well and feels like it could inspire a new spin-off game starring Wario as he sails the seven seas.
There are a few boat-based microgames throughout the WarioWare series, but it’s hard not to look at the Pirate outfit without thinking of Admiral Blowhard. This one requires you to use the microphone on your DS to blow a boat across a finish line within a time limit while avoiding barrels.
1Wicked Wasp
Shoo, Fly!
Nothing stings more than being hit by a shell thrown by Wario in his Wicked Wasp outfit. It’s arguably his cutest costume in Mario Kart World while also making him look like the mascot for a shady cereal company. Wario is a busy bee with all ofhis schemes and business ideas, and the Wicked Wasp is the perfect representation of his dedication to financial success.
In the Shoo, Fly! microgame, you must scare flies away from precious items like birthday cakes and human feet. Buzzing around the screen while you protect your territory from dangerous insects feels just as good as soaring across the Mushroom Kingdom as Wario in his Wicked Wasp outfit.
