Mario Kart World isn’t quite the reinvention of the massively popular franchise that I thought it might be based on Nintendo’s extensive preview of the game. No matter. Mario Kart is a proven formula, and Nintendo has done more than enough to make MKW the kind of game that millions of people will play over the next decade or so. There are a ton of cleverly-designed new tracks that you can pick up and play immediately — but the more time you put into them, the more shortcuts and secrets you’ll find to help master them. There’s a truckload of Nintendo characters to pilot your kart or bike, from the heavy hitters to bizarre but amusing choices like a Piranha plant. And there are beefed-up multiplayer and sharing features powered by GameChat on the Switch 2. But while Mario Kart World will feel familiar to the millions who played Mario Kart 8, it also introduces a few noteworthy new features. One is that the majority of courses don’t have you doing three laps around a track — instead, you’re driving from point A to point B, with every track being set in a part of a larger world (hence the name). And there’s an open-world mode where you’re not in a race. You can cruise from one side of the map to the other, looking for little bonus challenges, unlocking more outfits for your characters and finding other collectibles. There are hundreds of P-Switch challenges and dozens of Peach medallions and question mark boxes you can track down. The fact that you can’t cruise around free roam in multiplayer mode is a major bummer, and the world itself feels somewhat deserted as a result, but there’s still a ton to do here. The open-world nature of the game also enables a new race type: Knockout mode. This is probably my favorite part — it’s an ongoing race across six courses with five checkpoints along the way. At each checkpoint, you have to be higher than a certain ranking or you’ll be eliminated. Being in the top 20 out of 24 total racers at the first checkpoint isn’t so tough, but obviously the challenge grows as the field is trimmed. Knockout mode is a great combo of a more traditional Grand Prix style race with a longer, world-crossing sprint to the finish. While I wish Nintendo took just a few more risks with Mario Kart World, it’s the kind of game anyone can pick up and have a blast with. — Nathan Ingraham, Deputy Editor