Summary
Open-world games haven’t always maintained the best reputation in the gaming industry, but they have been doing their best in recent memory to restore that reputation and prove that open worlds can be expansive and still be filled with meaningful gameplay and narratives. Games likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandElden Ringare not only great examples of open worlds done right, but they also set standards for future entries to follow, thereby inspiring increased quality in the genre moving forward. Now, Nintendo is continuing to experiment with the open-world format in some of its upcoming games, with the most notable among them beingMario Kart WorldandDonkey Kong Bananza.
The upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 games,Mario Kart WorldandDonkey Kong Bananza, have officially adopted an open-world structure, marking a significant shift for their franchises, as well as being a strong indicator of what the new console’s hardware is capable of achieving. Given how bent on diving into the open-world genre Nintendo has been as of late, especially following the success of its most recentLegend of Zeldaentries, it’s now worth speculating on what its plans might be with the nextAnimal Crossinggame and how those plans could affect the series' future.
Nintendo’s Open-World Focus Could Aim for Animal Crossing
Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World Are Both Open-World Games
An open-world format might fitDonkey Kongpretty well, but it’s a massive experiment forMario Kart. Nevertheless, bothDonkey Kong BananzaandMario Kart Worldare going fully open world in what may be major turning points for both franchises, should the gamble pay off. Assuming it does, theDonkey KongandMario Kartfranchises may never be the same, echoingwhatBreath of the Wildaccomplished forZelda.
In Donkey Kong Bananza, players will venture into anexpansive open worldset in the underground realms of the Kong Kingdom. There, Donkey Kong sets off on a quest to retrieve stolen Golden Bananas from the game’s villain group, VoidCo, with sandbox-style levels that encourage free exploration and interaction with the environment. One of the game’s standout features is its destructible environment, which allows Donkey Kong to smash through terrain in order to reveal new paths, hidden areas, and collectibles.
Donkey Kong Bananza’s open world also features diverse biomes like icy terrains, lush jungles, and subterranean caves, all of which offer unique challenges and secrets.
Mario Kart Worldtakes a cue fromDiddy Kong Racingby featuring its own open world filled with interconnected tracks in its own “Free Roam” mode, where players can drive off-road and explore the world at their own pace. Presumably, there will be plenty of activities for players to complete and collectibles to find, but, perhaps more than anything else, the new format should increase accessibility by allowing new and casual players a more controlled experience.
Animal Crossing Could Target a Huge Open-World Format
Based on what little has been disclosed about each game so far,Donkey Kong BananzaandMario Kart Worldsound like they may do some really great things for each of their franchises, which meansAnimal Crossingcould be next. Even if Nintendo doesn’t wait to see whether the open-world gambles ofDonkey Kong BananzaandMario Kart Worldpay off, it could already be working on a newAnimal Crossinggame set in a sizable open world. It would be a natural progression of the series' formula, for one thing, but it wouldn’t be surprising either, as Nintendo appears to have already shown its hand.
BothDonkey Kong BananzaandMario Kart Worldare going fully open world in what may be major turning points for both franchises, should the gamble pay off.
This is, of course, not to mention the raw power of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware, which can now handle expansive maps much easier than its predecessor could — asgames likeZelda: Tears of the Kingdomhave proven. That alone may be reason enough for Nintendo to move forward with a big open world for the nextAnimal Crossinggame, but time will tell.
