One of the most iconic parts of theMario Kartseries is its tracks, which are set to be framed in a whole new way asMario Kart Worldtakes the franchise open world for the first time. While the ability to go off-road and discover secrets hidden aroundMario Kart World’s map is an enticing prospect, the core gameplay of racing along unique courses seems to be just as exciting. Among the new courses confirmed forMario Kart Worldare several returning ones that haven’t been seen in the series for some time.
Mario Kart Worldis in the tough position of having to both carry the first-party titles for theNintendo Switch 2’s launchand follow up on the massive amount of content contained withinMario Kart 8 Deluxeand its Booster Course Pass. Not only didMario Kart 8 Deluxefeature the DLC for the game’s Wii U release, but it also received 48 additional courses in the Booster Course Pass for a total of 96 tracks. Even with a good mix of new and returning tracks,Mario Kart 8 Deluxestill left out some of the series' best courses, which are finally seeing modern re-releases inMario Kart World.
Mario Kart World is Filling in the Gaps Left By MK8 Deluxe
Even with the Booster Course Pass, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Was Missing Some Iconic Tracks
It’s tradition at this point for theMario Kartseries to bring back popular tracks with new coats of paint for some of the later cups in an entry. The base game forMario Kart 8 Deluxefeatured iconic retro tracks likeMoo Moo Meadowsfrom the Wii, Cheep Cheep Beach from the DS, and the ever-chaotic Baby Park from the GameCube. In total, there were 23 tracks returning from previousMario Kartentries in8 Deluxe’s base game.
The Booster Course Pass added even more returning tracks, both from mainlineMario Kartgames and themobile titleMario Kart Tour, for a total of 65 returning tracks between the base game and the DLC. However, even within this expansive list of courses available forMario Kart 8 Deluxeplayers to enjoy, there were still some classic tracks that hadn’t made the cut. Luckily, it seemsMario Kart Worldis righting the wrongs of the Booster Course Pass and adding some of the remaining tracks in need of a modern remastering.
Returning Tracks Confirmed for Mario Kart World
Out of these returning tracks, only Moo Moo Meadows, Choco Mountain, Wario Stadium, and Sky-High Sundae were available inMario Kart 8 Deluxe. This meansMario Kart Worldis going out of its way to include retro courses that never made their way to the previous entry in an effort to fill in some of the remaining gaps left by theBooster Course Pass. While some fans may have been worried that the sheer number of courses inMario Kart 8 Deluxewould make its successor feel repetitive, it seems thatMario Kart Worldwill be steering clear of repeat retro tracks for the most part.
Mario Circuit 3 (SNES) is available inMario Kart 8 Deluxe, butMario Kart World’s version of Mario Circuit(SNES) seems to be a new mashup of all three versions of the track from the original SNES game.
It’s very promising to see that, despite the shift in focus toMario Kart World’s open-world exploration, the game is still catering to longtime fans of the series with the return of underrepresented retro tracks. In particular, fan favorites likeDouble Dash’s Peach BeachandWii’s Toad’s Factory are pleasant surprises, as are more 3DS tracks like Shy Guy Bazaar and Wario Shipyard. There is also the possibility that even more retro tracks return in future DLC forMario Kart World, too.
