Between its open world design as a first for the series, and an all-new range of unlockable character outfits and vehicle designs,Mario Kart Worldmight finally have the opportunity to borrow one ofBurnout Paradise’s more iconic mechanics. AfterMario Kart World’s most recent trailers, gameplay livestreams, and Nintendo Direct showcases, it is clear that the upcoming Switch 2 launch title is arguably the series' most ambitious game yet. However, with a significantly larger pool of characters, vehicles, and more that players will likely need to unlock,Mario Kart Worldcould shift one of these features away from methods like winning races or collecting coins.

As another racing game that allows its players to freely roam an open world,Burnout Paradisecould help inspireMario Kart Worldto add an extra layer of gameplay when unlocking new vehicles. While previousMario Kartgames have relied on winning races or collecting coins to unlock vehicles,Mario Kart World’s new open world could be ideal for adaptingBurnout Paradise’s “Shut Down” mechanic, where players can unlock new vehicles by crashing rival racers. Alongsideunlocking outfits viaMario Kart World’s new Dash Food, the game could push players to explore even more if they can take down racers across its open world and unlock unique vehicles.

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Burnout Paradise’s Shut Down Mechanic Is Perfect For Mario Kart World

Though unlocking new vehicles wasn’t a key feature inMario Kart’s initial games, betweenthe likes ofMario Kart: Double DashandMario Kart 8 Deluxe, the series has since evolved to include a variety of unlockable vehicles and parts. Even the method behind unlocking new vehicles has varied between games, ranging from collecting coins inMario Kart 8 Deluxeto completing cups in certain game modes or at certain speeds, as seen inMario Kart: Double DashorMario Kart Wii. WithMario Kart Worldalready revamping its take on theMario Kartformula, its method for unlocking vehicles could also be set to change.

While unlockable vehicles could be tied toMario Kart WorldFree Roam’s Peach Medallions or P-Switches as rewards, Nintendo hasn’t yet confirmed whether specific characters or vehicles will be available upfront or need to be unlocked first. Instead of Free Roam’s known objectives orMario Kart’s more traditional unlock methods,Mario Kart Worldshould capitalize on its open worldand allow players to unlock vehicles by knocking out racers in Free Roam mode. Just asBurnout Paradiseintroduces roaming cars that players can crash or “Shut Down” to unlock them for themselves,Mario Kart Worldcould similarly embrace unlocking vehicles as a part of its open world gameplay.

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Mario Kart World’s Open World Offers An Alternative To Unlocking Vehicles

Rather than limiting new vehicles to a reward for collecting coins or completing races,Mario Kart Worldcould use game modeslike Free Roam to allow players to encounter vehicles and unlock them by taking them down in-game. As the recent Direct showcase revealed, CPU racers will appear throughoutMario Kart Worldand potentially even be tracked via its world map, suggesting that players can actively seek out and find certain characters. Akin toBurnout Paradise’s Shut Down mechanic, players might use in-game items to knock out characters to unlock some of the signature vehicles confirmed to be inMario Kart World:

WithMario Kart Worldintroducing various new character outfitswhile scrapping options for vehicle customization (as seen inMario Kart 8 Deluxe), adding an unlock method inspired byBurnout Paradisecould help balance things further between its new features and gameplay. While not every vehicle would need to be unlocked withMario Kart World’s adaptation of the Shut Down mechanic, it would incentivize players to explore Free Roam mode and challenge CPU racers to unlock signature vehicles.Mario Kart Worldcould even push this potential mechanic further by hiding secret or unique vehicles for players to discover and take down, like the R.O.B.-themed bike.

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