One of the first launch titles to come with the Nintendo Switch 2 is Mario Kart World, the tenth main entry in the series that first began in 1992 with Super Mario Kart. A recent Nintendo Direct and subsequent Nintendo Treehouse livestream revealed that full Kart customization is no longer available like it was in Mario Kart 7 and 8. This feature allowed players to modify their vehicles, down to the tires, gliders, and body, to best match their personal playstyle.

At first, removing the option for more customization and player freedom struck me as a bad choice, but after some reflection, I think it's actually the best move for the series. When I first started playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch, I did spend some time unlocking parts and playing around with builds, but that was short-lived. After probably a day or two, I found my preferred build and never changed it for years despite unlocking more parts. Some kart builds end up being clearly superior, which makes too much customization a moot point.

Mario Kart World Has Removed Customized Vehicles

A New Set Of Premade Karts Are Here

As revealed in the first Nintendo Treehouse Live and new Mario Kart World karts will still have different levels of speed, acceleration, weight, and handling, which can be seen during the selection screens, so there will be some amount of choice beyond cosmetics, but they can’t be modified by the player.

This move away from customized karts brings the series back to basics, though with more player choice than was available in Super Mario Kart or Mario Kart 64. Having less choice may seem like a negative at first, but this change actually just streamlines the character selection screen. Replacing custom karts with more unique character outfits is so much more fun, and Nintendo seems to be leaning into that latter opportunity for added personality.

Custom Karts Didn't Add Much To The Franchise

Unbalanced Parts Quickly Established A Meta

At the time Mario Kart 7 came out, being able to customize a kart seemed like an exciting idea. Players could choose their character, and depending on their weight class, create a special build designed around their preferred racing style. Swapping around the tires, body, and glider was a fun way to experiment with new karts and unlocking pieces gave players something new to try. Unfortunately, the custom kart building didn’t turn out to be a very useful feature, mostly because the karts weren’t very balanced.

After a short window post-release, there was a fair amount of experimentation, but that didn’t last long. A few meta builds became the standard for most players almost immediately, since a select few tires and kart bodies were clearly superior for the average playstyle. These preferred karts were especially prevalent when players ed online matches. While it can still be fun to play around, removing customization and balancing the karts carefully might actually result in more variety rather than less.

More Character Customization In Mario Kart World Is The Right Move

Playing Dress-Up Is More Fun

From what information has been shown by Nintendo since the most recent Direct, Mario Kart World has shifted away from kart modification in favor of more character-oriented customization. In the full-length trailer for the racing game, Mario eats a huge cheeseburger and changes his outfit into a more casual street racer jacket, which may mean character changes only come from within the match and not before.

Either way, a huge selection of outfits was shown in the trailer, particularly for Princess Peach, who sports a pilot outfit, a Boo-inspired kimono, a travel outfit from Mario Odyssey, and her classic bike suit from previous Mario Kart games. Other characters also had alternative outfits, like Luigi’s farmer fit and Bowser’s dark metal hot rod get-up. While this won't have the same radical impact on actual gameplay, this type of dress-up can be very fun.

A more extensive look at Mario Kart World gameplay can be found in the Nintendo Treehouse: Live footage archived on the official Nintendo of America YouTube channel.

Nintendo has been all about dres characters in cute little outfits for a while now, like in Mario Odyssey and Princess Peach: Showtime!, so it makes sense that this idea would migrate to another mainline Nintendo title. Given the fact that cart customization didn’t do much for the gameplay of Mario Kart 7 and 8, a lighthearted type of character customization is the right move, especially as the roster of racers has only gotten bigger in Mario Kart World.

Source: Nintendo of America