If Mario Kart World’s new open-world structure works, Nintendo may adopt the format long-term, just as it did with Zelda after Breath of the Wild.
The latest Nintendo Direct was full of big surprises after its in-depth look at the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2, many of which are brand-new games coming to the console when it launches in June. One of those games, Mario Kart World, was an especially big surprise, as it aims to reinvent the series with an open-world take on its well-oiled formula. It’s too soon to tell whether such a drastic change to that formula will pay off, but if it does, Mario Kart World could very well end up being Mario Kart’s own Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is one of the most ambitious Zelda games ever made, as it turned everything the series had done for decades on its head and offered a fresh approach to gameplay. Needless to say, it changed the Zelda franchise forever, and now that Mario Kart World seems to be heading down a similar path, it’s possible the Mario Kart franchise will never be the same after its launch, especially if it ends up hitting a home run with its new formula.
