ShareThis
Mario Kart World will be mixing things up with a couple of new techniques for players to master. Revealed today during the game’s dedicated Mario Kart World Direct showcase, Nintendo revealed that players will be able to Charge Jump and Rewind in the next installment of the series. Let’s break down what that means.
Charge Jump
With this technique, players can hold down the drift button while driving in a straight line to build up a charge. Once the charge is filled, the racer will do a hop into the air, land, and then get a small burst of speed. It can be used to evade some obstacles and projectiles, like Bananas and Green Shells, but it’s unclear if it will work on Red Shells, for instance, or other attacks that can lock onto opponents.
This will also help to facilitate Wall Riding, which I briefly mentioned in my hands-on time with World. Do a Charge Jump, aim for a wall, and get to riding. From there, players can can hop from one surface to another, and in many cases even extend a ride with rail grinding. It sounds like World is shaping up to be one of the most vertical Mario Kart games to date.
Rewind
This was a surprise, especially considering how it has been implemented. As the name makes plain, players can use Rewind to rewind the action during a race. That might sound a little cheap, but it comes with a decent catch: while using Rewind, all of the other racers aren’t inhibited by its effect. Meaning, the racer will move backwards while everyone else is still rolling ahead.
There have been many a race over the years where players wished they could go back to have one more go at getting to a shortcut or snagging a Star sitting on the racetrack after a Lightning strike. Well, now players can do a risk-reward analysis to live out those fantasies if they so choose. It will likely result in some pretty crazy races, if nothing else.
Roadside Assistance
Another element in World that I mentioned in my preview (that Nintendo is referring to as Roadside Assistance) are the help features baked into the game. These include:
- Smart Steering: A little antenna sticks out of the back of your kart and helps to keep players steering true as opposed to flying off road or even into pits. This is great for less skilled players and kids, as ever.
- Auto-Accelerate: Who needs a gas pedal when a kart can simply propel itself? That’s what this feature allows, which can help a player to hone in on steering and/or item use during a race.
- Tilt Controls: As pioneered by Mario Kart Wii, Tilt Controls, AKA motion steering, are back in World. Perfect to use with Switch 2’s new Wheel accessory, eh?
There’s a whole lot more to delve into in Mario Kart World—be sure to check out our hands-on preview for more.
