Since its major reveals about the Switch 2, Nintendo has finally been allowing fans to try out the upcoming console during its ongoing Switch 2 Experience Events. Through these, players have been discovering quite a few hidden features that will be present in launch title Mario Kart World.
One of the new features, spotted by VGC’s Chriss Scullion and Andy Robinson, will allow players to race around much quicker in Mario Kart World. Holding down the hop button, traditionally used in the Mario Kart franchise to kick off drifts or jump off ramps for quick boosts, can now also provide a minor boost to players on its own.
Another player, who goes by the handle mads on social media platform X, discovered one of the secret large vehicles players can get access to as they explore the open world of the game. While riding on the water, mads was able to find a giant hovercraft that could be taken control of just by driving into it. This hovercraft could also be taken on land, though controlling it out of the water seemed much more challenging.
This second thing could be briefly spotted in the announcement trailer for Mario Kart World, where one of the players was able to drive into a large bus which could then seemingly be used for the rest of the race.
Set to be one of the launch titles for the Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World will be hitting store shelves on June 5. The game will be available for $79.99 for a digital copy, which has drawn a considerable level of backlash from fans of the kart racing franchise.
Earlier this month, Nintendo of America VP of product and player experience Bill Trinen spoke about how Mario Kart World‘s pricing is justified, referring to the upcoming game as the “richest Mario Kart experience yet.”
“This is a game that is so big and vast, and you will find so many little things in it to discover,” said Trinen in an interview. “And there’s still some other secrets remaining that I think as people end up buying and playing the game, they’re going to find this to be probably the richest Mario Kart experience they’ve ever had.”
Trinen also similarly spoke about the decision behind the price tag for the Switch 2 Edition releases of Switch games like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom. In the interview, Trinen spoke about figuring out the value of the games when the company decides on their prices.
“I think overall, our general approach is really just focus on what’s the content, what’s the value, and what’s an appropriate price based on that,” Trinen said.
While Nintendo will be holding a dedicated Direct for Mario Kart World, more details about the racing game have been emerging thanks to videos released earlier this month in the wake of the Switch 2 Direct. Thanks to one of these videos, we got an in-depth look at the Grand Prix mode, which comprises of four race tracks tied together by common themes.
The trailer also gave us a look at other features of Mario Kart World, including its dynamic rain and day/night cycles. Owing to the open-world nature of Mario Kart World, even the distinct race tracks in the game feel like they are connected to a much larger world that can also be freely explored by players.
