The influences that inspire certain video games can be obvious. For example, when Sandfall Interactive made its beloved RPG earlier this year, you could tell that they were influenced by other beloved RPG titles of the past, including numerous ones in the turn-based RPG style. For Nintendo, it’s never afraid to pull from ANYWHERE to get the feel they’re looking for, and Mario Kart World was an excellent example of that. They took the idea of an open world and put it in their racing game in a way that felt unique to players because it was just as much about having fun roaming around the tracks as it was looking for the challenges that were scattered about it.
Another thing that they were influenced by was skateboarding. You see, Mario Kart World had multiple new abilities and skills that opened things up to players who wanted to play at a “slightly higher level,” such as being able to ride on walls, grind on rails, and do the Jump Charge. In a chat with Famitsu, producer Kosuke Yabuki revealed that the game’s controls weren’t just adjusted by those within Nintendo but specifically were “fine-tuned” by those within the core group that had skateboarding experience!
“We even have some staff members who go skateboarding or ride their bikes outside of the development team’s office building during lunch breaks.”
Apparently, the lead programmer is a fan of not just skateboarding but surfing, too! So, they used their experiences in those sports to help make the game’s controls even more realistic.
Oh, but that’s not all. One of the other benefits of the more open-world styling of the levels was that there were multiple ways to tackle them that weren’t possible before. However, Yabuki stated that not all the tricks and secrets have been found…
“Most of the gimmicks in the game’s stages have already been discovered. But we’ve also prepared many different gimmicks that are in between the courses, and I get the impression that there are still not many people who have practiced or fully played through them, especially considering there are many different courses and variations.”
You can consider that a personal challenge from the game’s producer. We know that many people are not only playing the game but enjoying it still, as the title continues to sell alongside the Nintendo Switch 2 system. Sure, it’ll have competition in a few days, but people will race back to it eventually. Pun intended.
