Mario Kart World: 5 Common Mistakes People Make When Starting This Awesome Game

1. Choosing a Character Who Can’t Change Outfits

The Mario Kart World Direct and other promotional material advertised how you could change outfits mid-race. Eat food at Yoshi’s and you get a shiny new outfit! What fun! However, the Direct didn’t tell us that not all racers can change outfits. If you picked a racer like the fan-favorite cow for your first race, you were probably extremely disappointed when you gobbled up some food, expecting a change of clothes, but then nothing happened except a speed boost. To see which characters can change outfits, look at the map. While on the map, you can also select a character to see which outfits for that character you have unlocked.

2. Grabbing Food with Two Items Equipped

Speaking of that food, you also need to be careful about when you grab it. The game treats food like any other item, and you can only carry two items at a time. If you try to grab food when you already have two items equipped, you can’t pick it up. When you’re in the heat of a race, it can be difficult to make sure you’ve got room for the food, especially since you want the items so you can use them to get ahead in the race. You might want to concentrate on unlocking outfits in Free Roam Mode instead of during races.

3. Not Turning the Guide Off in Photo Mode

Free Roam Mode has a fun Photo Mode, where you can take pictures of yourself in interesting spots, using a variety of poses and facial expressions. However, the mode puts a guide in front of the screen, telling you which buttons control which photo aspects. If you don’t turn the guide off, the guide will show up in your photos, covering your masterpiece shots. Press A to turn the guide off before snapping your photos.

4. Wasting the Super Horn

This is a mistake you can make not just in Mario Kart World, but in other Mario Kart games. The Super Horn is an awesome item that lets you flip over nearby racers or block incoming shells. However, if you use it when no other racers are nearby and no items are flying at you, you waste it. You need to wait until you’re in close range of another racer or two. Once you’re close enough, give the Super Horn a blare and watch your competitor tumble over.

5. Not Restarting P-Switch Challenges On Time

The P-Switch challenges scattered throughout Free Roam Mode are great fun, but they can be quite difficult. You will inevitably fail some of them. When you fail, you can press the left thumbstick to retry the challenge, but you only get a few seconds to do so. If you don’t press the thumbstick within the allotted time, you have to manually drive back to the P-Switch to retry the challenge. Some of the challenges will have you drive a fair distance away from the P-Switch, so finding it again can be a chore. Make sure you press the thumbstick in time.

Conclusion

If you made any of these mistakes when you first started Mario Kart World, don’t beat yourself up. Starting a new game means learning the ins and outs of the game, and we all have to learn a game before we can master it. The great thing about Mario Kart World is that it’s an accessible game. When you mess up, you can always try again.