Free Roam with the missions looks pretty fun. I can definitely see myself driving around for hours finding and completing all the missions.
But, why not do the bare minimum needed to turn it into a basic "Adventure" mode? Just:
- Add an intro cinematic where Bowser hides all the "Kart Koins" in the world or something
- Add some super basic progression like unlocking the world slowly or earning costume / kart unlocks
- [Bonus] Add some NPCs next to some missions asking for help with their stolen koins (*see edit)
and just like that, you've got yourself an ⛰️ Adventure ✨, baby! People woulda been hyped! I'm not talking something as in depth as Diddy Kong Racing's single player – which featured a hub world, boss races, and extra challenges – just the minimum required to frame this empty Free Roam mode something more.
Nintendo has done this before. See the story mode in Super Mario Maker 2, or Mario Galaxy 2. Both games' single play modes are basically just a stage select screen – but with the just enough set dressing needed to call it a "Story".
I personally don't mind too much because the gameplay's the gameplay. But, I'm honestly just kind of baffled at the missed opportunity here. Seems like it would have been a relatively small amount of effort but earned a huge amount of hype. Oh well, what do I know.
Edit: /u/Live-Ad3309 pointed out that at 19:28 of Treehouse gameplay from Nintendo you can see characters on the map that perhaps you can interact with. These may just be other players in multiplayer, but maybe they're something more?
by Fredifrum
26 Comments
I mean how do you know it doesn’t have something like that? The game isn’t even out yet.
That’s how they justify 80$
Could’ve made it a CaRPG like the Road Trip/ChoroQ/Gadget Racers games
Yeah…. I think we all are. What I saw of the free roam doesn’t justify the price increase imho.
I get what you’re saying but I think we also have to look at how people play Mario Kart, usually when I first play it’s with friends and we just want to jump into a race ASAP . A campaign sounds neat but I think the vast majority are going to want to just jump into a race or the Open World ASAP and personally I think there is so much to do in this game the hands-off approach is probably for the best.
I miss Diddy Kong Racing, but I’m excited to play MK World
Maybe they don’t think it’s necessary and the gameplay loop itself will be entertaining enough without a 2 minute cutscene giving me a reason why I’m driving as a goomba. It’s Mario kart man it doesn’t need lore
I really really thought they would say today you can “free roam” in the all new adventure mode! Explore the world unlock new islands, tracks and characters. Take down bosses to uncover new mysteries. Complete hundreds of secret challenges for endless adventures.
Having free roam to take pictures and grab useless coins is not hyping anyone for this.
They really would have had people like ok I guess I can swallow the $80 and it looks so awesome I am getting the launch bundle day one and am saving $30. Problems solved.
Instead I feel it’s gotten worse.
i have a feeling they didnt add a story because they wanted to market the mode as just “having casual fun”. adding a story like that promotes a different kind of feel for the mode, which they most likely wanted to avoid given how mych theyve been promoting stuff like the picture taking and leisure driving.
so to me its less “missed opportunity” and more “we wanted this game mode to be just a casual romp through the cow farm with no overarching purpose”
I really wish they would let some of the story driven creators at Nintendo come through on these games to enrich them. To your point, it’s not like it would compromise the gameplay or be a significant effort.
Thinking about games that actually tried, like Super Smash Brothers Brawl actually going 100% on the single player story was SOOOOO good. You can tell someone with vision actually was able to push for the culmination of what N64 and Melee were building towards. And then, despite being well-received by fans, they went to really shallow, mediocre storytelling in the next two releases.
I’m sure Mario Kart Forza will be fun, but agree with you that it would have been so cool if they added an adventure (even a light touch one.)
I wanted a Mario kart with a Diddy Kong racing feel. And once again, I’m disappointed
I would have liked to see a career mode. Basically a Mario version of Gran Turismo
I think for Nintendo they seemed to model this a bit after the Burnout franchise (Paradise in particular). Whether that’s coincidence or not, I’m not sure. I wouldn’t doubt they’ll get to the story mode eventually down the line, whether through dlc or a sequel but it will depend on how well this does probably.
I just want Nintendo to give us either a new Diddy Kong Racing or a full remake of the original. Oh and give us a new F-Zero while they’re at it!
Adventure would be fun, especially for the single lonely players out there like myself 😭. But I think they didn’t do that because they wanted free roam to just be you freely roaming the area and doing whatever you wanted.
Think of this, you’re playing knock out and get hit by a blue shell. Instead of finishing first and going to the next track, you go down to fourth, only for a red shell to come and then someone runs you over. So you go from first, to fourth to 10 and you get knocked out.
Instead of raging, you switch to free roam and just calm down without any stress of trying to complete a story or racing anyone to unlock more areas.
They did add other things you can do in free roam, and I’m assuming that there are more to come. So we’ll see. But I think they wanted free roam to be the stress free alternative to knock out.
I was expecting something like this to be announced today and I would be surprised if there is anything more robust than what was showed. Though I do remember when TOTK came out, reading the IGN reviewer’s amazement that Nintendo managed to keep a lid on the Depths during the whole run up to release, so it’s not unprecedented that there might be something big they haven’t revealed
They haven’t really clarified those Peach coins and what they’ll be used for right?
I was definitely ‘whelmed watching the direct. I did play the game at the experience this past weekend and it felt amazing, so I’m still 100% all in. But i’ve been holding out thinking “there’s going to be some story mode that takes advantage of all this open world space” – but who knows.
I’m also curious how they’ll inevitably add more courses in future booster packs. Obviously it’s not the thing you bring up at launch, so as not to detract, but other than them just having their own traditional Cups, i’m not sure they’d integrate them in any seamless way.
Honestly I don’t understand the distinction between what we’ve seen and what people want Nintendo to copy from Diddy Kong Racing. Is a handful of cutscenes and a bunch of McGuffins really the line between “Wow this open world is so boring and empty” and “OMG it’s just like Diddy Kong Racing! I love it!”?
They teased Rainbow Road being the end goal, so I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re just hiding a rudimentary “Race to become champion” story and interactive NPCs to talk to. The real question is why are they hiding it when they really need to sell people on this $80 release.
I’m picturing *Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4* with NPC’s. “Hey, it’s your pal Bam. Anyway, can you go collect the 5 SKATE I mean MARIO letters? Also there’s a secret tape hidden on the level. What do you mean you don’t know what a tape is??”
Yeah I was kinda disappointed as well, but then I remembered games like the last Mario Tennis and Mario Golf games. I played through the story modes once both, and they were kinda intriguing at first, but in the end they just kinda… drag on. You play thru them once, and never return.
These kind of things always seem to get gamers hyped online, but not sure if there’s really huge value in them in the end.
Haven’t played Diddy Kong Racing though, have to admit.
I wanted a free-roam race where you can pin locations anywhere on the map then race towards those locations without the restriction of getting stopped by lakitu.
This is going to be in Super Mario Kart World 2 😛
Yeah, just calling it free roam makes it a lot less exciting for most people, making it come off as a side mode that’s not worth paying attention to despite Amy actual details
Imagine a Mario Kart + Forza Horizon = Awesome
I totally agree. A little more atmosphere and progression would have made Free Roam epic without so much effort. With just a simple cinematic, gradual unlocks, and a few NPCs asking for help, it would have felt more like a real adventure.
It’s strange that Nintendo, which usually adds that magic touch to everything, didn’t do it here. I wish those characters on the map were more than just players, but I’m not getting my hopes up. The mode still looks fun, but yeah, it was a missed opportunity.
I was really hoping for a surprise that you can get out of cars and walk around and that there would be a gta style story mode.