Mario Kart World And DK Bananza Are Genre- And Franchise-Defining, Nintendo Says

Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza are genre- and franchise-defining moments in each of their series, according to Nintendo's Bill Trinen. He told GameSpot in a recent interview that these games were purposefully designed to show off what the Switch 2 is capable of, and they are marquee titles in helping to promote the console.

"Hopefully people are also seeing that with games like Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bonanza, these are sort of genre-defining or franchise-defining moments for each of these games that really take advantage of the uniqueness of the Nintendo Switch 2 hardware," he said. "And for me, they really feel like, whether you are a Nintendo fan or a video game fan or even a video game developer who makes your own games, each of those games to me feels like something that you really can't miss. These are must-play games for you to experience what Nintendo is doing next."

Mario Kart World represents a "philosophical" change to the Mario Kart formula, Trinen added, in part because the courses in the game are interconnected. Whereas previous Mario Kart games had discrete courses, Mario Kart world allows players, in certain modes, to go offroad and drive across the continent of courses, zipping from one course to the next. Mario Kart World also supports up to 24 players on a given track, which is the most for the series. Nintendo will showcase Mario Kart World during a dedicated Nintendo Direct on April 17, which is when Nintendo claims it will demonstrate why the game costs $80.

As for DK Bananza, the action-adventure game takes place underground, with DK smashing and pounding everything in his way to go deeper and deeper down. The story follows the evil VoidCo stealing bananas, with DK forced to go underground to get them back. DK travels through the underground areas with "a new friend," a purple golem creature that Nintendo has yet to give a name to or explain how its introduction changes things up from a gameplay perspective. Presumably more details will come in time.

Switch 2 Is "Really The Next System For You"

Trinen said this as part of his overall pitch as to why the Switch 2 is a worthy upgrade over the original Switch. This is top of mind for many, as the Wii was followed up by the poorly received Wii U, so many are wondering if the Switch 2 might lend itself to a similar situation.

Of course, Trinen doesn't think so. He told us that the Switch 2 is "really the successor to the Nintendo Switch," noting that it takes what people enjoyed about the first console "and then it builds on that."

"We've built the hardware from the ground up, we've designed the Joy-Con fresh from the ground up; we've added new features; there's new capabilities, which means it's going to have its own exclusive software," he said. "But the fact that it's also able to play a lot of the Nintendo Switch software, it's able to leverage a lot of the Nintendo Switch accessories and things like that."

The Switch 2 also carries forward the Nintendo Account system, and this was an intentional choice Nintendo made to help the entire userbase of 150 million+ Switch owners that the Switch 2 is "really the next system for you."

Mario Kart World is a launch title for the Switch 2, landing on June 5 alongside the system. DK Bananza, meanwhile, is releasing in July. Mario Kart World is Nintendo's first $80 game, while Bananza sells for $70.

As for the Switch 2, it's priced at $450 or $500 with Mario Kart World bundled in. These prices could rise, however, as Nintendo is evaluating the effect of US President Donald Trump's controversial tariff plans.