Nintendo Patents Watch

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Knowledge-based discourse

“Fun to Drive in a Straight Line”

Two days ago I wrote about some Mario Kart World patents—jumping, skating, landing, and boosting. Here you can see them in action:

The goal, as Shintaro Jikumaru said in Ask the Developer, is to “make it fun to drive in a straight line”.

Q: Make it fun to drive in a straight line? How did you approach that? Jikumaru: For example, when going from point A to point B, we tried placing lots of bends along the way like we always do. But with too many bends, you lose sight of your destination. Then your goal of traveling from point A to point B becomes more difficult. That said, driving for ages down a straight road isn't much fun either. So, we figured what we were lacking was some kind of gameplay mechanic for straight roads, and that's where the idea for some of the game's new elements, such as Rail Ride and Wall Ride, came from. The development team collectively referred to these new features as "tricks."

[Originally posted on 2025-05-25 Pacific Time]