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6 days ago
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You'll never look at Free Roam the same way again
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Mario Kart World is a fun racing game, but did you know that it's also an intense 3D platformer? The Nintendo Switch 2 game got a surprising speedrun showcase during this year's Awesome Games Done Quick stream, which showed off just how much depth there is to the movement.
Awesome Games Done Quick is an annual charity event where speedrunners come together to play games as fast as possible. This year's show, which is currently running and raising money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, features several of 2025's biggest games including Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and Hollow Knight: Silksong. Mario Kart World also entered the mix on Monday night with a run based around the game's open-world Free Roam mode.
Rather than finishing races as fast as possible, speedrunner Helix showed off a category dubbed "All ? Panels." In it, players must activate every single question mark block in Mario Kart World's Free Roam mode — a task that's possible to complete in under 30 minutes with clever routing and a mastery of World's various movement tricks.
The fast-paced run is a thrill to watch. In addition to chaining grinds, wallrides, and jumps, Helix employs more niche tricks like "object boosting," which allows players to boost off of objects like telephone poles by performing a trick near them. The rewind function is key to the speedrun too, as Helix uses it to quickly back up and reroute after driving over a panel. The most fun little revelation? If you're driving towards a ? Panel and you warp to another part of the map, you'll still get credit for driving over it even if you warped before driving over it.
The run puts Mario Kart World's polarizing Free Roam in a new light. While the mode was criticized at launch for its empty open-world that was devoid of activities, Helix turns the map into a full-on skatepark. You get to see every single track torn apart as she reaches rooftops and other areas that seem inaccessible with clever movement. Dare I say that it confirms that Mario Kart World is secretly a 3D Mario platformer? Watch for yourself and decide.
Awesome Games Done Quick will conclude on Sunday, Jan. 11. You can watch it live on Games Done Quick's Twitch channel, and catch up on runs you missed via YouTube.
English (US) ·