Summary
DuringNintendo’s dedicatedDirectforMario Kart Worldon theNintendo Switch 2, the inclusion of Rainbow Road and its unlock method was heavily hinted at.
Even though it hasn’t been that long sinceNintendo unveiled the Nintendo Switch 2 and its big launch game, Mario Kart World, that hasn’t stopped it from giving us even more news about the upcoming open-world sequel.Just as Mario Kart World was first announced, it was confirmed that adedicated Direct for the game would debut today, April 17.
That Direct just went live and gave us an even better look at World’s gameplay and all of the changes that it’s making to the tried-and-true formula. One of the big things that the Direct hinted at is Rainbow Road, as there were several allusions to it and even a big hint as to how it gets unlocked.
Mario Kart World Direct Basically Confirms Rainbow Road
As If We Didn’t All Know Already
Towards the start of the Mario Kart World, Nintendo detailed the two main modes for the game - Grand Prix and Knockout Tour. While explaining how Grand Prix works in this iteration of Mario Kart, the Direct nodded towards a “colourful course” that can make an appearance, which was a pretty obvious reference.
As if we needed to spell it out, the “colourful course” is clearly referencing Rainbow Road, which has yet to beofficiallyconfirmed to appear in Mario Kart World. The Direct even seemingly revealed how the track will be unlocked, as it was suggested that completing all of the Grand Prix races and getting their trophies is how you gain access to the iconic location.
The Direct even showed a shot off some stars flying up into the sky after a Grand Prix trophy is unlocked, making it even clearer that the two are linked.
It wasn’t an outright confirmation that completing all of the Grand Prix maps will unlock Rainbow Road, but it certainly seems like what the Direct was hinting at. It’ll be a little weird to start Mario Kart World without having access to its version of Rainbow Road, but we do at least know that it’ll be in the game and playable with some work.
Of course, this won’t come as news to most of us,as the Korean Nintendo website accidentally confirmed that Rainbow Road was in the game shortly after the game was first revealed. That even showed its spot on the map, which will seemingly be where the big star shape is.
