After months of anticipation and speculation, the Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been unveiled to the world, alongside a brand-new entry in the Mario Kart series. The game was heavily speculated on prior to its announcement, in part due to the length of time since Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was released, making the series long overdue for a new entry. While it's currently unclear precisely when players will get their hands on the new Mario Kart, the announcement has inevitably created huge excitement among players.

Very little of the new Mario Kart game was actually shown during the Switch 2 announcement trailer, with a full reveal likely to occur during the Nintendo Direct that will be broadcast in April. That being said, the few glimpses that were shown will give players at least some idea of what to expect from the new entry. More specifically, the Switch 2 announcement trailer showcases one major change to the new Mario Kart that's not only a step in the right direction for the game itself, but for the Super Mario franchise as a whole.

The New Mario Kart Has A Unique Art Style

It's A Stark Contrast To Previous Entries

The new Mario Kart game has been given a major overhaul to its art style. The few seconds of gameplay give players a look at the many changes made to the game's art direction, especially with its character models. For example, Mario himself has more exaggerated features that make the character look far more expressive. The footage seems to suggest that the new Mario Kart game is going for a much more stylized, cartoonish direction, a stark contrast to previous entries which adopted the default models seen throughout several Mario titles and promotional material.

This change in art style is a huge benefit to the new Mario Kart, helping the title to stand out within the series. While the Mario Kart series has always excelled with its incredible track design and variety of game-altering mechanics, many of the most recent entries fail to push its art direction beyond the generic designs players are most accustomed to. Not only does this new art style help to set the new Mario Kart apart, but the more expressive direction perfectly compliments the fun-filled, fast-paced chaos that the series is best known for.

This is not the only recent example of Nintendo taking a unique art direction for a Mario game. Super Mario Bros. Wonder adopted a more expressive and vivid art style, with a variety of bold colors and character animations that added to the game's overall charm and personality, setting it apart from the monotonous style of the New Super Mario Bros. series. With the success and accolades that Wonder received, Nintendo could be starting to take a less ive approach to the art direction of future Mario titles, starting with the new Mario Kart.

Future Mario Games Should Be Given Their Own Art Style

The Mario Series Is In Need Of More Visual Variety

This new approach to visuals would be a major improvement to a common weak point in the Mario franchise. Multiple mainline Mario entries and spin-offs released in the last several years have adopted the same visual art style that, while generally pleasing to look at, doesn't allow each title to stand out. This reluctance to take a different direction denies many of these titles the opportunity to achieve the same joy and creativity in its overall presentation that's demonstrated through its gameplay, resulting in a multitude of Mario games that look bland and uninspired as a result.

The recent Mario & Luigi: Brothership RPG is another example of a bold art style for the franchise.

This is the reason the new Mario Kart's unique art style is a step in the right direction. Not only does its original presentation set the game apart from the rest of the Mario Kart series, but it could be the wake-up call that the Mario franchise has desperately needed. Both this title and Wonder could serve as proof of how an entirely original art style can add to the game's overall atmosphere and identity, opening the door for future Mario games to take the same approach.

Source: Nintendo of America/YouTube