Two new types of tricks have been introduced to Mario Kart World, namely Rail Ride and Wall Ride. These tricks allow players to ride on power lines and rails, as well as vertical walls.

In the latest Mario Kart World developer interview, Nintendo developers revealed that Rail Ride and Wall Ride were conceived to make driving down a straight road much more fun and allowing players to use their imagination. It also seems that these tricks were inspired by real world extreme sports, such as skateboarding and BMX.

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.”

Yabuki: If everywhere’s just straight roads, it’s going to feel the same no matter where you drive.

Jikumaru: With such a vast world, we thought it’d be a shame if you were just driving in a straight line the whole time. Then, we found a hint from a book that said, “Skateboards create infinite possibilities in a city with just a single piece of wood.” Tricks can open up a multitude of driving possibilities for just a single wall or dirt track. We thought it would be fun to be able to drive in completely different ways just based on the player’s imagination, so we made the gameplay more varied. For tricks like Rail Ride and the Wall Ride, we referenced extreme sports like skateboarding, snowboarding, and BMX.

Yabuki: I think these tricks will really give players a chance to use their imagination as they come up with ideas like “I’m gonna drive up that wall,” “Let me use that pillar,” or “Can I ride that guard rail or power line?”

What do you think? Let us know in the comments.