No customization for the outfits is the game team's biggest mistake in the outfit category. Why are the outfits locked as full sets? Why are there games out there like Monster Hunter Wilds, Tekken 8, even Mario Strikers Battle League, which all have customizable outfits ranging from adequate to awe-inspiring? And yet Mariokart- arguably the most popular gaming franchise- has developers that cannot integrate this? What frustrates me the most is the team ditched the idea of an in-game store. That could've opened opportunities for outfit parts. Better yet, outfit parts could have been collectibles in the open world. Instead, the developers focused on "dash" food items (nothing more than a copycat of the mushroom items) and limited customization to stickers on the vehicles. In other words, the team traded "engaging fun" for "useless gimmicks." Nintendo, remind me again why this game is โworthโ $80 USDโฆ
I really wanted to enjoy this game, and I really wanted to enjoy the outfits. But the fact is, this Mariokart game team ruined my main (Bowser), reduced his outfits to some lackluster options when he deserved more outfits than others (still can't believe the team's horribly biased outfit distribution among the roster), and robbed me of any way to customize the outfits to what I prefer. This alone killed my hype for this game (not to mention the plenty of other flaws not included in this review). Now Iโll be avoiding all lunch item bags at all costs. Of course, if the developers somehow managed to add outfits (that are designed well) in future updates- or better yet, give me the option to customize my outfits- my rating for this game would definitely be higher. Unfortunately, Nintendo has not been the best at communication as of late, so for now, I'm afraid my final thoughts of this game are this:
This Mariokart teamโs 8 years of work have only shown their incompetence with design decisions and their wastefulness of what could have- and should have- been a great mix to the franchise formula. That said, I challenge the team to prove me wrong. Make outfit customization an option, or at the very least, implement it in the next mainline Mariokart game.
Post 06/25 update: Sadly, Nintendo and the developers have made their position very clear that they do not care about their audience or the people they use to voice the characters. Their stupidity- let's face it; they have handled this game very immaturely- has made me lose respect for Sato, Ishikawa, Jikumaru, and their entire team. News flash, Nintendo: Stupid and Stubborn are not a great combination to keep the reputation of a franchise alive and thriving. If something doesn't bode well with your audience, you don't place them on chokehold and shove "your" way down their throats. At least, that's not what an honorable company would do. You really are becoming Disney-in all the worst ways.