If there’s one thing about Mario Kart that’s been consistent for decades, it’s that you rarely have to relearn the controls for each game. One button accelerates, another breaks, and then you have buttons to drift and use items. New features and obstacles have been introduced, of course, but the fundamentals remain the same. Even the new features in Mario Kart World, such as Rail Riding, feel like extensions of the game’s core control that barely need any explanation.
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Honestly, I’d say this is a reason that Mario Kart as a series is so universally appealing! However, unless you were too busy watching Nintendo Directs or haven’t looked at the in-game manual on the main menu, you’ve probably been sleeping on a really neat tool that Mario Kart World added to your driving repertoire. In light of this, let’s take a look at what the new Rewind command does, as well as how to use it to significantly improve the single player experience.
What does Rewind do?
On the surface, Rewind sounds pretty simple. As long as you’re playing single-player in Mario Kart World, you can tap the down button on the D-Pad and reset your driver’s position to where they were a couple seconds ago. Hold down the button and your driver will Rewind even further back in time. Straightforward, right?
Well, there are a few nuances to how exactly Rewind works—The Dry Bones is in the details, as they say. For instance, Rewind doesn’t rewind the entire game when it’s used, just your driver’s position. So if you’re first in a race and you get hit by a red shell that knocks you into 24th place, you’ll still be in 24th even after using Rewind. In fact, you’ll be even worse off, as Rewind will just make your opponents’ leads even greater.
Rewind will also generally maintain your driver’s momentum from the moment you pressed Rewind, as opposed to resetting it to whatever state your driver was in at the point you Rewind to. To put that in simple terms, if you were going top speed and got hit with a red shell, you’ll still have to accelerate to reach top speed again even if you go back to the moment before you were hit with the shell. Conversely, if you were at your driver’s top speed at the time you press Rewind, you’ll be going just as fast as you were before hitting the Rewind button.
Just keep in mind that Rewind is completely incompatible with Drifting. You can’t initiate a Rewind during a Drift, and you can’t rewind into a Drift either. If you’re in the middle of a race, make sure to think twice about using Rewind if you just finished turning a sharp corner.
How to best use Rewind in Mario Kart World
This is starting to sound like a list of inconveniences. You might be wondering exactly how Rewind can realistically help you out in Mario Kart World. While this isn’t all-inclusive, there are two use cases where using Rewind can save you a lot of time and frustration.
The first and most obvious use of Rewind is in Free Roam mode. There are several “?” Panels and Peach Medallions that require tricky jumps to reach, and setting those maneuvers up can take time. Normally, failing a huge leap means repeating all that driving around to return to your original vantage point. By using Rewind, you can easily undo your mistake and give it another shot in seconds. Rewind is equally helpful when you accidentally fall from a high place in a map that’d normally take a handful of minutes to return to!
The second reason you might want to Rewind is that it can make you impervious to Blue Shells. That’s right, as long as you’re in the middle of the Rewind animation, items and other racers can’t hurt you until it’s over. So when a Blue Shell is hanging over your head, a well-timed Rewind will completely circumvent the blast and preserve whatever item you were holding onto at the time.
You of course will still lose ground because of the way Rewind inherently works, and a Rewind after you get hit won’t do anything for you. Still, if you’ve hit your top speed and you’re on a straightaway, a quick Rewind won’t set you back as much as letting a shell smack you.
This isn’t all-inclusive of how Rewind can help, but once you realize these tricks exist, you’ll learn to really love this button. And if you’re in the market of saving time and potential frustration, make sure to learn how to AFK your way into unlocking every vehicle in Mario Kart World as well. Just remember that you can’t Rewind when you’re racing online!
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