Nintendo has released a substantial new update for Mario Kart World, which suddenly makes finding all the free roam collectibles an enticing proposition.
Mario Kart World is one of the best kart racers ever, but it is loaded with questionable design decisions which could easily be fixed via patches… and now some of them have been.
There have been a handful of updates since the game launched alongside the Switch 2 in June, but these have either added minor improvements or exacerbated some of the problems – like making traditional three lap races less frequent in random online matches.
However, Nintendo has come through with the latest update, by adding several quality of life improvements which really should have been included from the start.
There are several key changes in update 1.3.0, which is available now. The first is you can now join friends in online matchmaking in Knockout Tour, something which has been bizarrely absent up until now.
Some of the most drastic alterations relate to free roam mode. Firstly, the map now displays the locations of P Switches you’ve run over and Peach Medallions you’ve obtained, so you can now realistically gather all the collectibles without needing expert orienteering skills.
Better yet, you can select a P Switch you’ve run over from the map and teleport instantly to it – so you don’t have to aimlessly backtrack. Those who have managed to collect everything have already posted their completed maps, so you can cross reference with ease.
Expert, exclusive gaming analysis
Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.
Mario Kart World 1.3.0 Update: everything that’s changed
- You can now join friends playing “Knockout Tour” by selecting “Friends” from “Online Play” “1p.”
- Up to two players can now play “Free Roam” while waiting if the game was full when trying to join friends playing “Race,” “Knockout Tour” or “Battle” in “Online Play.”
- The “Free Roam” map now displays the locations of P Switches you’ve run over and Peach Medallions you’ve obtained.
- You can now select a P Switch from the map and move to a location near the P Switch.
- In “Free Roam”, you can now transform into the character pulled into the UFO. (If “Dash Food” in “Settings/Controller” is set to “Doesn’t transform” then you will not transform).
- It is now easier to encounter UFOs in “Free Roam.”
- The conditions for the appearance of some Peach Medallions in “Free Roam” have been adjusted.
- When spectating in “Knockout Tour” or “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play” or “Wireless Play”, you can now choose who to watch, even if you are holding the Joy-Con 2 or Joy-Con horizontally.
- Decreased the time between when an item box is taken by someone and the next time it is revived.
- Increased the invincible time after spinning or crashing during a race.
- Reduced the force of jumps when landing on a rival from above.
- Decreased the amount of time between when you finish and when spectating begins in “Knockout Tour” or “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play” or “Wireless Play.”
- Decreased the amount of time between passing through the checkpoint and when the ranking is displayed in “Knockout Tour” in “Wireless Play” and “LAN Play.”
- Further increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in “VS Race” and wireless races.
The frequency of lap type courses in the track selection has been further increased, and while the patch notes state this only applies to Vs Race and wireless races, players are reporting it has bumped up their frequency in online matches too.
Other additions include the ability to unlock characters in free roam by sucking them up using the UFO, while the invincibility window after spinning or crashing has been increased, which might go some way to reducing the chaotic frustration.
There’s still no sign of any DLC for Mario Kart World, a soundtrack jukebox, or the option to create your own routes through the open world, but it’s nevertheless a welcome update, that rectifies some of the biggest complaints.
Perhaps not-so coincidentally, this update arrives just a few days prior to the launch of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds on September 25. The kart racer is a worthy alternative to Mario Kart World, even if it doesn’t quite reach the same heights.
Email gamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter.
To submit Inbox letters and Reader’s Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here.
For more stories like this, check our Gaming page.
