Nintendo has released an update for Mario Kart World which adds various new features and tweaks.
The most notable of these for some players will be the decision to dial down the game’s difficulty by making its AI opponents easier, with Mario Kart World [99 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/games/super-mario-games/mario-kart-world/”>Mario Kart World is particularly difficult in Grand Prix and Knockout Tour mode, with aggressive opponent AI making it hard to get three-star ratings for each trophy. The new update should make this easier to achieve.
Other changes made in the Version 1.2.0 patch include the ability to play VS Race matches with only Mushrooms as items, the ability to view replays of downloaded Time Trial ghosts, the ability to choose who to watch when spectating in online Knockout Tour races, and the ability to now see the waiting time before the next race starts in online, wireless or LAN play.
Players who have complained that the game’s Free Roam mode doesn’t make it clear when everything’s been collected may also be somewhat happier, as now when players collect all the P Question [31 articles]” href=”https://www.videogameschronicle.com/companies/question/”>Question Panels or Peach Medallions in Free Roam the total number they have collected will change colour, to denote that they have them all. It still doesn’t mark their locations on the map, however.
Players who prefer the standard three-lap races to the ‘intermission’ races have also been catered for, with VS Race and wireless races now increasing the frequency of these races appearing in the potential options when choosing the next race.
The full list of new additions is as follows:
- In the “VS Race” of “Single Player”, added “No COM” to the COM rules.
- In the “VS Race” of “Single Player” and “Multiplayer”, added “Mushrooms only” to the item rules.
- You can now choose “View Replay” after downloading ghost data in “Time Trials”.
- You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in “Knockout Tour” and “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
- You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
- When using CameraPlay in “Multiplayer” and “Online Play”, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game.
- If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings.
- On the “Free Roam” map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.
- Made COM weaker in everything other than “Battle”.
- Made homing of Boomerang weaker.
- Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
- Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
- Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving.
- Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels.
- Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in “VS Race” and wireless races.
The entire list of patch notes, which includes 32 bug fixes, can be found on the official Nintendo support site.
VGC’s Mario Kart World review said that while the game’s open world feels somewhat undercooked, the core Mario Kart racing remains as entertaining as ever.
“Despite its new open world gimmickry, Mario Kart World is at its best when it’s doing what the series has always done,” we wrote. “Choose Grand Prix, VS Race or online multiplayer and the game is up there with the very best in the series’ history, and while the highway racing and wider tracks may not be to everybody’s tastes, the move to 24 racers only adds to the carnage that the Mario Kart series is loved for.”
