New Mario Kart World update adds Bob-omb Blast and makes several pleasing changes
It’s time to jump back on Mario Kart World
💣 The new Ver. 1.6.0 update introduces Bob-omb Blast, a battle mode where all items are Bob-ombs, and players aim to pop opponents’ balloons
💨 The Bullet Bill item has been improved with increased lateral movement, speed on certain courses, and easier shortcut usage
🪃 The Boomerang item has been nerfed, featuring a reduced range and fewer consecutive throws allowed
‼️ New warnings are displayed when items like Red or Spiny Shells are approaching from behind in Single Player/Online/Wireless Play
Nintendo has released a new Mario Kart World update that adds a new mode and also makes several pleasing improvements to the game.
Ver. 1.6.0 of Mario Kart World adds another way to battle with Bob-omb Blast, a mode that previously leaked ahead of MAR10 Day. In Bob-omb Blast, you’ll need to pop your opponents’ balloons while protecting your own. However, all the items are Bob-ombs.
You can carry up to 10 Bob-ombs at a time, and the new update means one of three modes will now be randomly selected when playing Battle mode online: Balloon Battle, Coin Runners, and Bob-omb Blast.
Nintendo has also adjusted the performance of the Bullet Bill item. It now has an increased range of lateral movement and is faster during certain courses. It’ll also be easier to follow a shortcut route immediately after using a Bullet Bill.
The Boomerang power-up has also thankfully been nerfed. It’ll now have a reduced range and the number of consecutive throws allowed has been reduced.
Another pleasing change as part of the new Mario Kart World update is that, when playing Single Player during Online Play and Wireless Play, you’ll now see two warnings when items like Red Shells or Spiny Shells come from behind.
You can check out the full list of fixes and improvements below:
General
Added Bob-omb Blast as a Battle mode.
You can have up to 10 Bob-ombs on hand at a time.
The distance Bob-ombs can be thrown depends on how long you hold the L Button.
Adjusted the performance of Bullet Bill.
Increased their range of lateral movement.
It is now easier to follow a shortcut route immediately after using Bullet Bill.
Increased Bullet Bill’s speed on parts of the Bowser’s Castle, Starview Peak, and Rainbow Road courses.
Adjusted the performance of the boomerang.
Reduced the boomerang’s range.
Reduced the number of consecutive throws allowed.
Adjusted the probability of items that can be obtained from item boxes during races.
Adjusted the invincibility time after spinning or crashing during a race so that it varies depending on the character and vehicle.
The heavier the weight, the longer the invincibility time.
Made it so that you won’t get crushed by things, such as Thwomps, while spinning or crashing.
It is now possible to be hit by lightning and Spiny Shells immediately after being crushed by things, such as Thwomps.
Made it so that things like Bob-ombs and Bananas don’t bounce on top of the vines of Ivy Piranha Plants.
When playing Single Player or 1p during Online Play and Wireless Play, up to two warnings will be displayed when items like Red Shells or Spiny Shells come from behind.
Shortened the time until the roulette stops to determine the course in Online Play and Wireless Play.
Fixed Issues
Fixed an issue where the starting position would sometimes be incorrect.
Fixed an issue where cows and other creatures that appeared through Kamek’s magic would fall through the ground.
Fixed an issue where the display of Wiggler that appeared through Kamek’s magic would sometimes be incorrect.
Fixed an issue where Thwomps or Rocky Wrench would appear in Airship Fortress or in the cannons in the race leading to Airship Fortress.
Fixed an issue where the character would sometimes disappear from view when looking in the rearview mirror after using a Mega Mushroom.
Fixed an issue where you could not return to a point before the Ivy Piranha Plant when using Rewind after transforming into a Bullet Bill.
Fixed an issue where the item slot would not display correctly after using Boo and returning to Free Roam.
Fixed an issue in Knockout Tour where players who passed through a checkpoint after the first-place player had already reached the goal would not be eliminated, even if their rank was outside the predetermined cutoff.
Fixed an issue in Time Trials where the display of stacked tires would sometimes appear incorrectly.
Fixed an issue in Free Roam where a fleeing Nabbit would fall through the ground.
Fixed an issue in Events where scores were not displayed on the results screen during practice.
Fixed an issue where the screen display would sometimes become distorted after selecting Change Character in Free Roam in Online Play.
Fixed an issue in Knockout Tour and Online Play where rankings would sometimes be incorrect after passing through checkpoints.
Fixed an issue where the selected event would disappear when a communication error occurred after selecting Online Play.
Fixed an issue in Online Play and Wireless Play where rivals using Bullet Bill sometimes appeared not to be transformed.
Fixed an issue where the final results were not displayed after spectating in Knockout Tour in Online Play or Wireless Play.
Fixed an issue in Knockout Tour where the player being spectated would not change after that player was eliminated.
Fixed an issue where the gliding distance could be excessively long during the race from Airship Fortress to Dry Bones Burnout.
Fixed an issue where using the Feather while jumping in Shy Guy Bazaar during races from Airship Fortress or Wario Stadium to Shy Guy Bazaar could cause you to go off course.
Fixed an issue where doing a wall ride in Shy Guy Bazaar during races from Airship Fortress or Wario Stadium to Shy Guy Bazaar could cause you to go off course.
Fixed an issue in Bowser’s Castle where players could crash while driving over lava with a Dash Mushroom.
Fixed an issue in Salty Salty Speedway where players would sometimes fall through the ground after being hit by lightning and shrinking.
Fixed an issue when in a battle on DK Pass where you would sometimes not be returned to the course after using a Feather and ending up outside the course.
Fixed an issue where using a Mega Mushroom near the fence in Dino Dino Jungle could cause you to be returned to the course.
Fixed an issue in Koopa Beach where some buoys were buried in the ground.
Fixed an issue in Mario Circuit where using a Mega Mushroom could cause the player to get stuck on a fence.
Fixed an issue in Mario Circuit where players could sometimes be returned to the course when riding on a wall of blocks.
Fixed an issue where players would sometimes be returned to the course when driving along the wall near the starting point of Faraway Oasis.
Fixed an issue where Bloopers sometimes appeared dark in replays of Rainbow Road.
Fixed an issue in Rainbow Road where Spike Balls that appeared through Kamek’s magic would sometimes move erratically.
Fixed an issue where using the Feather to take a shortcut on Rainbow Road could sometimes cause incorrect final rankings.
Fixed an issue where you would sometimes recover too far ahead if you fell off the course while gliding on Rainbow Road.
Time Trials ghosts that have encountered this issue may be removed from View Rankings without notice.
Fixed an issue in the race from Wario Shipyard to Starview Peak where players could sometimes fall off the course while taking a shortcut.
Fixed an issue where using a Mega Mushroom near the fence in Wario Stadium could cause the player to fall off the course.
Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.
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Adam Vjestica is The Shortcut’s Senior Editor. Formerly TechRadar’s Gaming Hardware Editor, Adam has also worked at Nintendo of Europe as a Content Marketing Editor, where he helped launch the Nintendo Switch. He also runs a retro gaming YouTube channel called Game on, boy! Follow him on X @ItsMrProducts.