Over a year after its release alongside the Nintendo Switch 2, Mario Kart World’s Knockout Tour, the Mario Kart Battle Royale mode, is seeing an update.
During the night, Nintendo launched Ver. 1.7.0 for Mario Kart World, which introduces two new routes in Knockout Tour, as well as new stickers for the game’s Photo Mode.
The first new route is Drift Rally, a route that connects Wario Shipyard to Bowser’s Castle. The course will take you through the following circuits:
- Wario Shipyard
- DK Pass
- Dandelion Depths
- SNES Mario Circuit 5
- Dry Bones Burnout
- Bowser’s Castle
Next is Boomerrang Rally, starting at the Salty Salty Speedway and finishing at Whistlestop Summit. Here’s a quick rundown of the entire route.
- Salty Salty Speedway
- Autumn Ninja Hideaway
- Moo Moo Meadows
- Choco Mountain
- Mario Bros. Circuit
- Whistletop Summit
‘Mario Kart World’ arguably still falls short of ‘Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’
Despite being a launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, as well as being the first new Mario Kart since the wildly successful Mario Kart 8, you can’t help but feel like Mario Kart World has been somewhat of a disappointment.
That’s not to say it’s a bad game. Far from it, in fact. There were just several things working against Mario Kart World that quickly added up. First is the fact that it’s, well, not Mario Kart 8, which was always going to put off some people. You can’t improve on perfection, after all.
There’s also the fact that the open world aspect of Mario Kart World feels both underbaked and a massive disappointment. This isn’t the open-world playground that you see in something like Forza Horizon, for example.
Most of all, though, was the $80 price tag Nintendo placed on the game, rubbing so many people the wrong way. Sure, you were able to pick up a Nintendo Switch 2 bundle at launch that included Mario Kart World for only $50, but the damage was done. People saw this as an $80 game and a representation of where the industry is heading. This isn’t exclusively an issue with Mario Kart, either. Grand Theft Auto VI’s $80 price tag is the latest game to receive pushback over its price, with the rising cost of video games becoming more of a sticking point thanks to challenging economic times.
A year later, we’re still waiting for a meaningful post-launch update
While the initial reaction to new Mario Kart World content is positive, there’s also a healthy dose of confusion. Then again, I’d argue that’s par for the course with Nintendo. They’re a company that proudly marches to the beat of their own drum.
Following in the footsteps of the massively popular Mario Kart 8 Deluxe DLC a few years ago, Mario Kart World hasn’t received much in the way of major updates until now. Compare that to Donkey Kong Bananza, which has received quite a few DLC updates since its launch last year, and you can understand why Mario Kart fans are both frustrated and perplexed.
There are two changes in particular that are both highly requested and would be well received. First is the ability to race in more traditional Grand Prix races where you’ll perform three laps on the same track, rather than venture through the open world. Yes, this goes against the spirit of Mario Kart World, but Knockout Tour is still doing an excellent job of taking advantage of said open world.
Speaking of Knockout Tour, the ability to create your own custom routes in the mode is still something I, along with many other fans, would love to see. Perhaps the latest update is a sign that the team is still working behind the scenes. After all, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLC didn’t come until several years after the game launched on the Nintendo Switch.
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