Nintendo has pushed out a substantial patch for Mario Kart World on Switch 2, introducing two new rally routes to the game's Knockout Tour mode alongside a raft of gameplay tweaks and bug fixes.
The 1.7.0 update, which arrived June 30, adds Drill Rally and Boomerang Rally as selectable options within Knockout Tour. Drill Rally strings together Wario Shipyard and Bowser's Castle, while Boomerang Rally connects Salty Salty Speedway to Whistlestop Summit. Players who have cleared at least one Knockout Tour rally can now access these new groupings.
These aren't traditional new tracks in the traditional sense. Instead, they represent fresh routing arrangements that shuffle players through six existing courses per rally, challenging them to avoid elimination as they progress. The addition gives returning players fresh objectives to pursue, particularly those hunting for additional gold trophies.
A year since launch, the call for entirely new courses and characters remains unmet. Nintendo's acknowledgment that more Knockout Tour routes are coming in future updates suggests the publisher remains committed to expanding the mode, even if major new content additions continue to elude players.
Beyond the new rallies, this patch modernizes the Photo Mode experience. Players can now apply stickers from their collected inventory directly onto pictures, with support for both touch and mouse controls. The update also introduced Thai language support and added a ramp to the course connecting Airship Fortress to Bowser's Castle.
The balance adjustments span character performance and item mechanics. Nintendo raised acceleration performance for characters and vehicles that lagged in this category, boosted gliding speeds for select characters, and tweaked how players acquire items from boxes during races and tours. Recovery mechanics also shifted, allowing players to immediately hop after hits from Kamek's magic or Bullet Bill impacts.
Slipstream handling received refinement as well. Players can now cancel a slipstream by braking before it activates, offering more control in competitive situations. Jump Boost timing from controller shaking on water-based sections was adjusted to prevent unintended triggers, and the dash duration after landing on rivals increased.
The patch addresses dozens of reported issues affecting gameplay stability and course integrity. Fixes target everything from Time Trial timing errors and gliding speed degradation after crashes to collision problems involving environmental hazards and vehicles. Several courses saw corrections to prevent players from falling off unintentionally or slipping through solid geometry in locations like Bowser's Castle and Dandelion Depths.
Item behavior received attention as well. The Bob-omb now travels the intended distance when thrown from Standard Bikes and the W-Twin Chopper. Spiny Shell interactions were corrected to prevent breaking gold blocks or broadcast vans. The Super Horn visibility was also enhanced so rivals can see when an opponent is holding the power item.
While the update won't satisfy those hungry for entirely fresh character rosters and vehicle options, it demonstrates Nintendo's willingness to sustain the game with meaningful improvements and expanded replay value in existing content. The question now is how quickly those promised future Knockout Tour routes will materialize.
Author Emily Chen: "A year out and Mario Kart World still can't deliver what players actually want, but these rally routes show Nintendo isn't phoning it in."
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