A significant update for Mario Kart World appears to be planned for next week, after an accidental post was swiftly deleted by Nintendo.
Mario Kart World has received several minor updates since it launched last year, but there hasn’t been any substantial new additions or DLC.
The updates so far have improved the free roam mode, online functionality, and some of the intermission tracks, but what players are really waiting for is entirely new modes, characters, and other more sizeable additions.
There have been leaks around potential new characters, but Nintendo seems to have accidentally shown their hand when it comes to a new battle mode variant.
In a now-deleted post about Mario Day events for Mario Kart World, a screenshot shows a different icon for Battle on the menu screen. Instead of just having a balloon and coin icon (for Balloon Battle and Coin Runners) it also has a Bob-omb.
While it isn’t spelled out explicitly, many have interpreted this as a sign of Bob-omb Blast’s return. The mode, where all the item boxes become Bob-ombs, is a chaotic staple which previously featured in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
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The fact Nintendo deleted the post suggests it went up earlier than planned, but the rest of it is pretty innocuous – with details around different online tournaments planned for Mario Day.
The big question is whether this could be tied to a larger update for Mario Kart World. The small number of costumes for Donkey Kong and Pauline, in comparison to the rest of the main cast, is still odd, so it’s possible that Bob-omb Blast is just one of several planned additions.
Mario Day officially takes place next week on Tuesday, March 10, but Nintendo has already put up several promotions to mark the occasion.
There’s a Mario Day sale on the Nintendo eShop until March 15, with discounts across Super Mario Party Jamboree, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, and more.
Additionally, three new Mario games are due to arrive on Nintendo Switch Online next week, namely Mario Vs. Donkey Kong on the Game Boy Advance, along with Mario Clash and Mario’s Tennis for the Virtual Boy.
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