According to Polygon, Nintendo has released the 1.4 update for Mario Kart World on December 3, directly tackling the game’s most criticized feature. The patch completely redesigns eight of the open world’s intermission routes from the ground up, adding ramps, boost panels, and obstacles like whales and boats. This is a response to players who found the original straightaways boring and who often skipped these sections in lobby votes. The changes come after earlier, less effective patches and a period where the older Mario Kart 8 began outselling the new release. The update also includes custom items and fixes for item exploits, like using multiple Boo items.
A Little Too Late?
Here’s the thing: this is classic Nintendo. They have a grand vision—an open-world Mario Kart!—and they’re gonna make you experience it, whether you like it or not. Their first response to players skipping the connective tissue wasn’t to improve it, but to make it harder to skip. That’s the Nintendo we all know. And it backfired, obviously. By the time they started tinkering, the sheen was off. Mario Kart 8, a game from the previous console generation, was outselling its shiny new sequel. That’s a brutal metric. So this major redesign feels like a necessary, but potentially belated, course correction. Will the players who left come back to check it out?
The Real Test
Look, adding curves and whales to boring water highways is a great start. It shows they’re listening, which is huge for a company notorious for its “our way or the highway” stance on game design. One Redditor nailed it: “It’s funny how just adding more turns makes it so much more fun.” Basically, yes! Racing games are about racing, not holding the accelerator on a straight line for 45 seconds.
But I’m skeptical. The article notes most of these redesigned tracks are over water, which are probably the easiest parts of the map to alter without a total overhaul. What about the complex land-based intermissions? Can or will Nintendo redo those? This patch signals a shift, but the real test is if this is a one-off fix or the start of a sustained effort to refine the entire open world. If it’s the former, the game’s core identity problem remains.
Nintendo’s Service Game Problem
This whole saga highlights Nintendo’s awkward relationship with live-service games. They want the longevity but often seem allergic to the constant, reactive dialogue with players that model requires. Mario Kart World’s whole pitch was its open world. If players reject that, what’s left? Another fan put it well: they’re glad Nintendo didn’t just relegate the open world to a side mode. But doubling down only works if the core experience is good. This patch is Nintendo admitting, finally, that it wasn’t. It’s a step in the right direction, but the road back to relevance is long and winding. And frankly, it needs more curves.
