Shockers for Mario Kart fans? This ain’t a new remix for Rainbow Road. This update—the recently released update—is going to change the whole game with a technique called Charge Jump, which goes by the title ‘Mario Kart World’. Everything is about to get flipped upside down and go runny.
What exactly is new in the move? Obstacle jumping and power grinding like Tony Hawk in a kart, said the official tweet, while simultaneously dodging the attacks of rivals. Not even close. Going Charge Jump against a wall makes your character stick on the wall momentarily for a Wall Ride. For real, anything other than Mario Kart seems to be part platformer now.
One of the shots of the video shows a regular race with karts going vertical. It has also one shot showcasing a racer bouncing between two closely set walls like a pinball. This ain ́t your grandma’s Mario Kart no more.
While no date was given as to when these mechanics will go live, the timing speaks of a big seasonal update that will probably welcome them. These mechanics surely seem to suit courses that have just been introduced to our eyes: maybe it is in the concrete jungle of soaring buildings to wall ride between? Construction zone with grindable beams? Just drooling.
Interestingly, the tweet did not indicate if the moves are going to be available in every mode. Wall-bouncing will surely add more chaos to battle royale matches? Will Charge Jump help you out during time trials? So many unanswered questions from Nintendo.
It’s pretty bizarre not to see other responses after the announcement tweet—Mario Kart always brings a hefty load of quick reactants. Possible late patients might have found it hard to lift their jaws off the floor to write. Or everyone’s in-game to see if this is secretly available through some button combo.
Sure, if you thought the anti-gravity sections were crazy, think again! With poor aerial maneuvers and possible wall runs, we are talking about three-dimensional chess match races at 200cc. Time to practice those mid-air drifts before the update comes and leaves you in the dust.
Long-time players would probably want to know how this affects the meta. Some characters might benefit more from the jump—would that be all for speed builds if you just hop over? Only time will tell how this all goes down in competitive play.
Nintendo’s in the zone with gameplay revelations. First, Zelda became open world; and now Mario Kart is incorporating platforming elements. At this rate, we might see that next Animal Crossing update allow you to, like, MMA some bears or something. Whatever happens next, one thing is clear: the Mario Kart team is not content with just slapping a new coat of paint on the same game over and over again. And quite frankly? We’re here for it.
