Nintendo has given Mario Kart World players a little gift: P Switch Free Roam missions are a new feature, and finishing one on time calls for sticker rewards, this time with the Family Look sticker. Sounds fun, huh? Well, what the community thinks is…let’s just say that the reactions so far are not full of glitter and Bullet Bills.
First the positives. Free Roam mode offers the player an opportunity to roam free without having to worry about powders and burdens of racing; hence the new P Switch challenges serve as a little spice to the flavor. Finish fast, and go grab your sticker: very simple and harmless fun. Some players, such as CR.Worlds, genuinely enjoy Free Roam as a chill way to kill time when they’re not in the mood for intense gaming. “Sure it doesn’t have enough content, but it’s definitely a ‘pass the time’ feature,” they tweeted. Fairness be with them.
But, whoa, what about the rest of the replies? The major gripe isn’t even about Free Roam-it’s about the update that put intermission tracks in online play. So gamers got really mad. Droppedharp even begged the developers: “Please revert back to 3 lap races online. Not everyone wants intermissions.” They’re not alone either. HugoWoof declared they won’t touch the game until Nintendo stopped “forcing” intermissions, whereas Demonica0 suggested a simple fix: “Separate Online rooms for those who prefer traditional 3 lap tracks.” Seems reasonable, but will Nintendo listen?
Then there is the sticker as a reward. Outtatime1977 was not impressed: “Woohoo a whole sticker? Are we 5? Who the crap wants stickers?” While I’m sure that hurt a few feelings even more, RaphJV, who is still hunting P switches, asked for some help—maybe a tracker? “If you could give us a little help, tool, to easen it…” Yeah, tracking collectibles without a menu or something is not exactly player-friendly.
Who would have thought there would be so much chaos in the replies? Dave19Brown went full caps-lock mode: “YOU ARE GONNA GIVE THE MKW UPDATE A CHANCE AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!” While Damigamer0211 threw shade at Nintendo fans turning on the company: “You know Nintendo is doing bad things when a Nintendo fanboy is mad at them lol.” The drama is real.
Others, like Nu Merick, defended Nintendo’s experimental nature: “I’d rather a company try new things and be innovative every entry than release the same thing every time.” Fair point! But when the new thing—looking at you, forced intermissions—rubs players the wrong way, maybe it’s time to tweak the recipe.
Where does that leave Mario Kart World? Free Roam’s P Switch missions are a nice little addition, but the bigger issue is player choice. Players want options—separate lobbies, track preferences, better progression tracking. Will Nintendo choose to listen? Only time will tell. For now, if you’re into stickers and time trials, then Free Roam is your jam. If not… well, the replies section is a riot.
And hey, at least no one has been fighting about blue shells this time, and that’s a small victory.
