Some folks in the Mario Kart World scene have been griping. Why? Well, the feature where you could see which country other racers were from… poof! Gone. It was there in Mario Kart 8 and the Deluxe version, but now? Nada, and players have mixed feelings about it.
So, here’s a little backstory — Mario Kart World was unleashed on June 5. Expectations were sky-high because, get this, it was one of only two first-party games out at launch for the Nintendo Switch 2. The other one? Nintendo Switch 2 Welcome Tour. A ten-buck mini-game gig to get folks cozy with the new console. Nintendo’s hyped up other stuff, like Donkey Kong Bananza, but honestly, Mario Kart is stealing all the thunder right now.
Fast forward, and everybody’s loving Mario Kart World’s open-world vibe and all the old-school racing thrills. Still, there’s this buzzing about how you can’t see those tiny flags in the multiplayer lobby anymore. The ones that showed where players were from. It was like a mini-Olympics every race. Especially when racing against players from Japan. Beat them, and you’ve won bragging rights for life. But, not everyone’s grumbling about it. Some players have been pretty vocal about how they faced harassment over their location before. One Irish player, now in the UK, was mistakenly flying the Union Jack. Go figure.
Oh, and speaking of vanishing acts — Miis. Remember them? Those little custom avatars that were racing legends back in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. They’re missing too, and people are grumbling about that.
Anyway — or maybe not — the game’s still hot. But, players, they do love to chat about what they miss. Even if it’s flags and mini digital avatars.
Who knows? Maybe Nintendo will bring ’em back? Or maybe they’ll come up with something we didn’t even know we wanted. That’s video games for you.
