Mario Kart World got a surprise update today adding a new Bob-omb Blast Battle Mode as well as some balance changes for the Bullet Bill power-up that make it smarter, faster, and longer-lasting.
Nintendo spells out Mario Kart World's Bullet Bill buff in the patch notes for version 1.6.0. The patch "increased" Bullet Bill's "range of lateral movement" and made it "easier to easier to follow a shortcut route immediately after using Bullet Bill." That note right there is key, as I know from personal experience that activating a Bullet Bill power-up while using a shortcut would often result in catastrophe, and it sounds like that's now fixed.
The patch also "increased Bullet Bill's speed on parts of the Bowser's Castle, Starview Peak, and Rainbow Road courses."
Mario Kart World's iteration of Bullet Bill hasn't been particularly well-received, with the general consensus being that the power-up is, well, less of a power-up than it used to be. I can also attest to the perception that, until now anyway, the experience of transforming into Bullet Bill hasn't been nearly as exhilarating as in past Mario Kart games, whether that's because it hasn't been as fast, ruthless, or intelligent as before.
Early impressions of the buffed version suggest that's all been changed.
"Ok the bullets are INSANE now," says content creator Sonico on Twitter alongside a video of the newly buffed power-up in action.
Ok the bullets are INSANE now pic.twitter.com/31cVkSrwCWMarch 31, 2026
I had to boot up my copy of Mario Kart World and check out the beefed-up Bullet Bill, and indeed, the difference in speed is instantly noticeable. That said, the much more significant change is that it actually seems to better understand the concept of shortcuts, which will add significant value to actually understanding the layouts of maps.
Or, in Twitter user Jojo's words, "They turned Bullet Bill into a shortcut item."
"Looks like Bullet Bill got into the sugar," says Redditor William_Ze_Gamer.
Ultimately, it seems players are just happy "bullets actually work like theyre supposed to," in the words of Twitter user FactsTV.
