During at this time's Mario Kart World Direct, we acquired a nearer take a look at a quantity of new tracks, options, and racers, together with Penguin. We've identified Penguin was within the game since its reveal final week, however at this time's Direct determined to characteristic this blue cutie in a very meme-specific method…by repeatedly throwing him off cliffs.
This occurred not as soon as, however twice during the Direct, as followers have identified on social media. On one event, Penguin merely misjudges a curve and sails neatly off over an icy panorama:
Even Nintendo is intentionally dropping blue penguins off of icy ledges.#MarioKartWorld #MarioKartWorldDirect #Nintendo #Switch2 pic.twitter.com/0eMsUE24Jz
— Jonathan Leung (@VGMaps) April 17, 2025
But in a second, even more on the nostril transfer, a Penguin in Free Roam drives straight off a cliff into the ocean beneath whereas music from Super Mario 64 toodles away within the background:
29 years later and we nonetheless chucking penguins off of cliffs like in Mario 64#MarioKartWorld pic.twitter.com/7klPg5rZkM
— 🔥FireShadow64🔥(DROP THE PRICE) (@FireShadow64) April 17, 2025
If you're confused as to why that is noteworthy, permit me to attract your consideration to a long-standing neighborhood meme of Penguin from Super Mario 64. In Super Mario 64, gamers found years in the past that it was attainable to gather a Power Star from Mother Penguin by returning Baby Penguin to her, then to take Baby Penguin after the star seems and take them away again…and even drop them off a cliff:
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This bit has been memed into fame for over a decade by the Mario neighborhood, so it's extraordinarily funny to see Nintendo acknowledge it even when it's in a considerably refined, plausible-deniability form of method. Is this a horrendous factor to do? Society nonetheless hasn't come down cleanly on one facet or one other of the Penguin-cliff debate. At least Mario Kart World offers Penguin a good little water car to allow them to simply preserve going as soon as they've landed.
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Today's Mario Kart Nintendo Direct wasn't precisely the font of new info many have been hoping it might be, however we nonetheless acquired phrase on some fascinating new stuff: more new characters, courses, items, and features, in addition to a close look (courtesy of Penguin and others) of the new open world Free Roam mode, which can let gamers drive round wherever on this planet with out restraint.
You can catch up on everything announced right here.
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. You can discover her posting on BlueSky @duckvalentine.bsky.social. Got a story tip? Send it to [email protected].