Whether it’s from familiarity with the franchise or through cultural osmosis, launching a Green Shell forward to hit another driver is something everyone knows to do in Mario Kart World. Those with more experience also know that many power-ups can be thrown forward or backward. And now in Mario Kart World, you can throw items in just about any direction you want.
But don’t get too excited. The presence of this new mechanic means that drifting next to someone no longer means you’re out of the danger zone. On the flipside, you can now hit someone mid-flight on Rainbow Road even if they’re not directly in front of you. This hidden change marks a huge difference for player strategy; however, some cumbersome controls need to be mastered first.
How to throw items in any direction
Nearly every throwable item goes forward by default when you press R. Moving the left stick down while pressing R will have your character throw the item backward instead. The one exception to this is Bananas, which go backward by default and forward when moving the left stick up and pressing R.
Given that the left stick primarily functions for turning, it won’t be much help for firing anything to the side. The trick is to have access to two. If you want to throw items freely in any direction, move the camera with the right stick and then press R. They’ll be tossed wherever the camera’s pointing.
There are a couple of unfortunate issues with this. The first is that you will need to be using a pair of Joy-Cons or a Pro Controller. You’re limited to throwing items forward or backward when using a single Joy-Con. The second issue is that using the right stick is a clunky experience. Not only is the stick sensitivity pretty slow, but moving the right stick while pressing A is extremely uncomfortable.
Read More: What Do Smart Steering And Auto-Accelerate Do In Mario Kart World?
Those who use Auto-Acceleration are bound to have the easiest time with this since their thumb will be free. Otherwise, heading into your Nintendo Switch 2’s settings and remapping some buttons is the next best option. If neither of those sounds like a great solution to the awkward use of the right stick, it might be better to just wait until you’re jumping or flying to let go of the acceleration and turn the camera towards anyone nearby.
What items can be thrown sideways?
Thankfully, almost anything that you throw can be aimed. The only exceptions are the non-green shells. Red and Blue Shells lock toward specific players, while the Coin Shell follows the middle of the road. Here are the items that can be thrown in whatever direction you want:
- Banana/Triple Bananas
- Green Shell/Triple Green Shells
- Fire Flower
- Ice Flower
- Boomerang Flower
- Bob-omb
- Hammer
Mario Kart World is available now exclusively on Nintendo Switch 2.