I’ve been having a grand old time with Mario Kart World over the last few days on Nintendo Switch 2. Getting to grips with the new courses and exploring the open world has been quite delightful, though I still don’t quite have the hang of wall riding.
There’s one thing that really grinds my gears about it though, and it’s an issue I’ve had with Mario Kart games for years. That awful, terrible complete pain in the rear that is the blue shell.
Anytime I have the lead for even longer than a minute in a grand prix, it feels like I get targeted with one of those things. I get why the blue shell exists. I know it’s there to make races more tightly contested and stop one person from building up an insurmountable lead. But I hate it. I hate it with a burning fury.
But all is not lost. There are ways to avoid getting clattered by this most painful of items without having to necessarily let someone overtake you.
How To Dodge Mario Kart World’s Blue Shell
Thanks to a post I saw on Reddit, I learned that it’s relatively easy to avoid the blue shell in Mario Kart World, at least in some modes and circumstances. In single-player and local co-op, there’s a brand-new feature in the game you can use to your advantage.
By hitting down on the D-pad, you’ll activate the rewind function. This takes your racer back in time by a few seconds, though the rest of the race continues as normal.
If you press the rewind button just as the blue shell is about to slam down on you, the miserable item is avoidable. Sure, you might lose a couple of seconds and have to catch up with opponents who have overtaken you. But at least you’ll keep your momentum as well as any items you’re holding.
This won’t work in online modes, unfortunately, and you’ll need to get the timing right. Rewind too early and the blue shell will hit you anyway. But once you get used to tapping the down button at the right moment, blue shells may no longer be a problem for you in some modes.
More Ways To Avoid The Blue Shell In ‘Mario Kart World’
Rewind is one consistent way to avoid a blue shell, but there are others that work. You can also counter it if you get lucky and have a Super Horn. If you have a Mushroom or Bullet Bill and get the timing right, you can dodge the blue shell too.
Hitting an obstacle or an item thrown by another player (or using a Boo that you have) at just the right moment can help you avoid the blue shell doom too, thanks to invincibility frames. Also, driving off the track at the right moment can help you keep your items if a blue shell is about to smash you — that’ll cost you three coins, though. Last but not least, triggering a Starman just before the blue shell strikes will protect you from it, as you become invincible when the star is in effect.
YouTuber AbdallahSmash show these Mario Kart World techniques in action here:
Happy racing!
Follow my blog for coverage of video games and word games (and maybe more Mario Kart World and Nintendo Switch 2 coverage). It helps me out a lot! Follow me on Bluesky too! It’s fun there. And make sure to subscribe to my newsletter, Pastimes!
