Super Mario Maker update introduces Koopa Clown Car(?), world records(!), and more

Nintendo is sticking to its 2015 strategy of substantial free updates for its biggest releases.

Super Mario Maker is getting a new patch December 21 that introduces a number of new items that the franchise has never seen before. Additionally, the company is making its Super Mario Maker Bookmark webportal live, which should make it a ton easier for players to share, find, and play certain types of levels. The best thing about the site is that it works in a browser on your desktop, tablet, or smartphone, so you don’t need to run over and power up your Wii U to trade with your buddies. This kind of support should give Super Mario Maker one last burst of word-of-mouth hype — something it has thrived on so far — before the Christmas holiday later that week.

To highlight how the Bookmark portal will work, Nintendo released a video that shows the site in action. Check it out:

Using this tool, players can look for specific levels by filtering by game style, tags, and more. It looks like the exact kind of social service that some critics were hoping Nintendo would’ve included from the start.

But having an easier time finding and sharing levels isn’t the only thing Mario Maker fans should get riled up for. Nintendo has a list of totally new in-game features that should make playing stages more fun as well. Let’s list the following to highlight exactly what all these new items do.

• Fire Koopa Clown Car: A volcano-powered car that Nintendo claims is perfect for shoot-’em-up-style courses. That’s because it flings fireballs, and it can dash through solid blocks.
• P Warp Doors: These are not new to Mario games. They are the doors that you can only see when after activating a P Switch.
• Bumper: These are doughnut-shaped bouncy platforms that give Mario some serious hangtime.
• World records: Finally, each course will now show you the world-record clear time, which should make for some seriously cool competitive play.

We hope that Nintendo eventually builds on its world-records feature to give you a leaderboard of just your friends’ times, because I doubt I’m going to chart when it comes to the best on Earth.