Nintendo has announced the first free update for Mario Strikers: Battle League, coming this week. It will add two new characters, Daisy and Shy Guy, along with a new Knight Gear set, and a Desert Ruin stadium. The software update will be available on July 22.

　　The spunky princess Daisy joins the soccer pitch, sporting a high technique stat. Shy Guy also joins the footie match, with evenly balanced stats to make them the perfect baseline for customizing with gear. The two new players have a Flower Spiral Hyper Strike and Propeller Dive Hyper Strike, respectively.

　　You can also outfit them with new Knight-themed Gear, which is prominently shown off in the update trailer. Knight Gear increases your Strength and Shooting stats at the expense of your other stats. Finally, a new Desert Ruin stadium will be available, which can also be set as your club stadium.

　　Nintendo promised free updates for Mario Strikers ahead of release, and according to the announcement, we can expect two more coming this year. Those updates will include even more characters, gear, and stadiums.

　　Our Mario Strikers: Battle League review concluded that the mechanics are very complex with a lot of depth and nuance, but it could stand to use more modes and activities: "Mario Strikers: Battle League is a thin package, without very much variety in terms of game modes and options. But it is a more technically complex game than many of the Mario sports titles, which may give it legs for dedicated players. Sports are all about proving your skill in head-to-head match-ups, and that will have to be enough, because there isn't much else to it."