Calling all Nickelodeon fans! Nickelodeon Kart Racers is now available on the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Race as some of your favourite characters from shows such as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob Square Pants, Hey Arnold! and Rugrats.
With a total of 12 characters to choose from and 24 fun-filled tracks to race against, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is pure old-fashioned kart racing for the whole family.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers Details
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch
Developer: Bamtang Games
Publisher: GameMill Entertainment
Genre: Racing
Modes: Single-player, multiplayer
ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)
Race as iconic Nickelodeon characters
Nickelodeon Kart Racers allows you to race with some of the best-known characters in the Nickelodeon universe. You can race as Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo and Donatello from the Ninja Turtles, SpongeBob, Patrick and Sandy from SpongeBob, Arnold and Helga from Hey Arnold! and Angelica, Tommy and Reptar from The Rugrats. In total, there are 12 playable characters.
As you can see, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is geared towards those growing up in early 90s all the way up to the early 2000s. It’s easy to see that Bamtang Games is trying to invoke the nostalgia and love for these characters in the game. At the same time, the gameplay mechanics are simple enough that even younger players can pickup and play. Perhaps this was done so that parents can relive their childhood and enjoy it with their children today.
Traditional kart racing gameplay
Gameplay wise, Nickelodeon Kart Racers plays similar to other kart racers such as the Mario Kart series of games. You can race your vehicles on land, in the air and in slime—a greenish and slippery liquid made famous from the Double Dare game show. Before each race, you can customize various aspects of your vehicle, such as your wheels and engine.
Each and every part of your vehicle has a direct impact on one of 5 characteristics: speed, acceleration, traction, handling, and slime. Through competing in various races, you can use in-game money to purchase new and upgraded parts for your vehicle. Keep a sharp eye out while racing, valuable coins can be scattered anywhere.
In true Nickelodeon fashion, slime plays a big role in Nickelodeon Kart Racers. In each of the game’s tracks, you’ll encounter puddles of slime. However, this isn’t a bad thing as each time you run through the puddles of slime it fills your racer’s turbo gauge. The more you run through it, the fuller your turbo gauge gets. In all, your turbo gauge has three different levels, which allow you to extend the time you can use your turbo.
In addition to turbo, there are several items at your disposal to help gain the advantage over your racing opponent. These objects are quite unusual and inspired by the many different Nickelodeon TV shows. Among other things, you can throw pizza at your enemies to block their view, spray them with bubbles to slow them down, throw a bottle or protect yourself with a manhole.
Bright colourful Nickelodeon themed graphics
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is full of bright and colourful graphics just like the TV shows. Each of the 12 characters look like their TV counterparts and the game’s 24 tracks offer plenty of fun and excitement to race around. Tracks range from Tommy Pickle’s house, to Bikini Bottom, to Arnold’s school and more!
Additionally, Nickelodeon Kart Racers surprisingly runs pretty smooth most of the time. There were a few instances I encountered a bit of slow down but nothing that had any impact on my overall fun and enjoyment. I spent most of my time playing in the undocked portable mode on the Nintendo Switch and rarely saw any hiccups. While the game’s sound track is nothing to write home about, fans will recognize some familiar tunes while racing.
Four-player local multiplayer fun
Nickelodeon Kart Racers offers a Grand Prix mode and free play mode, which allows you to race on the track of your choice. However, the most fun I had with this game was the multiplayer mode. Here you can race up to a maximum of 4 players locally in either team based or solo play.
Unfortunately, there are no online mutliplayer modes contained in the game. For a game that is aimed at parents and kids playing together it makes sense. Overall, I had a blast racing against my son and daughter. Although they are teenagers now, they still enjoyed racing as their favourite Nickelodeon character.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a budget friendly game fun for the whole family
Nickelodeon Kart Racers is no Mario Kart and it never really tries to be. This is a game that is plain, simple and most of all fun. It’s a great game that a family can sit down and play and get lost in the fun. Its gameplay mechanics are never overly complex, essentially you can choose your character and start racing without worrying about much of anything.
If you are a fan of Nickelodeon, looking for an easy to pickup and play game that the whole family will enjoy and are on a budget—Nickelodeon Kart Racers was made just for you.
+ Value priced
+ Easy to pickup controls
+ Tracks change and evolve each lap
+ Invokes a sense of nostalgia
+ Local multiplayer modes are fun to play with family and friends
– Characters are not voiced
– Each character races the exact same
OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF NICKELODEON KART RACERS
Gameplay: 3.5/5
Graphics: 3.5/5
Sound: 3.5/5
Lasting Appeal/Replayability: 4/5
Overall Rating 3.6/5 (72%)
Get Nickelodeon Kart Racers for PlayStation 4
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I’ve looked at a few kart racers over the years, but nothing has grabbed my attention the war Mario Kart has. I think Nintendo will continue to run away with this genre until someone else can find a way to overtake them.
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