Nickelodeon Kart Racers

- Reviewed on Switch -

Nickelodeon Kart Racers released on October 23rd, 2018. 

With many Nickelodeon characters and franchises being well known in many aspects of entertainment, such as toys, television, books, and video games, it was a matter of time before we got the next racing game with our beloved intellectual properties (IPs). 

Though it's not the first Nickelodeon racing title, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is the newest (series) installment in the Nickelodeon racing lineage.

Developed by Bamtang Games, Nickelodeon Kart Racers puts you in control of various Nickelodeon characters, as you race for first place, through, in my opinion, very well-designed tracks / worlds.

This review WILL have Major Spoilers so keep that in mind before continuing...

When booting up Nickelodeon Kart Racers for the first time, you will see the level of design that went into this game. Specifically, starting with the character designs.

I said just earlier that I do adore the track designs / layouts, but the overall design / look, of the playable characters, did not look that impressive for a 2018 title. 

When you simply look at these characters, they look so bland in animation / design.

The lifeless eyes and the fact they look like they're from the PS2 era, did not meet my expectations.

The full list of characters in Nickelodeon Kart Racers, include...

    - SpongeBob

    - Patrick

    - Sandy

    - Tommy

    - Angelica

    - Reptar

    - Arnold

    - Helga

    - Leonardo

    - Donatello

    - Michelangelo

    - Raphael

There aren't any unlockable characters in Nickelodeon Kart Racers either. 

Now, how does the racing hold up? To put it mildly, you will have fun with the neatly designed racing mechanics, but after a few races, I would bet a lot that you'd get bored pretty quick.

These neatly designed mechanics I mentioned make the racing stand out from other games in its genre.

You're not just racing for first place in Nickelodeon Kart Racers, but your also using / avoiding pick up items, mid race. 

Another example is the nitro mechanic. In true Nickelodeon style, the nitro you gather up and use (in increments of a third) is actually green slime.

You will see a lot of green slime showcased in this game, just so you know.

Driving through, or collecting slime related items, will build up your speed boost gauge. 

Only when your bar fills, either a third, two thirds, or completely, will you be able to use the boosts. 

Your kart will drive traditionally on wheels, which is what I prefer, but Nickelodeon Kart Racers also has gliding portions of the racetracks, and raft like portions too, for when you drive on seas of slime.  

I prefer the traditional, wheels on a track portion, due to how unsatisfying the gliding and raft like mechanics are. 

Especially when your drifting, to get a speed boost (like in Mario Kart games), you don't really get that sense of speed / control, when you do it in all the slime. 

There are a total of 24 tracks to race on, and these tracks are all a part of the Grand Prix's. 

You can race in three different speeds (Beginner - 1x, Regular - 1.5x, and Expert - 2x), all of which containing three unlockable Cups, if you get first place overall, after four races, in the six available tournaments first. 

Be wary of the slime tokens during races too, as they offer the ability to purchase new kart parts / customizable paint options. 

I found the cost of these upgrades, however, very unforgiving / expensive, for just how quickly players might get bored from the gameplay. 

I spent most of my time in the Grand Prix mode, but there is also Free Races, and Time Attack to try as well. 

And with Nickelodeon Kart Racers having local multiplayer, I can definitely see myself revisiting this title with a friend in the future. 

Whether I'm uninvested in Nickelodeon Kart Racers or not, Bamtang Games are obviously doing something right with their / this fanbase.

With multiple Nickelodeon Kart Racer games out, as of writing this blog post, this first Nickelodeon Kart Racers entry just didn't hit the mark for me.

I loved the tracks, and the gameplay was somewhat descent, but I just did not find anything else appealing.

This is a personal thing, but I really only cared for the SpongeBob characters, and even they looked terrible to, along with the other designs / animations.

If I were to give any advice on Nickelodeon Kart Racer players, it's that this game (and maybe the whole series too) is a lot more appealing for multiplayer purposes. 

Playing this game alone, felt like a chore, not a relaxing, racing experience.  

Pros: 

    - Well Done Tracks / Worlds to Race In

    - Pretty Good Gameplay

    - Fun Twists for the Racing Genre (Slime Nitro, Alternate Paths Mid Race, Gliding and Rafting)

    - Little Bit of Customization

    - Multiplayer

Cons:

    - Poorly Designed / Animated Character Models

    - Unmemorable Music (Main Menu / Racetracks)

    - Gameplay gets Stale Quickly when in Single Player

    - Expensive Shop Parts

My Rating for Nickelodeon Kart Racers (on Switch):

3 / 5

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Disclaimer

All Reviews, Ratings, Pros, Cons, and Opinions Shared on this Blog (Press A Reviews) are my (Connor Butler) own Thoughts and Feelings.