Over the years, Nickelodeon has amassed quite a varied and deep stable of entertaining cartoon franchises, with characters like Spongebob Squarepants and Aang becoming cultural icons that are recognized the world over. It stands to reason, then, that the company could produce a solid kart racer in the vein of Mario Kart; there’s more than enough characters and locales to draw from, and if it were done right, the nostalgia alone could cause millennials to flock to the game in droves. Nickelodeon Kart Racers, unfortunately, doesn’t quite deliver on that tremendous potential, and instead comes off as an inoffensive but utterly forgettable title that doesn’t even come close to stepping out of Mario Kart’s shadow.
Right from the off, it’s evident that you’re not nearly getting the experience you’d hope for when you see the character select screen, which contains a paltry sum of twelve characters from a total of four franchises: Spongebob, Hey Arnold, Rugrats, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Fairly Oddparents? Jimmy Neutron? Invader Zim? Avatar? They’re all nowhere to be found. Indeed, given the enormous number of popular franchises that Nickelodeon could draw from, the offering here is unacceptably lazy; Nickelodeon Kart Racers has a roster that just barely meets minimum standards, and that’s a sentiment that’s unfortunately carried throughout the rest of the game.
Once you hit the track, Nickelodeon Kart Racers essentially becomes a looser and more generic version of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe; its mechanics are decent, but there are very few ideas here that aren’t derived from better games. Each track consists of a mixture of land, air, and sea portions that see your kart transforming accordingly, and lines of item boxes are generously thrown around the tracks to offer racers an edge in battle. These items are directly aped from Mario Kart in their usage, such as an acorn in place of a Bob-omb, a bottle of bubble soap instead of a banana peel, or a spatula instead of a blue shell, and though disappointingly derivative, items are still a fun way of keeping a race interesting and regularly shaking up the status quo.
This being a Nickelodeon title, it wouldn’t be the same without the iconic green slime, and Bamtang Games has chosen to incorporate it here by implementing an interesting F-Zero-like boost system. Puddles and lakes of slime are present on every track, and driving through them will slowly fill up a segmented gauge at the top of the screen which represents your boost power. Every time you activate a boost it consumes one cell of the gauge, but if you wait for more cells to fill, the resulting speed boost will be more powerful and last longer. It’s a fun way to add some strategy to the experience on top of item usage and though this boost system doesn’t entirely redeem the ho-hum gameplay, it certainly does make it more enjoyable.
Along with the copious item boxes, every track is littered with coins to collect as you drive, and these can then be spent on kart parts in an in-game shop to better tune your ride. Though it’s yet another idea that’s lifted wholesale from Mario Kart, this does help to add some replayability to the experience, encouraging players to experiment with different builds and keep grinding out races to collect more coins. It must be said that there doesn’t seem to be much of a difference in swapping out kart parts - the gameplay feels very much the same regardless of what parts you’ve installed - but those who consider themselves to be completionists will be satisfied at the extra content represented here.
There’s a total of twenty-four tracks on offer, and these can be experienced in either themed Grand Prix cups or individually via free race. Track designs are generally quite homogenous from a gameplay standpoint, lacking the stage hazards and set pieces that one would expect, although their overall look and feel is surprisingly faithful to the source material. Locations like Glove World and Arnold’s school are rife with plenty of references and little details that call back to the franchises they’re based on, showing a level of passion and attention to detail that feels oddly inconsistent with the rest of the game. Once again, the low amount of franchise representation is felt all too much here, but what’s present is sure to satisfy fans of Nickelodeon.
With that being said, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is just as disappointing in its presentation as it is with its gameplay; the graphics look like they were pulled from a lazily-upscaled GameCube game, and there’s a general air of artificial lifelessness that makes the whole experience mildly uncomfortable. Character models are expressive, but they fall firmly into ‘uncanny valley’ territory; animations are stiff and robotic, and most expressions feel insincere and kind of creepy. This is exacerbated by how Spongebob’s iconic laugh and Michaelangelo’s banter are nowhere to be found here; every character is completely silent throughout the entire race, making for an oddly quiet and flat experience.
Similarly, the soundtrack is extremely disappointing; instead of remixes of tracks from the shows being represented here, you’re treated to a painfully forgettable collection of MIDI tracks that sound like placeholder music that never got replaced. One could easily transplant this music into just about any kid-friendly mobile game and it wouldn't feel out of place, making it feel like yet another missed opportunity. There’s absolutely no character to this music at all, it’s annoying, repetitive and soulless, and combining that with the complete lack of voice acting makes for an experience that feels raw and incomplete.
It’s also worth mentioning that Nickelodeon Kart Racers runs into some egregious performance issues, and these are magnified further by the addition of other players or the usage of portable mode. Pop-in is terrible and actively hindered our enjoyment, such as instances like when Squidward frantically oscillated between materializing and disappearing from his doorstep, or when an upcoming hazard on the track turned invisible and cost us a race. The framerate runs at an uncapped 30 FPS, too, but it usually hovers somewhere around the 20 FPS mark, especially when multiple racers pour into a turn or you make the mistake of trying to play this on the go. Given the simple graphics being displayed, such performance issues make for a dark stain on an already iffy game experience.
Conclusion
There are far worse games out there than Nickelodeon Kart Racers, but there are far better ones as well. Given the tremendous opportunity represented by this IP, it’s hard not to be disappointed by the state of Nickelodeon Kart Racers; with more attention to quality and another year of development, this could’ve possibly been a compelling alternative to Mario Kart. Unfortunately, Nickelodeon Kart Racers is simply not good; derivative mechanics, a pathetic character roster and awful performance make this a bargain bin experience that you’ll be glad you missed. If you absolutely have to play a racing game with Nickelodeon characters, then by all means, go ahead, but we’d highly recommend you take a pass on this sorry effort.
Comments 38
Fans would be better of playing Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with Nickelodeon-inspired Miis.
This is a pathetic showing from all involved and they really ought to be embarrassed with themselves. I'm surprised that they bothered giving you guys a review copy as the bad reviews that will inevitably result will achieve the opposite of their intent (i.e. selling copies).
Normally, I wouldn't have looked twice at this, but the mere inclusion of voiceovers (be they new or archive recordings) would have gone a long way to sway someone who grew up with a lot of these shows. Brand power alone is meaningless if the end product is of a poor quality.
And the lack of brand representation reminds me of the Sci-Fi Convention gag on an old episode of The Simpsons ("Mark Hamill! Alf! And many more!" proceeds to show only spinning heads of Hamill and Alf).
Ouch. Says there are far worse games out there than this, but then gives it a 3/10... yeah I think I’ll just stick with Mario Kart for my racing needs.
This really dissapoints me, could really be a fun game, well i let is be
This is the kind of lazy cash grab licensed game I would have expected to see on PS1 or PS2 back in the early 2000s. Visually underwhelming, with a lackluster roster of characters and mediocre execution.
Like this review said, this game really could have been something cool. If they had drawn from Nickelodeon's impressive roster of shows, they really could have, if they had tried, made a game that could potentially at least rival, if not match, the juggernaut that is Mario Kart 8 DX.
The fact is, anyone making a kart racer on Switch has to ask themselves if they are going to directly try to compete with Nintendo's extremely polished offering, or if they are going to try and do something different. If they go with the former, that's going to take a serious amount of effort. But if they go with the latter, that's going to take a sort of creativity rarely found in games that are built on a license.
I haven't followed anything about Nickelodeon for years, but I have to imagine that if they really wanted to, they could have forked over the resources needed to do either of those routes. But they either did not care, or did not deem the expenditure worth it.
It's just baffling as how they could have screwed this up so badly.
Nickelodeon has such an impressive list of powerful IP's to pull from, including voice over material, excellent music and characters!
They could have easily given Nintendo's Mario Kart a run for it's money if they had put some real effort in it.
Unbelievable! Nickelodeon should be seriously ashamed of themselves in how they could have screwed up such a tremendous opportunity!
and they want how much for this shovel ware. Back too the good old wii days again. I think Nintendo are actually happy with this garbage coming out so people only buy there games and they can keep them full price years after release. No doubt people will defend them lol.
I was hoping it was good. turned out to be very bad with its visual quality,
Poopy McPooperson
How about a retry from Cartoon Network? I'd love to race around with Ren and Stimpy, Cow and Chicken or I am Weasel. Perhaps even Johnny Bravo or Dexter? Ah, those were the days!
Game of the year imo wayyyyyyy better than Plummer kart.
Ouch...
Oh, well.
If only F1 Race Stars from Wii U also on Nintendo Switch...
@ShaiHulud Ren and Stimpy is not a Cartoon Network show.
"I'm ugly and I'm proud!"
"Is that what he calls it?"
The Ninja Turtles deserve better.
I had play this game on Switch yesterday and it's really not that bad. It's like a Nickelodeon version of Sonic and All-Stars Racing Transforms just without the Sega stuff. Of course I'm not going to buy it though as Nickelodeon isn't my thing anymore.
The truly messed up thing is it may move numbers on license alone. Not everyone reads gaming forums. There's always the mom or dad of a young kid with a Switch (or getting one for Christmas) who can't find MK8DX and says "Hey, this one has SpongeBob, little Billy will love it!"
Too bad.
And yet, when it reaches about £10-£15, I will still get it as I'm a sucker for Kart Racers
This really is a disappointment, like it had all the budget of a ham sandwich. They could've at least included Zim and Rocko to promote their upcoming TV movies, but that would've made the game better, and apparently that's not what they were going for. There's always Nicktoons Racing for PS1 and arcade; say what you will about it, but that game has way more fanservice despite being almost 20 years old. Plus, voice acting!
@TF-Warrior Ah, my bad! Must me my blurred memory
To be fairly honest, I've been thinking of buying this for a while as I do have some fond memories of some Nickelodeon cartoons, but I've heard almost nothing but bad things about the game so I'll let it pass after all.
"There are far worse games out there than Nickelodeon Kart Racers..."
Gives the game a 3/10.
Um...
Since I hate Mario Kart and someone said it's more like Sonic All-Stars Transformed, it seems like I'd like this game already, although the only IP from that game I actually care about is the turtles (and will only play as them). I don't have a single console it's on though. Oh well.
It's funny how quickly you guys dismiss a game based on one (or perhaps two) review(s). At least that's the impression I always get when I read these comments. I'd have missed out on so many good games if I did the same.
Yikes I’ll stay away
I'm still baffled Game Mill got the opportunity to publish this. I coulda sworn THQ Nordic has the license for Nick games. And didn't Nick already have a decent kart racer all these years ago? The blueprints are there...
Given Game Mill's pedigree, it only comes natural to stay away from this.
A literal clone excluding characters, content nor quality.
Wow. Shame on on Nickelodeon.
@Hikingguy The concept is the same as Sonic All-Stars Transform, the only difference is there aren't enough contents to satisfied those who want it for longevity play. It is a game meant for the children only.
No point in making a Nickelodeon licensed game without actually using the license (no, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles do not count). Remove the changing vehicle gameplay element to conserve development resource spend and instead prioritize responsive character and stage development — Nick's diverse IP is too colorful to ignore in favor of a measly twelve bland, eerily-silent characters.
Try again by coding an easily-scaleable character object and implement a roster like SpongeBob, Patrick, Sandy, Squidward Tommy, Chucky, Angelica, Phil & Lil, Arnold, Gerald, Helga, Aang, Katara, Sokka, Toph, Korra, Zim, Dib, Gir, Gaz, Rocko, Heffer, Filburt, Timmy Turner, Cosmo & Wanda, Eliza Thornberry, Darwin Thornberry, Otto Rocket, Reggie Rocket, Twister, Squid, Norb, Dagget, Ickis, Slickis, The Gromble, Ren, Stimpy, CatDog, Jimmy Neutron, Sheen Estevez, Cindy Vortex, Carl Wheezer, Jenny the Robot, Danny Phantom, and throw in Henry/June from KaBlam!
Develop one to two stages per IP based on popularity, and use source audio and art material from the shows for stages (ie: no generic stages — Hey Arnold! should have Grand Prix, Highway Chase, and Escape San Lorenzo stages based on the Grand Prix episode and the two Arnold movies).
I would eschew the mid-2000s THQ "3D" look for a flatter, more vibrant Wind Waker-esque cel-shaded look as well, as the graphics seem to be a common complaint.
Also, Helga's bow on the cover of the game should be pink, not purple.
As both a gaming and a Nickelodeon enthusiast, I am quite frankly disgusted by this game in terms of both quality and quantity.
On the one hand, here we have yet another licensed game that is unable to live up to its full potential, and another kart racing game that cannot hold a candle to the legendary Mario Kart. And this game looks like a Gamecube game, in all honesty. They must have started development from a game from that system, because was that not the system the first Nicktoons Racing game was on? And the fact they could not include something as simple as voice clips really speaks to me, in the worst possible ways.
And on the other hand, this game has little to nothing to keep one engaged for any longer than a day. The roster is terribly small, and while playing as Reptar sounds neat, there are so many other characters from other popular Nick shows that could be easily put into the game. Avatar? The Loud House? Rocko's Modern Life? Invader Zim? Ren and Stimpy? You get my point. And since the multiplayer, the big reason you play these games, faces severe performance issues, what's the point of playing this bargain bin game?
This could have been good, and I very well might have gotten it. Not ahead of Smash, but maybe as a Christmas gift to myself. But upon seeing Game Mill's logo, I decided to wait it out to see how this turned out.
And honestly, I'm glad I did.
It's sad because Nick has such a huge library of characters from different series to pull from but I feel like they give it to a studio that doesn't really care about any of the shows and give them a fixed budget and release date.
I wish they would actually give it to a studio that really loves the Nick toons franchise and give them a proper budget because I do believe it could really be good just like they did with Batman, dragon ball z, and Spider-Man. Hell I wouldn't even care if it was just a re skin of MK8 for the most part.
@ShaiHulud Imagine how awesome a Cartoon Network outing could be if they properly tapped into the Adult Swim lineup.
I’m dying for a kart racer that is a decent one-player game. This obviously ain’t it, MK ain’t it either. Fingers crossed for Sega...
Heck, the original Nicktoons Racing had more variety than this. You had characters from SpongeBob, Hey Arnold, AAH! Real Monsters, Ren and Stimpy, The Angry Beavers, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberries, and plenty of tracks representing each of them. This is just pathetic compared to the original.
That's shocking to say the least...
They should've just made a Nickelodeon DLC for MK8D instead.
Too bad I can't cruise around as Reptar as he says "Halt! I am Reptar!"
I may still try this out once it hits the bargain bin.
Legend of Korra racing satomobiles? Make that happen Nick. I will give you all my money. All of it.
@Freelance
You're joking, right? It has a 41 on Metacritic. It's a bad game. Most people here read or watch multiple reviews for games and I haven't seen a single positive one for this yet. No one's missing out on anything by passing on this travesty.
@mist The profile pic goes so well with the comment
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