It took a few iterations to get things right, but it turns out the third time’s the charm for Nickelodeon Kart Racers. After a poor first attempt in 2018 and a middling sequel two years later, Bamtang Games has finally put together a kart racer that is as charming as the Nickelodeon cartoons its roster is from. With a ton of content, a few unique ideas, and solid fundamentals, Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway is a breath of fresh air for the genre.
Slime Speedway makes a great first impression as players are asked to choose three crew members in addition to their playable driver. These non-playable assists act as support moves, adding a much-needed layer of skill and strategy. Your chief gives the player a button-activated skill, such as a speed boost or the ability to drop hazards, which becomes active after players collect enough slime while racing on its cartoon-inspired tracks. Meanwhile, the other two crew members offer gameplay tweaks (such as random boosts or upgrading items) that can complement your racing style.
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These small augments to the standard kart racing formula go a long way in making Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3 stand out in a genre that often receives uninspired cash-ins. Throw in some fun racing mechanics, such as slime-filled slides where players have to time their hops to avoid obstacles, and you get a racer that has more to offer than just being a reskinned version of Mario Kart. It’s the small details that raise the game above many of its competitors. Several of the available items showcase streaks of creative genius, such as a real-life hand from SpongeBob that blocks the view of enemy racers, and this makes for a colorful blend of wild gameplay and characters.
While it’s great that Slime Speedway has nailed the core mechanics, the amount of content and replayability takes the experience to the next level. With four levels of varying difficulty levels and 40 courses, there’s no shortage of thrills. Throw in dozens of characters to unlock in addition to purchasable karts and support characters, and you’ve got plenty of reasons to keep playing long after you’ve aced each grand prix. There’s even a stellar challenge mode that features small tasks to complete, not unlike Mario Kart DS‘ excellent mission mode, which offers up hours of fun in and of itself by spicing up races with more focused goals.
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It is worth noting that there are occasional glitches — I fell through the map several times during online matches, although never in offline ones, weirdly enough — and that some of the arena modes are a bit too gimmicky to be fun, such as the SpongeBob-inspired Jellyspotters that revolves around capturing your opponents with nets, which is not a clever way to stretch the mechanics. However, these technical issues are few and far between and the arena mode has several enjoyable modes (like deathmatch, a king of the hill mode, and a turf war) that make up for the lone misfire. Overall, it’s a solid and well-rounded game with plenty to do.
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway is the best kart racer in years. Not since 2019’s Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled has the genre felt so fresh, and you have to go way back to 2012’s Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to find another non-Mario Kart that exceeds it. Brimming with character thanks to its top-notch presentation and inspired level design, developer Bamtang Games gone beyond what the confines of what licensed kart racers usually are. Kart racing fans can’t go wrong here and anyone with the smallest bit of affection for Nicktoons old and new will find plenty to enjoy.
SCORE: 8/10
As ComingSoon’s review policy explains, a score of 8 equates to “Great.” While there are a few minor issues, this score means that the art succeeds at its goal and leaves a memorable impact.
