Nickelodeon Kart Racers

Nickelodeon Kart Racers
File:NickKartRacers.jpeg North American PlayStation 4 cover art
Developer(s)	Bamtang Games
Publisher(s)	NA: GameMill Entertainment EU: Maximum Games
Series	Nicktoons
Platforms	Nintendo Switch PlayStation 4 Xbox One
Release date(s)	NA: October 23, 2018 EU: October 26, 2018
Genre(s)	Racing
Mode(s)	Single-player, Multiplayer

Nickelodeon Kart Racers is a 2018 racing video game developed by Bamtang Games and published by GameMill Entertainment in the North American release and Maximum Games in the European release. The game features Nickelodeon characters in a crossover, including SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rugrats. The game was released on October 23, 2018 in North America and October 26, 2018 in Europe for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. It was the first new Nicktoons console game to be released in over seven years (the longest time gap for the series), with the last one being Nicktoons MLB in fall 2011. It is also one of the last Nickelodeon-related video games to be released during Stephen Hillenburg's lifetime, before his death on November 27, 2018, approximately one month after the game's European release. A sequel, titled Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2: Grand Prix, is currently set to release on October 6, 2020.

Gameplay

Nickelodeon Kart Racers features a selection of 12 playable characters from 4 different Nicktoons; SpongeBob SquarePants, Hey Arnold!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Rugrats. 24 courses and 8 arenas based on different locations from the shows are included in the game.

It also has a co-op mode, where two players can "pull off devastating fused attacks, and local free-for-all multiplayer." The karts can be customized and power-ups can be picked up from the courses. Kart parts, including tires, engines, spoilers, jet skis, and paint jobs, can be purchased using coins collected from the courses. Courses that entirely consist of slime include slalom and elimination modes.

Playable characters

• SpongeBob SquarePants (SpongeBob SquarePants)
• Patrick Star (SpongeBob SquarePants)
• Sandy Cheeks (SpongeBob SquarePants)
• Tommy Pickles (Rugrats)
• Angelica Pickles (Rugrats)
• Reptar (Rugrats)
• Arnold Shortman (Hey Arnold!)
• Helga Pataki (Hey Arnold!)
• Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
• Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
• Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
• Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Development

The game was announced on July 25, 2018. A trailer for the game was released on September 13, 2018.

Reception

Reception
Aggregate score Aggregator Score Metacritic 42/100 (PS4) 41/100 (NS) 49/100 (XONE) Review scores Publication Score Nintendo Life 3/10 OXM (UK) 5/10

Nickelodeon Kart Racers received "generally unfavorable" reviews on all platforms according to review aggregator Metacritic.

Nintendo Life gave the game 3/10 stars, criticizing it for the lack of voice acting and the roster size which only consists of two to four characters from four different cartoons while lacking characters from other popular Nickelodeon cartoons like The Fairly OddParents, The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius, Invader Zim, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Loud House.

PlayStation LifeStyle gave the game a slightly higher score of 5.5/10, stating that "while [it] provides plenty of content and has smart references that integrate well with some very solid racing, the poor visuals and botched battle mode leave plenty to be desired. If you accept the game for what it is there’s definitely some fun to be had but its shortcomings are jarring enough to require some substantial blinders."