It’s interesting to me that this IP is still around. I remember the response to the original being completely lukewarm after some massive hype during development. Then like 2 years later there was a 2D platformer that I never heard much about. It just seems kinda random that here it is again, 7 years later. It would make more sense to me if they were all 3D platformer collect-a-thons, but each new entry is a different gameplay genre. Do people just really like the characters then?
None of that is meant to sound negative. I remember the first being a labour of love from ex Banjo Kazooie devs, so for their sake I hope these games do well.
It seems weird, but it’s just small scale Donkey Kong
We had Donkey Kong 64, then Donkey Kong Country Returns, now Super Mario Kart (which DK Jr was in).
I wouldn’t be against them making their version of games in rapid succession like Donkey Kong Country 1 (1994), 2 (1995) & 3 (1996), or also making Banjo Kazooie (1998), Donkey Kong 64 (1999), Banjo Tooie (2000). But it’s clear they just can’t make as many games that fast, so we get just one every few years.
I think it’s just Playtonic establishing brand identity.
The 2D platformer was really fucking good though.
Yeah, I bought Yooka-Laylee, and really wanted to like it, but… I didn’t. Then I heard the ‘Yooka-Replaylee’ remake was a huge improvement, so I bought that too, and still bounced off it after a few hours.
But I’m still glad it seems to be doing really well, because it’s obvious a lot of care goes into it, and it’s good for the 3D platformer genre in general. 👍
Basing it off the original Mario Kart is certainly… A choice. The stages being 100% flat is crazy when fun creative stages are the biggest reason people love kart racers.
i think it looks interesting still, it’s certainly very different from most kart racers these days!
tho as someone with a potato for a computer, i sure hope this game’s performance is in line with its graphics lol
We have Super Tux Kart at home 🥹.
Agreed. The trailer emphasizes “player created chaos”, so I wonder if they’re holding back the reveal of a level designer or something. Full 3D tracks probably wouldn’t work with that.
Yeah that also kinda disappointed me. Especially after seeing this thumbnail I expected something visually more exciting.
One of the reasons I don’t play the newer mario karts much is I find the levels hard to parse visually. They just cram so much stuff into every frame. I don’t mind having plainer tracks to drive around on if the driving and interactions feel good.
There’s a next gen Mario Kart with an amazing open world and even that feels kind of inessential after Mario Kart 8 nailed everything already. So I guess good luck to these devs!
Being a fan of the SNES/GBA Mario Kart games as well as a fan of games with playable lizards, I’m actually kinda excited for it… but even then, Playtonic utterly confuses me. They’re making a very specific game that will be enjoyed by dozens of people, and in the process of doing so they kinda ignored the fanbase’s long-standing demand for a Diddy Kong Racing spiritual successor. Doesn’t seem like a wise decision to me.
Looks fun! I kinda like the aesthetic.
