If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if FromSoft made a PlayStation 1 era kart racer, then Nightmare Kart is a game you need to check out. The low-poly, highly-stylised gothic racing game released on June 1, and you can pick it up for the low-low price of absolutely nothing!
With 21 racers, 13 karts, 15 tracks, and split-screen multiplayer, Nightmare Kart feels like something out of a different era of gaming, because it fundamentally is. Created by the developer behind the BloodbornePSX de-make, the game began life as a joke on Twitter/X before becoming a fully fledged project with a lot of scope. It’s a love letter to the now almost forgotten kart racing sub-genre, mashed with the gothic stylings of FromSoftware and Souls-like games. And it’s a must-play if you’re a fan of any one of those things.
Credit: Esports.net
Like the PSX Bloodborne remake before it, Nightmare Kart originally was a homage to Bloodborne, with a familiar cast of characters and enemies. But ahead of a full release, the game veered away from direct references to a more “legally distinct” set of racers, just to stay on the safe side.
Still, the game captures so much of the gothic, brooding aesthetic of its inspiration, coupled with the low-poly charm of PSX and N64 era titles. The game instantly reminded me of Castlevania 64 or an old Resident Evil game, with character models so polygonally sharp you’d cut yourself if you picked them up.
Credit: Esports.net
The game also handles like a (Hunter’s) dream. It has native controller support, and after a brief tutorial you’re ready for the campaign. Everything is super intuitive, from the boost mechanics to the auto aiming weapons and drift controls. Really just a polished game that lovingly adapts the vestiges of gothic horror into the realm of the PSX remake.
The game is available on Itch.io with a suggested donation, and as soon as it passes certification, it’ll also be available on Steam. And it has couch multiplayer, which some are theorizing will be able to be remote multiplayer once it launches on Steam. You really can’t go wrong with a game like this – especially if you’re a Bloodborne fan jilted by the fact the PC port still hasn’t arrived.
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