Touring Karts (PS4/PSVR) Review
Release Date: December 12, 2019
Publisher/Developer: Ivanovich Games SL
Platform : PlayStation 4 (reviewed), Steam
Price: $19.99
Many have tried, but few have succeeded to match the perfect balance that is Mario Kart. The zany tracks, unique characters and perfectly tweaked rubberband AI pretty much guarantee a fun time to be had by all, be it online or locally. Touring Karts comes as an attempt to bring that magic to virtual reality.
Other than the VR perspective, Touring Karts’ big draw is the combination of items into more zany powerups. Sure, you can throw a chicken at someone or use a giant soda to grow huge and crush the competition, but why not merge them and chuck a giant chicken, or mix a chicken with a bazooka for a bomb dropping chicken? There are around 45 different combinations. Strangely, the combinations are the entirety of the achievement list, and items are acquired randomly. Unless there’s some logical progression showing you all of the combos eventually, achievement hunters may get frustrated on the luck of the draw on this title.
As a $20 budget title, though, you can tell that you are getting what you pay for. There are several teams and therefore several different color schemes, but the racers are by and large nameless and all have helmets on. You can buy new helmets, but that doesn’t really impact the personality of the drivers. The music stays monotone and simplistic, and there’s no major feeling of or notification to your victory. While I have seen some tracks deform whilst playing, it was usually a simple up or down in elevation, and most of the tracks I’ve seen thus far have been fairly flat.
You can tell the game was designed for VR gamers to enjoy, with several control options available including wheels, Move controllers, and basic pads (even some sort of ground-based thing that looks like this thing I had for my NES called the Roll ‘n’ Rocker. Regardless, I was sad to see my options diminish outside of VR down to basic controller support, not even allowing the motion controls inherent in the PS4 controller let alone the Move wheel or motion controlled item usage, which is one of the big draws of the VR mode. Whilst in VR you have to actively reach up to grab items and then physically throw them at your opponents. This is particularly fun with some of the combinations, as you watch the opponents get wrecked.
Touring Karts attempts to bring charm and character into it’s otherwise bland courses with obstacles, though I am concerned how closely we skirt copyright issues here. A giant monkey will ride atop what is obviously a Star Wars AT-AT across the track of throw L-shaped Tetris blocks at you. Part of the intro video sees a monkey pretty much spot-on dressed as Marvel’s Galactus, though I haven’t seen him just yet in gameplay. Most obstacles and items simply spin you out for a bit and you are soon back on track.
I think the biggest frustration in the game is simply that after one play session, you pretty much know everything there is to know about Touring Karts. There is no local multiplayer, so forget about having a good old Mario Kart style couch session. Powerups are funny the first time you see them, but you eventually run out of unique combinations. Race, get money, upgrade to go faster, continue. Controls are simple and effective, though the controller works much more intuitively than any motion control. The VR is entertaining but graphically could use some polish as the chaos of a kart racer and having full 360 degree view hit my VR nausea a lot easier than most, and I can easily play WipeOut for multiple races before tapping out. As a $20 budget title, a good deal of fun can be had for either VR addicts or those without a Nintendo device, but if you are looking for a top-notch racing experience you may want to steer clear.
Pros:
-VR Kart Racer: definitely a cool way to do vehicle combat
-The motion controls are genuinely fun! Grabbing powerups out of the air and hurling them at others
-Unique powerup combo mechanic
-VR camera options include an “arcade machine” which reduces motion issues
Cons:
-VR is nauseating and non-VR cuts out all motion control options
-Short, flat tracks and uninteresting characters
-A basic gameplay loop that gets old quick
-Some garbled sentences show a lack of polish
-Games like this need more intuitive multiplayer, preferably local
Thanks to Ivanovich Games SL for providing a code for review!