There is just something about mascot characters and kart racers that makes them fit together like two peas in a pod. Ever since the first Mario Kart game was released on the Super Nintendo, it\u2019s been a genre that continues to delight fans, even in the wild times we find ourselves in. Now, the lizard and bat combo of Yooka-Laylee is hopping into the driver’s seat of Super Yooka-Laylee Kart, revealed during this year’s Summer Game Fest, and IGN had a chance to get some time on the track with this upcoming racer from some of the same devs that worked on the much-loved Diddy Kong Racing! <\/p>\n
Yooka-Laylee Kart pits eight racers against each other in a heated race around courses themed after locales from the main games. In an attempt to adopt a look that is a bit of a blend of Nintendo\u2019s 16- and 64-bit eras, Yooka-Laylee\u2019s maps are colorful, flat tracks decorated with 3D assets outside of the tracks. The racers themselves, like my GOAT, Trowzer the Snake, appear as 3D models rendered with a filter to give the sense of pixel art. Even as a work-in-progress, this looks to be one of the more vibrant and colorful choices in the kart genre that does a good job capturing the source material.<\/p>\n
Being an early pre-alpha build, the core systems are in place – the driving, the zanny items, and courses – but actually playing Yooka-Laylee felt a bit rough. Driving around, even without the use of boosts, felt slippery, where I would often find myself sliding oddly into walls, frequently feeling that turning was cranked up to 11 and being far too extreme in movement. The current build lacked a mini-map or any signage to help tip you off as to what was coming up. I would find it difficult to notice what was quickly approaching, forcing me to react more violently than I normally would. Thankfully, the representative from Playtonic who was there mentioned that both the mini-map and signage were in the works, and that fine-tuning controls is a normal part of polish, so I\u2019m not too worried when it arrives in retail, but I am keeping an eye on it.<\/p>\n
Out of all that Yooka-Laylee Kart is looking to deliver, what has me most excited and that I am more interested in is its custom rulesets that players will be able to tinker around with to create custom race types. These custom rules look to extend into the grand prix mode too, as during my cup race, I encountered races that would not only turn all racers invisible in one map, but then in the next made each racer the same character. That change specifically made the race all about mastery of the game\u2019s systems and skill, removing any differences in weight or handling between the participants. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\nSuper Yooka-Laylee Kart Screenshots<\/h3>\n