A few things holding this back from true greatness, but still remains a pretty exceptional kart racer. It's a shame that its drift is so finnicky for precise play, because mechanically the thing is close to perfection - beyond satisfying to pop off perfect turbo boosts in quick succession, and it works essentially as intended for casual racing. But in a game that emphasizes its own (fair and richly rewarding) difficulty, reliable inputs are crucial - which are hindered doubly so due to this also having maybe the world's most delayed jump that will fail you at least 50% of the time. The tracks are just phenomenal though, catered sharply to the game's physics/mechanics - the only two tracks in the entire roster that are anything less than amazing are Cortex Castle and Oxide Station (can't believe there's so much love for those two considering how slapdash and awkward they feel to play). Their art style, too, is pristine. Plus, as is the case with the rest of Crash's recent fare, this feels like a God's honest love letter to the franchise. Though the crystal challenges are the same type of horrible, not fun extra content as - say - the Challenge of the Gods in the early God of War games. Also microtransactions.

Reviewed on Jun 19, 2023


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