The house of Nickelodeon has many series under its roof, with the main TV station and Nicktoons showing all of what they have. These properties have always had video games on consoles made for them, most notable the SpongeBob Squarepants games, though there’s also been numerous crossover games. Recently, such crossovers have taken the form of racing games (and a fighter), with the latest of these having just recently released.
Slime Speedway is the third of these Nickelodeon Kart Racers games, with it also being my first. While I don’t know exactly what has changed between them, each is sure to have seen additions and changes that have refined the formula to the point we have this third game. The only thing to note is that such refinement certainly hasn’t been used on stability.
The first thing to note with this game is its framerate. It’s not good. Mostly consistent if low, but can drop further with many things happening on-screen. The fast-paced gameplay doesn’t suit such a small framterate, meaning reacting to things can be hard. Such as with the addition of the slime speedways that are part of the racetracks.
Yes, the subtitle of the game is a reference to the slime speedways that make up parts of each of the tracks. When you enter one, you’ll get a speed boost, but will have to jump out of the way of obstacles on them. To make sure they don’t offer a massive advantage, these slime speedways loop and twist to make them longer. Now, with a camera that is poorly implemented to keep danger in view, and the framerate issues that are at their worst here, be thankful you only need to jump while on one.
For the rest of the tracks, you’ll be on surfaces both solid and liquid, as you compete against eleven other drivers for that first place. Each track has a unique look that represents the series it comes from, such as the Arbuckle Farm from Garfield or the Toy Palace from Rugrats. Each track comes with a shortcut or two that are sometimes easy to reach, while others – usually on water sections – will be random. And if you head for one of those and the wave drops just as you reach it, wave goodbye to pretty much all of your positions while you try to recover.
Though gaining them back is pretty easy. Items come in attack, defence, support, and boost varieties, with each having a different coloured item box representing the type of item you’ll get. Along with an orange one for a random item. These items are effective in battling against the other drivers, seeing close-quarters weapons and longer-range stuff being a part of that roster.
There are also double dare items that can appear, which when activated fill the track with objects. These double dares are active for all racers, which task them to collect or avoid the most items on the track, or avoid crashing while at maximum speed. If you fail, you’ll be slowed down. They’re an interesting gimmick designed to encourage a different kind of tactic while on track.
Also an interesting gimmick is the pit crew. These are three character cards that you can choose from, with a chief who will have an effect that needs to be activated once the slime meter is filled, and two supports who bring passive effects. The most effective of these I’ve found are the one that gives you a boost upon being hit and the one that allows you to ignore rough terrain. Both ensure you are never slowed for too long no matter what stats you have, though there’s plenty others to choose from with different effects.
Karts are customisable here, with the body, wheels, and exhaust all changing the stats in some way. That goes for the character, too. Stats do matter, with speed, acceleration, handling, turbo, and weight all playing a part in how the driving handles. All of these – kart parts, characters, and pit crew – can be bought in the shop. Though some are unlocked in other ways. Which allows me to talk of the modes.
There are ten cups to complete across four speeds in Slime Scramble. Winning races is necessary to get the three stars here. Free race is exactly as it says, with you able to modify the rules of the race, with speed and difficulty, items and pit crew, and the number of laps all able to see changes. There’s a challenges mode, where you need to complete certain tasks in a list which will unlock a boss event. An arena mode which pits racers to battle against one another instead of race, and then time trial. The ghosts of time trial are tough to crack, being precise and fast. Considering the target audience of the game, I’m surprised at how tough they are.
There’s multiplayer of both local and online varieties, with Slime Scramble, free race, and arena all able to be selected from to compete against other people. You’re probably not gonna see any time on the online mode unless arranging games with others in private match, since matchmaking will rarely bring any results. And when you do, it seems the problems with fraterate and stuttering are increased.
It’s tough to say how much this one is worth your time. It’s certainly a fun one, with a diverse range of items and things to be aware of on track, but the slowdown can hold it back from fully realising its potential to be a great racer. If you are a fan of Nickelodeon shows, there’s a range of them featured here – including Jimmy Neutron for a blast from the past. It’s a case where if you can look past the problems, it’s a good game. If one you don’t want to spend too long per session on.
Images Taken From:
Nickelodeon Kart Racers 3: Slime Speedway (Original Screenshots)
