Left in the dust.
It almost seems that a new Kart Racer releases every month. The genre, made popular by Mario Kart, has drifted around the corner with several popular IP’s, to countless original titles all looking for victory. From Garfield to the plethora of Nickelodeon characters, to Sonic, and beyond, they join the likes of Coffin Dodgers, Crash Team Racing, Paw Patrol: Grand Prix, and even the laughably titled Smurfs: Kart. The Kart Racer has more competition than nearly any other genre in gaming. Adding to this ever-growing list is now Hot Rod Mayhem, a Kart Racer that sadly brings nothing to the table and is destined to be left in the dust.
Innovation, recognizable and popular characters, exciting and diverse environments, and fun and engaging gameplay, have been the pillars of why certain titles have stood out from the pack. Mario Kart constantly would innovate with each new entry, as did the Sonic and Nickelodeon offerings, whereas the likes of Garfield, Smurfs, Paw Patrol, and other licensed games felt like generic offerings mandated by a publisher to release as is.
Hot Rod Mayhem is an original IP. It's not tied to a deadline-pushing publisher or having to be released in time for a major motion picture or animated series. I've criticized previous entries in the genre before by releasing in a bare bones state, lacking modes, features, and basic quality of life features that should be part of any Kart Racer. Hot Rod Mayhem, sadly lacks anything that allows it to stand out, making it a very one-and-done experience.
With a lack of modes, no online, and a sluggish speed to its racing, there are countless better options on the Switch out there, regardless of their quality. Hot Rod Mayhem is not at the bottom of the list by any means, but with over a dozen alternatives that are some of the best in the genre, I can only recommend this to those who have played out their current games and simply want new tracks to zip around in.
The level design here is likely the saving grace of what is presented. With 10 courses that can be flipped, reversed, and made twisted, you'll get a lot of mileage out of them, literally. However, while you can gain boost power by drifting around corners, the game lacks boost pads or gaining boost on jumps. The boost speed is frankly where I'd want the base speed as the game feels slow, and that could be due to the optimization made for the Switch; it just lacks that sense of speed I get elsewhere. Also, some courses have gates and gongs that you have to race into, and it feels weird that these are present. While they don’t halt your speed, why this was a choice is beyond me.
The level variety is pretty decent with plenty of fun tracks. Form racing in space in Satellite Sprint, to the freezing cold temperatures of Snow Summit, or the haunted hills of Halloween Highway, I found many of these courses to really stand out. Even the ability to race under a rollercoaster in Paleo Parkway was a nice little nod to Jurassic Park that feels absolutely perfect, complete with dinosaurs obstructing your path.
Where Hot Rod Mayhem suffers is that lack of modes. You only have Race and Championship. Race allows you to set the number of drivers, their difficulty, the number of races from 3, 4, 6, or 8, with the winner picking the next course. Championship allows you to pick the number of racers from 6, 8, or 10, and you can choose your difficulty. While young kids can certainly get by with Easy, I found it absolutely a cakewalk with their AI not even trying. Normal feels like what I would expect Easy to feel like.
Once you wrap up a championship cup race, you'll unlock new outfit designs and karts, providing some new content to add to your kit. Some of the new karts are the best in the game, and provide a nice dose of speed or boost power. With 10 championship cups to race for, there is a beefy game here in that regard, even if additional modes could have added more to it. There is no battle mode, single race, or anything else. The whole package feels very basic, even by budget game standards.
With bright colors, and a diverse collection of tracks, Hot Rod Mayhem is a fairly good looking title, on par with more Kart Racers on Switch. It does lack some presentation with track direction, and the host is constantly sandwiched between loading menus or the race, causing their model to constantly lock up. The karts and characters have a pretty generic look to them, with weapons we’ve seen a hundred times before, but the customization does allow for some fun designs that are appealing, once you unlock them, that is.
Hot Rod Mayhem joins a genre that is packed full of some of the best games ever made. Sadly, it brings nothing to make it stand out or add to the genre, making it very forgettable. While its courses are pretty enjoyable, with several ways to engage with them, this is nonetheless a title that will remain in the rearview of a stacked collection of gaming greats.
Developer - Casual Brothers. Publisher - Casual Brothers. Released - April 15th. Available On - Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, PC. Rated - (E) Mild Fantasy Violence. Platform Reviewed - Nintendo Switch. Review Access - A review code was provided by the publisher for the purpose of this review.
Jeff is the original founder of Analog Stick Gaming. His favorite games include The Witcher III, the Mass Effect Trilogy, Hi-Fi Rush, Stellar Blade, Hellbade: Senua’s Sacrifice, and the Legend of Heroes series, especially Trails of Cold Steel III & IV.