Carnage Racing Review

Carnage Racing has all the attributes of a great kart racing game, but with a difference (besides the fact these are actually cars). Alongside the typical weapon boxes, hazardous courses, and aerial acrobatics, developers Jagex (the team behind Runescape) have incorporated some unique time-warping capabilities into each course, to make this a racing game with its own identity.

In the free version, players can select one of two trucks and customize them to their desire. They can then take the race online in Multiplayer against up to 8 players, or into Career mode through one of 4 courses. While the Career mode is playable, the real excitement is in Multiplayer.

The time-warping capability keeps things chaotic and intense, as portals open and close within seconds, causing players to smash into walls that previously held a gateway to another area. This means the tables can be turned within seconds, and so therefore can the outcome of the race. This unpredictability is a key strength of Carnage Racing, and was one of the many reasons I kept coming back for more.

Unfortunately, gameplay in Career mode is a lot more reserved than Multiplayer, which is where Carnage Racing truly earns its name. For players interested in a strong single player campaign, they won't find it here. Without the presence of others, Carnage Racing loses a lot of its appeal. There are also some frame rate and loading issues at the beginning of each track which need to be ironed out. The full version is worth a download for the extra 17 levels and muscle cars, but there's still plenty of fun to be had for free in multiplayer without them.

From the unique time portal feature to the infectious multiplayer mode, Carnage Racing ticks a lot of the right boxes and secures itself as an entertaining and light-hearted racer that can be enjoyed by anyone.