If you thought Nightmare Kart was a blast from the past, Two Brain Games are set to take you even further back with their upcoming Carnage Kart X, which is set to arrive this Friday in Steam Early Access. A retro-inspired hack n’ slash experience combining the feel of classic karting games from the early 90s with Vampire Survivors-like gameplay, the game sports hand-drawn 2D pixel art and low-poly 3D models in a callback to something you’d play at the arcade.
As you might expect, the story is kind of nonsensical, but perfectly in line with what you’d expect: Players must use their weapons and driving skills as a Knight of the Kart to survive swarms of fiendish ghouls and horrendous horrors until the timer strikes zero, with staying alive in each stage a challenge. There are 3 difficulty options to choose from before starting a stage, each having different time limits and providing better rewards for those willing to take on the risk.
After each stage, there is a classic-styled kart racing bonus game for extra rewards.
Carnage Kart X features classic kart movement such as boosting and drifting combined with jumping and rail grinding, along with upgradable main weapons, secondary weapons, kart stats, and kart abilities. For those on a retro kick, there’s the option for multiple internal resolutions for players to select their level of pixelation, as well as optional film grain and scanline overlays. There are also multiple camera angles so the player can change the perspective on the fly.
And of course, one can’t forget about the gore, with selectable amounts of blood spurts from enemies.
The team estimates that Carnage Kart X will be in Early Access for approximately 1 to 3 months, depending on the response, the speed at which they’re able to make content/updates. The full version aim to have more weapons, stages, and better overall polish.