Nexon, the developer of Maplestory and Audition, has recently put out the open-beta version of Kartrider, the Korean smash hit. Very similar to Mario Kart games, there are items you can pick, time trials, and single race modes. One of Kartriders distinguishing features however, is the ability to play in Team Mode. In Speed Team Mode there are between 1-3 other racers that you compete with, rather than against, all while trying to upset a competing group of racers. During Item Team Mode, you race you karts, trying to pick up items able to be used to benefit your own team, or make things more difficult for your opponents. A good concept, but some frustration can arise when you realize that it only takes a single car from either team to make First Place to have that entire Team declared the winner of the race. For example, your team may have karts make Second, Third, and Fourth Places, but if the other team has a racer place First, they win.

Thankfully, as you play the game you acquire RP, or racer points, which allow you to level up and get better licenses. You also earn Lucci, which is the currency of the in-game monetary system and allows you to buy better karts, characters, and other fun customization items. But for those of you that aren’t interested solely in multi-player racing, there is the scenario mode. In the scenario mode, you play as Dao, an up-and-coming racer, who wants to go on to be the greatest racer in the world. Yes, I know, the story isn’t particularly imaginative, but the scenario mode is fun, and can be very challenging at times.

One of developer Nexon’s signature features is heavy player customization, and Kartrider it is no different. Starting out you can choose everything from the gender and appearance of your character, to the kart you drive, and even your ride’s license plates. The customization seems nearly endless. Another unique element of Kartrider is the 2D, cell-shaded graphics. The cell shading offers a cartoon-like feel to the games, especially when you use power-ups, such as nitro boost, water bomb, and the UFO.

Kartrider is still in its beta stage, which means very few items, and lag that can be pretty bad at times. So it’s pretty important you have a fast internet connection, and decent system specs.

So if you are looking for something that is very different, yet the game is free, and well worth a look whether you are a fan of racing games or not.

And you did hear us mention it’s free, right? Download it now at www.nexon.net