(Credit: Sumo Games)
LOS ANGELES—If you somehow thought Mario Kart needed more chaos, the upcoming Stampede: Battle Royale may be more your speed. Like Mario Kart, it's a racing game with highly varied circuits and potent power-ups designed to wreck the competition. Now imagine a race involving 60 people on that same track, and you’ll get a good idea of what to expect. Developer Sumo Games demoed the game at IGN Live, giving us a chance to test-run the kart racer.
The controls are fairly simple, which shouldn’t surprise anyone who plays kart racers. On a standard controller, you pull the right trigger to accelerate, pull the left trigger to powerslide, and press A to use items you collect on the track. We unleashed a few power-ups, including a tracking explosive that works like the red shells in Mario Kart.
Stampede: Battle Royale has a polished feel, and uses an adorable chibi art style for its racer models (the characters resemble Sony’s Astro robot). This makes for a big, cartoonish racing canvas.
The contests include three-round eliminator events that culminate in a finale to crown a champion. These rounds include Stampede Races (classic kart racing on wild circuits) and Stampede Battles (where competitors are locked in arenas with numerous power-ups).
(Credit: Sumo Games)However, Stampede: Race Royale karts have a slow top speed. Hitting a stage's boost pads keeps the karts moving briskly, but missing even one makes for glacial movement. Hopefully, Sumo Games will introduce additional speed tiers to raise the skill ceiling, much like Mario Kart's CC speeds. On the upside, Sumo Games plans to incorporate extensive customization options, letting you personalize your kart and driver.
Stampede: Race Royale lacks an official release date, but you can apply for playtest access on the game’s Steam page.
Disclosure: IGN is owned by PCMag's parent company Ziff Davis.