When it comes to mainstream gaming appeal, it’s hard to beat Mario Kart. Break out some controllers at a party and you’ll likely get a grid full of eager racers. The game’s seamless way of balancing disparate levels of skill and aggression creates an addictive experience for just about everyone.
Real-world karting, on the other hand, remains more of a niche affair. Sure, plenty of people race karts at theme parks and putt-putt parking lots, but this style of racing isn’t on the radar for your average group of friends looking for a Friday diversion.
What if you could do Mario Kart IRL without risking life and limb at some questionably safe theme park in China? That’s basically the question that RPM Raceway is answering with the launch of Kart Klash. Debuting today at three of RPM Raceway’s tracks in the northeast (Stamford, CT, and Long Island, NY), RPM has developed a way to bring a taste of Nintendo into reality. It’s only a taste, and it has room for improvement, but after getting an early go behind the wheel, I’m itching for more.
Software meets hardware meets racetrack
Kart Klash is a new experience at RPM’s existing indoor tracks running electric Sodikart RSX2 karts. These machines offer variable levels of performance but can hit a maximum speed of 45 mph, which I can assure you feels pretty quick when your posterior is two inches from the floor.
They’re light-years more advanced than the smoky, lawnmower-engined rigs that you’ve probably experienced at some roadside tourist trap.
As someone who’s raced two-stroke performance karts in the past, I’m always skeptical at venues like this, but RPM’s karts did not disappoint. While not as fast as my old racer, in full-power mode, the Sodikart is plenty quick enough to make the tight, twisting, two-level track at RPM a real challenge in a straight race.
But things got way more fun when adding in rockets, land mines, and EMP bursts. After two races to learn the track, it was time to enable Kart Klash. While the team at RPM loaded up the prerelease software and rebooted the course, I was given a run-through of how to play.
While a typical race is based on lap time — which is to say that you can finish last on the track but still win with the quickest lap — in Kart Klash, whoever crosses the finish line first after eight laps wins.
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