Outright Games and 3DClouds are building quite the catalogue of family-friendly racers – their latest collaboration is Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart, which we’re reviewing here. It’s available on Xbox, PlayStation, Switch and PC right now.
Earlier this week, we spoke to the developers behind Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart, but we got a taste of what this was like much earlier than that when we played Gigantosaurus: The Game. The first game from Outright that based on the show already features a little racing section, and Dino Kart is a bit like a mashup of that section and the previous racing games that the dev and publisher have done together.
As a result, we see the auto-drive feature from Blaze return that makes it really easy for even the youngest of gamers to play along – all they need to do is hit accelerate and their character will steer itself through all of the corners automatically. For the fans who haven’t really gotten used to video games and gamepads just yet, this is a great way to play along with older siblings who are (also) Gigantosaurus fans.
The game scales up to a full kart racer experience for older players, with the ability to drift through corners and pick up and use power-ups during the race. These races are spread across three distinct environments (from a volcano to a lush jungle), and with 15 different tracks between these environments there’s a lot to choose from, with plenty of variety within environments as well. Off the track, a lot of attention seems to have been given to backdrops and wildlife (including massive dinosaurs), while on the track there are hazards, big jumps and water puddles to steer around.
And although he doesn’t exactly fit inside a kart, Giganto will also pop up and walk across the track, forcing you to avoid his very large feet. And, just like big kart racers like Team Sonic Racing, you’ll find that tracks have shortcuts and different routes for you to take. For a game that was designed for a very young audience, Dino Kart has a lot of mature features for a kart racer.
Fans of the show will recognize Rocky, Bill, Mazu, Tiny and Archie as playable characters, with T-Rex, Rugo, Cror and Totor featured as unlockable characters. As a great bit of fan service, all the characters are animated well and are fully voiced – and as mentioned the world they race around in is visually impressive as well, with a ton of elements that make the world of Gigantosaurus come alive. Big fans can also pursue additional unlockables and/or trophies, with alternate skins being among the most interesting rewards.
Gigantosaurus: Dino Kart is, as you’d perhaps expect, a tad light on gameplay modes. There are multiple difficulty levels to play on that slightly change the experience and you can unlock most of the content through the main adventure mode, but other than that it’s fairly standard racing. The bulk of the game’s lasting appeal will come from the ability to play in local multiplayer though, which supports up to four players at once.
As a kid-friendly racer this isn’t a game that adults will want to pick up and play for a game night, but the developers have done a great job in bringing the world of Gigantosaurus to life in a kart game setting. They’re also scaled it to a point where it may not be incredibly challenging for older gamers, but it at least becomes engaging despite the race unfolding at a slightly more mellow pace. For those looking to play together with little ones who enjoy the show, this is a great choice.
Score: 7.9/10
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