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The Last Kart is a cute, free, rainy racer

Post-apocalyptic car chase

Here's a tiny recommendation in the form of The Last Kart [itch.io link], a little kart racer game where the only thing to do is race your 2D air taxi thing round a track decorated with silhouetted... gibbets?

It's Matthew Redmond's entry in the Dev Squad Replicate Jam 2017. Having a quick scout around, I think the theme for this one was to riff on modern 8-bit games, so pixelly but not in a slavishly retro way, just as part of the aesthetic of a clearly modern game. The main visual reference point is post-cyberpunk thriller, The Last Night.

The Last Night isn't even out until 2018 (and we want to wait and see more of the actual game/try it out before getting too enthused - Graham outlined why here and here) but its aesthetic has attracted attention since a version of the game appeared as an entrant in the cyberpunk jam of 2014.

So to go back to Redmond's riff, it's a simple racer, confined to a curvy track in a courtyard bounded by high-rise buildings. The cars themselves have an airy feel, cornering more like boats and I easily coasted ahead of the pack, never dipping below first place after half a lap, BUT I'm a sucker for pixelly games set in the rain and there's something delightful about the herd of 2D taxis pottering about by the light of streetlamps!

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Philippa Warr: Pip wrote for Rock Paper Shotgun between 2014-2017, covering everything from MOBAs, hero brawlers and indie curios. She also had a keen interest in the artistry of video game creation, and was very partial to keeping us informed of the latest developments in British TV show Casualty.
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The Last Night

Xbox One, PC, Mac

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