Nickelodeon Kart Racers isn't the definitive kart racer for Nintendo Switch, but it is a passable, functional title that carries some interesting '90s nostalgia onto the track. It's a good game to play with kids who are tired of Bowser, DK, Toad, and everyone else duking it out with Mario all the time, and it has an interesting and unique Slime mechanic that spices up races a bit.
Even if you're already pretty familiar with kart racer games, you might need a bit of help to master Nickelodeon Kart Racers. Here are a few tips and tricks to assist you:
Check the controls immediately
Chances are, if you're picking this up for yourself or your kid, someone in your house has already played Mario Kart at some point in their lives. And if that's the case, they're going to have certain ideas about how button schemes work, like A being to accelerate. When you first load up Nickelodeon Kart Racers though, that's not the case. You'll have to use RT to accelerate instead. But that's entirely changeable if you want it to be. Open the Pause menu in any given race and check out your control options immediately, as you're not given them ahead of a race.
In addition to changing the control scheme to something a bit more familiar, you can also turn on tilt controls and auto accelerate options that might be a bit more fun to play with or at least more kid-friendly. Get yourself set up how you like before you begin racing for a much easier time.
Collect slime and coins
As you drive around the track, you'll want to prioritize two things aside from winning: driving through slime and collecting coins. Yes, drive through that slime! Even though it looks like a hazard you should avoid, the slime will fill up your slime meter, which can then be spent to get speed boosts. You can use slime right away for little boosts, or stock up until your bar is full for a big boost. It's up to you to decide how to use slime on different tracks to pass opponents or fly through certain areas of the track.
The coins are of less importance in a race but will come in handy later. Coins you collect can be spent in the menu for new kart parts that will increase different stats on your art, such as speed, acceleration, and slime handling. If you want to quit finishing races somewhere way the heck between third and seventh place, you might want those upgrades, and they can be tough to acquire otherwise.
Drift around turns
Use that drift! Just like in Mario Kart, drifting is a great way to get yourself a speed boost, and Nickelodeon Kart Racers lets you abuse the feature a bit for some crazy fast turns. Use left trigger to drift around curves for a boost as often as possible, and get used to the feel of the turns quickly so you can do this efficiently and without crashing into walls. Master drifting and you're likely to win the majority of your races.
Make the most of your victory lap
When you're sent on a Victory Lap after winning a cup, you aren't immediately told exactly what's going on. Essentially, your Victory Lap gives you a set amount of time to race around a track and collect coins and boxes. Get as many as you can! At the end of the time limit, you'll get to keep all the coins, plus open the boxes for a chance either at even more coins, or new parts for your karts. This is the only way besides spending coins to get new kart parts, and it is random, but they're technically free. So aim for those boxes!
Unlock new cups
Nickelodeon Kart Racers does not have any extra unlockable characters, and all your kart pieces are gained through coins or boxes in Victory Laps. But you can unlock new cups through gameplay! In order to do that, you'll need to finish all the cups you already have unlocked on a certain speed difficulty with first place wins to unlock a new cup on that same difficulty. You'll have to do the same for each difficulty to unlock new difficulties on the hidden cups, so get working on those races. You may need to get yourself some better kart parts in order to claim victory on some of the tricker cups.
Characters don't matter, karts do
Which leads me to the last tip - characters don't matter in Nickelodeon Kart Racers, but karts do, at least a little. All characters have the same stats and can use the same karts, but depending on how you trick out your kart you can do better in certain races. New kart parts don't make a huge difference, but they can give you an edge over the competition if you're struggling to finish a race. If you're struggling, try running a few cups focusing on coin collection so you can buy some upgrades you need, then race again.
Still need help?
Have any further questions about Nickelodeon Kart Racers? Let me know in the comments and I'll try to help!
