Renzo Raceris a middle-of-the-road (pun intended) to below-average kart racing game that stars a cast of wacky, and sometimes off-putting anthropomorphic animals. This is a cookie-cutter kart racing gamethat does little to deviate from other ones on the market. Unfortunately, the game is as janky as it is boring, with little fun to be had for those jumping in, even those new to the subgenre as a whole.
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While there are much, much better kart racers out there,Renzo Racerdoes at least give a somewhat decent try at appealing to fans of this unique subgenre. For those jumping intoRenzo Racer, here are some good things to keep in mind, especially when first starting out in this subpar game.
6It’s Just A Super Tough Game To Control
There’s really no getting around thatRenzo Raceris an extremely rough game all around. From terrible controls, lackluster AI, a bland and tasteless presentation, and just a high level of jank, this isn’t a game that will likely stick in players' kart racing collection for too long. All of this is worth mentioning since many players might be wondering why they are bad at the game when first starting out.
Renzo Racer, simply put, is just a tough game to control.The mere act of driving a kartaround a track feels cumbersome at the best of times. While it might get a tad easier with some practice, it’s unlikely that the game will end up being any more fun along the way.
5Nope, There’s No Drift
Most kart racers feature some sort of drift mechanic to navigate tricky corners or to stack up some boost to blaze ahead of the competition.Games likeMario Kart, Crash Team Racing, and evenTeam Sonic Racingall feature some sort of a drifting mechanic. The same, unfortunately, can’t be said forRenzo Racer.
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As players navigate around each of the colorful yet bland tracks, something quickly becomes apparent; there’s no way to actually drift or fine-tune steering. The controls only really allow for braking which almost immediately brings players to a screeching halt, something that makes the game feel sluggish and unrefined.
4Track Hazards Galore
IfRenzo Racerdid have a unique selling point it would be that each of the game’s tracks has unique track hazards. This is something that hasn’t really been seen too much in kart racing games but here inRenzo Racer,they are abundant, oftentimes to the game’s detriment. Track hazards are tough to navigate through and around, again, because of wonky and stiff controls.
These track hazards come in the form of wooden stakes, gravel bits, tar, spikes, and many others.Some of these hazardsare already on the track but others need to be activated by hitting signposts on the track. What’s worse is that anytime players run into a hazard, a wall, or even another racer, they either come to a complete halt or bounce off them in a strange way.
3The Multiple (If Shallow) Modes
Renzo Racer’sfeature set is quite shallow and limited, something that really shouldn’t come as a surprise given how unpolished, broken, and janky the game is overall. In terms of game modes, players are “treated” to single-player tournament cups, single-track races, and two-player local races. Yes, that’s it.
These modes are incredibly lackluster with the game even making the mistake of calling the tournament mode “Grand Prix” in the game’s help menu option. While the modes might be boring, there are at least a decent number of tracks to choose from, even if they aren’t all that fun to race on and around.
2How To Unlock New Stuff In The Game
Renzo Racerallows playersto unlock new anthropomorphic animal racersas well as new tracks. However, this isn’t obvious when first jumping into the game. The only way to learn about unlocking new stuff is by visiting the game’s help menu option. Here, players learn that the way to unlock new stuff is by placing 1st in single-track races or 1st, 2nd, or 3rd in tournament cups.
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Unfortunately, none of this really matters since getting through one race alone, let alone an entire tournament is painful and sluggish, with AI being wildly inconsistent. For those that can push through the problems the game has, there are at least a dozen or so tracks to unlock and a handful of new characters to try out.Each character has their own unique kart and stats, despite not actually being felt during a race.
1Items Really Don’t Do All That Much
Kart racers can oftenlive or die by the powerups or items that players can drive through to provide defensive benefits or offensive options. In the case ofRenzo Racer, the items are rather disappointing and rarely ever work as intended, except for the lightning speed dash one. That speed dash does at least give players a quick boost of speed, with three separate uses.
The other pickups, namely, the bombs, the rockets, and the few other ones really don’t work properly, oftentimes completing missing a rival racer altogether. Much like everything else in this game, it’s easy to glean that these items don’t do much and really aren’t game-changing in any meaningful way.
