How to play
KART CLASH is a kart battle in glossy toy plastic. You and five bots race around a studded baseplate arena surrounded by giant toys, and the goal is not to finish a lap but to knock out as many karts as you can. The game drops you straight into a match after a short countdown.
Drive with W A S D or the arrow keys. Drive through a ? box to pick up an item, then press Space (or J or Enter) to use it. Esc opens the garage menu. On a phone, the left thumb stick drives and the FIRE button uses your item.
A match lasts two minutes. Every kart has 100 health, shown as a bar over its name. Bring a kart's health to zero and that is a KO, and the kart with the most KOs when time runs out wins; on a tie, the kart knocked out fewer times ranks higher. Knocked-out karts come back about two and a half seconds later, including yours, so it is about scoring, not surviving.
Tips and strategy
- Always be carrying something. You can only score with items, and you can only hold one at a time. There are twelve ? boxes spread over the arena, and each one comes back five seconds after it is taken, so plan a route that takes you through the next box as soon as you have used up your item.
- Bumping does no damage. Running into karts and walls only slows you down. Save your speed for chasing and escaping.
- Use the respawn shield. When you come back you flicker for two seconds and cannot be hurt. Use it to grab a box in peace.
- Get close with the Boing Wave. It knocks out any kart right next to you in one go. Further out it only takes 60 health.
- Mines stay put. A Pop Mine sits where you drop it for up to 25 seconds and goes off when any kart drives near, so drop them near ? boxes where rivals are sure to pass.
- Do not drive in straight lines when chased. Weaving makes the gumballs miss, and the arena's corners and toys break line of sight and stop rockets.
What's in it
Four items from the ? boxes. Rockets and the gumball gun turn up most often, mines and the Boing Wave a little less.
- ROCKET: one shot that steers gently towards the nearest kart in front of you and explodes on contact. A hit close to the blast takes all 100 health; the edge of the blast takes 60.
- GUMBALL GUN: 12 quick shots of 14 damage each. Line up behind a kart and keep firing.
- POP MINE: you get two, dropped behind you. They take a moment to arm, then blink to warn others. A close blast takes all 100 health; further out, 70.
- BOING WAVE: a shockwave around your kart that knocks every nearby kart away, for 100 damage close in and 60 further out.
Rockets and mines never hurt the kart that fired them in their blast. KO streaks are called out on screen: KO!, DOUBLE KO!, TRIPLE KO! and RAMPAGE! for four or more in a row. A kill feed lists every knockout.
KOs and where you finish earn XP, and levelling up unlocks eight paint jobs for your kart: Cherry, Sky (level 2), Lime (3), Tangerine (4), Grape (6), Bubblegum (8), Gold Rush (10) and Midnight (13). Pick them in the garage, which also shows your level, wins, matches played and best number of KOs in one match. The bots get sharper as your level rises.
Everything is made to look like shiny plastic toys, with clear-coat reflections, a studded baseplate floor and oversized toys around the arena.
Behind the game
The karts are built for arcade fun rather than racing. Each one has a top speed, quick acceleration and a short grip delay, so it slides a little when you turn hard at speed. Steering only works when you are moving, which keeps parked karts from spinning on the spot.
The bots head for the nearest ? box when they are empty-handed, then go hunting. They only fire when their target is close to straight ahead, and how tight that aim needs to be, and how quickly they pull the trigger, depends on their skill. Each match sets the bots' skill from your level, with a little random spread between them, so some rivals are sharper than others. By level 13 they are close to their best.
XP for a match is 25 for every KO, plus a bonus for your finishing place (the higher you finish, the bigger it is), plus 20 just for playing. Each new level needs 60 XP more than the last, starting at 160 for level 2.
Questions
Do I need an account?
No. Your level, XP, stats and paint jobs are saved in your browser.
How do I change my paint job?
Press Esc for the garage menu and click any paint you have unlocked. Locked ones show the level they need.
Can I play on a phone?
Yes: a thumb stick on the left to drive and a FIRE button on the right. Push the stick forward to speed up and pull it back to brake or reverse.
Is it multiplayer?
No. The five rival karts are played by the computer.
Is it violent?
No. They are toy karts, and a knocked-out kart simply comes back.