KartRider Drift is Nexon’s latest entry in their series of kart racers, and it’s a lot of fun for anyone who doesn’t have a Nintendo device that they can play Mario Kart on. KartRider Drift also has the benefit of being cross-platform, meaning you can play the same account on your computer and your phone (though if you’re like me, it runs a lot better on your phone than it does on your laptop). It has pretty solid monetization, as I paid a few bucks a few seasons back and have been able to pay for each season pass since then while also getting a few extra cosmetics in the process. It also has a “Speed” mode, which differentiates it from Mario Kart as it’s a standard mode without any items. The only problem? People really seem to prefer the “Item” mode.
As I suggested above, the item mode is like Mario Kart, where any race can change at any second and it’s almost a disadvantage to be in the lead at any time other than right when you’re crossing the finish line. By contrast, the speed mode has no items, and only relies on speed boosts that you get over time and by drifting (the title does mean something, after all). In other words, the item mode is kind of a fun party mode whereas the speed mode is more about buckling in and trying to race a really high quality race. There are also different quests for the different game modes that give you different rewards, which is a problem since, like I said above, everyone really seems to prefer playing the item mode.
When you queue for item mode races, you get a match within a minute or so. Speed mode? Well, let’s just say that, more often than not, I just end up either stopping the queue and switching to item mode, or I just play a different game. It’s actually a bit better right now, because the season just started, but I fear that a week or so from now we’ll be back to speed mode being almost impossible to play online.
All of that said, I do appreciate that KartRider Drift gives you a ton of different game modes to play with both AI and other people online, as well as time trials that you never need to wait for other races for. It also does have good monetization which is mostly cosmetic-based, and both the free and premium cosmetics are actually well-designed for the interesting cast of characters Nexon has going for it in this series. You can play KartRider Drift for free on pretty much any platform you have (except the Switch, the home of Mario Kart), but please, just consider queuing for speed mode every once in a while. I’m begging you.
