Tiki Kart 3D is a racing game for Android in the style of Mario Kart. You must do battle against five other cartoon characters in a series of wacky courses.
A familiar format
All the hallmarks of a classic karting game like Mario Kart or, more recently, Shrek Kart, are stuffed into Tiki Kart 3D. You compete in a series of progressively taxing courses, attempting to win each race in order to win the whole cup. You can compete at 50cc, 100cc and 150cc levels, and by winning events in Tiki Kart 3D you unlock new ones.
Like other karting games, Tiki Kart 3D boasts lots of power-ups, which you access by rolling over a pineapple. Treats include speed boosts, rockets, oil slicks and mines, all of which you can use strategically to give you the edge over your opponents.
Graphics and gameplay
The graphics in Tiki Kart 3D are pretty good. The sprites are bright and colorful and there's a choice of six interesting racers and karts. The animation is great too, and if you have a decent enough device you get a smooth ride that feels very fast. If your phone's specs are fairly low, however, you should adjust some of the graphics settings to compensate for the low frame rate.
Controlling your kart in Tiki Kart 3D is done by holding your finger anywhere on screen to accelerate, and tilting your device from side to side to steer. Depending on your device, steering can be quite unresponsive. For instance, it was fairly stiff and labored when we tested on a HTC Desire, though handled much smoother on our HTC Sensation. Unfortunately, Tiki Kart 3D doesn't let you switch control methods, so if it's laboring on your device you're stuck with it.
Overall, Tiki Kart 3D is great fun to play, and there's lots of extra game content you can buy in-app that makes racing even more enjoyable. It's a shame there's no multiplayer mode though, because playing a friend is always the best way to enjoy a karting game.
It doesn't have the charm of Mario Kart and the control system isn't perfect, but Tiki Kart 3D still makes for a good timewaster.
