Kartboard Dash lets you race cardboard karts through a world of tape and trouble
Some assembly required
- Race cardboard karts across handmade tracks
- Use power-ups to cause trouble mid-race
- Survive race-wide modifiers in the final laps
Anyone who spent part of their childhood sitting in a cardboard box making engine noises was, technically, a kart racer. Kartboard Dash just builds the rest of the track around you now.
Zatun's arcade racer is out now on iOS, Android and PC, about six weeks after it went into early access on mobile. Iwan had a look at it back then and came away cautiously optimistic, so it's good to see it make it all the way out.
The studio's an independent outfit based in Ahmedabad, and it's been making games for the best part of two decades. Always nice to see a studio from India putting its own IP out on major platforms.
Everything is cardboard and tape. The tracks, the scenery, the props, the karts themselves. Races are full of tight corners, ramps and hazards, with the usual kart racer business of grabbing power-ups to get ahead or ruin somebody else's afternoon.
The part of Kartboard Dash I am intrigued by comes right at the end. For the final two laps, race-wide modifiers kick in for everyone, so you might get sudden speed surges, bumper-style collisions or trails of hazards to steer through. Anything, really, that can knock over a comfortable lead.
Speaking as someone who wore a PSP battery down on Wipeout, the power-ups mean nothing if you can’t handle them well. Your handling skills decide whether any of this will even land, and that’s one thing a feature list can’t tell you.
There's a growing cast of racers and karts to pick from. Each comes with its own bit of personality, apparently. Cross-platform multiplayer is in, so mobile and PC share the same races.
Kartboard Dash is free-to-play on iOS and Android, with in-game purchases on top.
Our list of the best racing games on Android has a few options to choose from as well.
