THE WORLD WARRIORS
EIGHT CHARACTERS FROM ACROSS THE GLOBE GATHER TO DO BATT… ER, RACE
HODJA
Mev Dinc reveals Hodja’s origin story: “I come from Turkey, so I thought it’d be great to have a character from Turkey. I ended up choosing this really weird folklore character – it’s like a traditional character in Turkey, it dates back centuries. So that’s why Hodja’s age is 400-plus, where the other characters were in their early teens or twenties. He had this amazing special move, his car would turn into a magic carpet.”
FRANK
He may have dropped the ‘enstein’s monster’ for his racing debut, but true to type,
Frank is still hanging around Gothic castles if his tracks are anything to go by. They’re also tough, similar to Bowser’s courses in Super Mario Kart. Frank has some nifty specials, sprouting bat wings for one and spewing ghosts for the other to attack any players approaching from the rear. He is very slow though.
SUZULU
Suzulu has extremely impressive handling and excellent attack stats, but he is rather lacking when it comes to actual defence, meaning he’s best suited for a ‘hit first and then run away’ strategy. His spear attack is rather fiddly to use and can be hard to aim, but his Rhino Charge is excellent for barging opponents out of the way with nasty big spiked wheels. He’s clearly geared towards skilled racers.
BIFF
The baseball-batwielding American has fairly average stats across the board, save for a high attack rating – making him an ideal choice for the more aggressive player. As well as swinging his aforementioned bat, Biff has the ability to grapple onto unlucky opponents and bump them out of the way with widening wheels. His home tracks are in an impressive stadium filled with popping flashbulbs.
RAPHAEL
Did someone say Outrun? Raphael’s red Ferrari and blue-sky tracks are clearly inspired by Sega’s arcade classic – no bad thing. The Italian’s red motor boasts an impressive top speed, too, although it’s let down by atrocious acceleration. His grappling hook is handy for snaring opponents in front, but it’s tricky to use – still, his outsized sound system is perfect for foiling would-be overtakers.
SURF SISTER
Along with Hodja, Surf Sister is a great all-rounder and the perfect character for beginners. That said, the Australian doesn’t have anything in her arsenal that’s quite as nifty as Hodja’s handy flying carpet move. Her beach-based tracks are highly reminiscent of the Koopa Beach levels in Super Mario Kart, although here we get a lovely rendition of Sydney Opera House in the background.
HELMUT
German flying ace Helmut has the highest defence rating in the game, as well as a couple of handy special moves in the form of spinning blades and the ability to sprout wings from his car (plane?) and fly short distances. His attacks are incredibly weak, mind so he’s not one to use if you favour aggression in your racing. You’ll likely find him loitering around old airfields, naturally.
SUMO SAN
Did someone say E Honda? Still, rather than a hundred-hand slap, Sumo San has taken a leaf out of Blanka’s book, preferring instead to zap his opponents with a very dangerous electric field; alternatively, he’ll simply jump on their heads. He drives a fancy caterpillar-tracked vehicle around a futuristic-looking Tokyo, and as such has some of the best handling stats in the game.