Race With Ryan

With the Nintendo Switch being a massive hit, many game developers were throwing themselves at the console with its release, attempting to become noticed and played on the new device. With Nintendo’s reliability and status, however, it was hard for any developers to compete with the games Nintendo already had and made a name for. A lot of developers ended up making cheap rip offs of the already popular Nintendo games, hoping to draw the attention of those unwilling to drop a few extra dollars for good quality. 3DClouds, while making a very similar game in Race with Ryan, still managed to put their own twist on the famous and beloved Mario Kart, and keep it enjoyable.

Gameplay

If you have ever played Mario Kart 64 and have ever seen a modern kid’s cartoon like P.J. Masks, congratulations, you have played Race with Ryan. The game is extremely simple, just putting a different graphics take on the original racing game we all loved and making it more kid appealing, as is expected and maybe wanted for the Switch.

Race with Ryan comes with many characters, including Ryan himself, who race around the tracks of Ryan’s World, competing for the championship. With Surprise Eggs waiting around the track, the race never has a dull moment. A player who collects a Surprise Egg has the ability to cast a surprise that will aid them in their racing. Things like burger shields, trick surprise eggs, and sticky slime can all be found in the Surprise Eggs that are scattered about the race track.

Graphics

The graphics style mimics the art of shows like P.J. Masks or Paw Patrol that young kids have fallen in love with recently. The curvy, simple, and exaggerated shapes and features of the characters make them stand out and feel welcoming to a young kid, the game’s target audience. If your child is not a gaming prodigy in the making though, do not fear. Race with Ryan comes with not only a game tutorial, but a walkthrough for a younger player’s first video game, helping them in the process of understanding the digital world and its interactions. The fun, bright, and engaging characters will let the kids easily be able to develop favorite characters among choice like Gummy Gator and Pirate Combo Panda, appealing right to their favorite things in imagination.

Compatibility

The game offers a good start for single player games to a young kid with a career mode available where they can race against robot players as other characters from Ryan’s World, meaning the game does not need a stable internet connection and can be played on the go solo. A good game is always better with friends though, and that is why the developers made it so that up to four players can all play at the same time. Doing this would obviously be hard on the little screen of the switch, so Racing with Ryan is available for tabletop mode and tv mode like most other switch games, making for some interesting play dates.

Overall Take

The game appears to be perfect for young kids getting into games, just as Nintendo has been for as long as they are remembered. Racing with Ryan is a great training ground for your kid before you let them lose in utter defeat to your honed in skills on Mario Kart, but maybe with enough practice, they can give you a run for your money. The game is definitely worth a download for those with young kids who are dying to get into simple gaming.

Pros

• Engaging graphics and characters
• Walkthrough tutorial for first time gamers
• Multiplayer capability with split screen
• For younger audiences
• Portable in handheld mode and solo play on the switch
• Similar to already loved games
• Can be easily understood by adults to play with their kids

Cons

• Too similar to already known games?
• For younger audiences only
• Pricy to be a mimic