Brainrot Kart Review (Xbox Series X|S & PC)

Brainrot is one of those internet trends I wish I could ignore. Unfortunately, as a parent, I’ve come to realize that there’s just no escaping it—the terminology, the irritating characters, and the frequent hollering of tweens screaming “BALLERINA CAPPUCCINA” at the top of their lungs every eighteen minutes, like clockwork. In any case I’d say that, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. Brainrot, however, is a trend I’d soon rather forget about. Thanks to Brainrot Kart, though, it seems that the dream of flushing Skibidi Toilet down the drain is suddenly further than ever. Great.

I’m not one for badmouthing an indie karting game; Cowboy Kart, for example, was a game that I could bring to the table and somehow, through a hope and a prayer, find something that was worth talking about. Brainrot Kart, on the other hand, is a different kind of tumbleweed topper. Don’t get me wrong, if you, like the average youth, enjoy Brainrot, then a game like this ought to feel like the ideal homecoming treat. But for those of you who want a good karting game that shares the same rainbow-littered highways as the likes of Mario Kart, then I’d strongly recommend that you reconsider your choice before jumping behind the wheel.

With all of the above out in the open, let’s go ahead and break Brainrot Kart down. Yes, it’s an arcade racing game that, like Mario Kart, allows up to eight players to fill the shoes of their favorite characters—Skibidi Toilet, Quandale Dingle (don’t ask), among several other cult favorites—and blitz their way to victory across several circuits and Backrooms-like courses. Sure enough, there are power-ups, ragdoll physics, and the usual bits and pieces that you would typically find in a budget karting experience. It’s a $2 game, though, so the fact that it lacks any form of originality isn’t all that surprising here.

In most cases I’d argue that a karting game should have one of two things at the very least: a good cast of characters, and a quality selection of courses. When it comes to Brainrot, though, neither of these two things exist. Unless, of course, you enjoy the idea of a frog’s head glued to a wheel, in which case you will probably adore Brainrot Kart and its colorful band of bizarre creations. A cup of coffee in a leotard? Sure — why the heck not? It’s Brainrot; the fact that nothing makes sense is sort of the point.

As I said, Brainrot Kart isn’t one for skirting around the usual tropes of an arcade racing game. It’s so on the nose, in fact, that it quite clearly samples most of the same gimmicks, including the weapons, the track layouts, and the annoyingly chaotic gameplay beats. It isn’t a game that challenges the automotive world; it’s a pantomime that blends stupidly annoying characters with gameplay mechanics that prioritize dumb luck and mindless button mashing. But that’s Brainrot for you, in a nutshell, and it couldn’t care less about reinventing the wheel to satisfy your cravings for more than the bare necessities.

To give it a slither of credit, Brainrot Kart does foster some good Easter Eggs, with enough internet meme references (The Backrooms, for example) to keep you second guessing each and every corkscrew and curve. Granted, the novelty factor wears thin after several laps around the track, but given that this is a budget indie that costs a fraction of the price of a typical kart racing game, it fills a gap nicely. Well, for forty or fifty minutes, anyway. Once the dopamine hit eventually wears off, it just becomes another irritatingly painful experience that lacks a pulse, a soul, or any kind of purpose. But again, that’s Brainrot. At least it’s accurate.

Let it be said that, while Brainrot Kart is a mediocre karting game at best, it is a great way to burn off some steam. With friends (if you can even convince seven of them to board the same sinking ship, that is), it can be a fun ride. With a solid variety of weapons to deploy and a bunch of nonsensical tracks to scoot around in, you can, in all fairness, spend a lot of time here. It isn’t a game that will entertain you for the long haul, though it is one that will give you something to smile about for short periods of time. Or at least, until you eventually reach your boiling point and flip the table due to a spontaneous lapse in your ability to control the kart or outmaneuver a ballerina with a cup on its shoulders. Either way, the odds of you enjoying this for any longer than an hour are extremely low.

If you can enter Brainrot Kart with the mindset that it will be a means to an end and not, say, a fully-fledged automotive achievement that will alter the world of kart racing, then you should be able to get your two dollars’ worth out of it. Take it all with a huge grain of salt, though. If you have the extra cash to spare, then I’d still recommend getting your hands on a different set of wheels. Brainrot is like yeast extract — you either love it or you hate it. Personally, I prefer my tires without frogs attached to them, but that’s just me. Maybe I’m just getting old.

Verdict

Brainrot Kart sets out to sample the curdled milk from one of Internet culture’s most irritating trends in an effort to distill its own concoction of nonsensical karting tropes. As bland and as bizarre as it is, it does check a lot of the usual boxes, with some interesting courses, weapons, and characters to flesh out what is, with all due respect, a completely unnecessary add-on to the co-op racing sphere. Of course, fans of Skibidi Toilet will probably enjoy it. However, for those who want a solid karting game that gives Mario Kart a run for its money, I’d recommend giving this a wide berth.