Review cover All-Star Fruit Racing (Nintendo Switch)
Official GBAtemp Review

Product Information:

  • Release Date (NA): August 21, 2018
  • Release Date (EU): July 13, 2018
  • Publisher: Pqube
  • Developer: 3DClouds.it
  • Genres: Racing
  • Also For: Computer, PlayStation 4, Xbox One

Game Features:

Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative
When it comes to kart racing games on Switch, your first and only thought is probably going to be 'Mario Kart 8 Deluxe'. After playing All-Star Fruit Racing on Switch, I don't think that's going to change any time soon.
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All-Star Fruit Racing has been in early access on Steam for over six months. Over the course of those six months, the game has had largely positive reviews, mostly praising the similarities to Mario Kart and the art style. It's a shame, then, that none of these reviews seem to be apply to the Switch port.

Gameplay


All-Star Fruit Racing is a racing game with similar mechanics to Mario Kart; your goal for most of the courses is to come in first place. To assist you, you can use items, such as a tornado or a missile made of water. These items can be obtained in different ways, depending on the game-mode. On the ‘Random Juicer’ mode, the items work identically as they do in games like Mario Kart 8 or Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. In the ‘Juicer’ mode, though, there is a unique way to obtain and use items. By collecting four types of fruit, you can build up your 'Juicer' meters. Using these tanks of fruit, you can choose to use power-ups as you fill tanks, or to stockpile fruit to release more powerful attacks. Different combinations of fruits yield different items. Using the face buttons, you can choose to disconnect different tanks from your juicer, allowing you to keep an item on the back-burner if you so please. By filling all four of your Juicer tanks, you can unleash a powerful Mega-Juice move, which is unique to each character. This innovative system is the most stand-out feature of All-Star Fruit Racing. You can also drift around tight corners to gain a quick boost, which can stack with boosters on the course to give you a thrilling sense of speed.

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After first launching the game, you can choose to partake in the training mode. This mode explains how the Juicer system works, as well as the basic controls. It's a short and sweet tutorial, so I'd recommend giving it a try. After this, you're free to do whatever you want.


All-Star Fruit Racing has a career mode consisting of 11 cups. By winning and earning trophies, you can unlock new characters and new customisation options for your vehicle. These aesthetic choices don't affect how your car controls, which puts every player on a level field, but at the cost of diverse gameplay. In Mario Kart 8, for example, the expansive selections you could chose from completely change how your kart controls. The lack of game-changing customisation options here makes the game feel repetitive and stale, resulting in every race feeling the same. This is compounded by several courses, which, for no reason I can figure out, have five laps. These races go on for too long, and it's a design choice that continues to puzzle me.

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Controls & Presentation


All-Star Fruit Racing has an aesthetic that leaves a lot to be desired. Watching videos of the PC version, the sacrifices made to the Switch version are made as clear as day. Shadows fade in just a few feet in front of your car, the resolution is low, and the special effects seem toned down. These sacrifices may have been understandable if the game at least ran at 60 frames per second. Unfortunately, the game doesn't even seem to keep up a solid 30 frames per second. To top it all off, the loading times are far beyond the realms of 'acceptable'. From the moment you launch the game, it takes almost two minutes to get to the main menu. It takes 46 seconds to go from this menu to a race, and over 30 seconds to transition to the next race. It's a shame that this unique racer is bogged down by performance issues. It's not surprising, though, as the developers don't seem to take the Switch version as seriously as the other platforms. Until last week, there weren't even plans to include an online mode on Switch, so I shouldn't be surprised that this port is half-baked.


For all the faults, the game still controls excellently. The buttons and analogue sticks are very responsive, and the drifting feels good, too. Unfortunately, I didn't find it too comfortable to play in handheld mode, as holding the ZR button to accelerate quickly made my hand cramp. The button to use items is the right toggle stick, which feels unnatural, as the stick is otherwise unused. An option to remap the buttons would be nice, and it could also take a cue from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe by incorporating an automatic acceleration option.

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Final Thoughts

Overall, I urge you to steer clear of purchasing this version of All-Star Fruit Racing. If you want a kart racer on your Switch, stick to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Truth be told, I think it could be fun on other platforms, but the Switch version is a chore to play. The sacrifices made to the graphics are impossible to ignore, and the abysmal loading times are just too much. If you want to play it, don't get it on Switch.

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All-Star Fruit Racing Trailer


Verdict

What We Liked ...
  • Unique power-up system
  • Tight controls
  • Diverse set of characters
  • Multiple game modes
What We Didn't Like ...
  • Unappealing graphics
  • Bad framerate
  • Insanely long loading times
  • Worst version of the game by far
7
Gameplay
There are some truly unique and compelling gameplay elements in All-Star Fruit Racing. The classic random power-ups are present, as well as a unique 'Juicer' mode that could add an extra layer of depth to the game. The controls are tight, and drifting feels good.
5
Presentation
While the game looks aesthetically pleasing on the PC and other systems, the Switch version takes hits across the board. Despite the highly stylised and cartoony art direction the game has, it looks awful, and the framerate leaves a lot to be desired.
4
Lasting Appeal
The loading times are just too much to bear. The main appeal of the Switch is the ability to pull out a game and play a quick game. This is impossible with All-Star Fruit Racing, as you'll likely end up spending more time in loading screens reading fruit facts than you will playing the actual game.
5
out of 10

Overall

All-Star Fruit Racing is an interesting racer that, unfortunately, received a bad port on Switch. It could have been good, but the sacrifices made for the Switch version completely ruined the gameplay experience for me. If you're going to buy All-Star Fruit Racing, avoid the Switch version at all costs.
Those character models really do creep me out.

"By filling all four of your Juicer tanks, you can unleash a powerful Mega-Juice move, which is unique to each character. This innovative system is the most stand-out feature of All-Star Fruit Racing."#
Stacking weapons was done in diddy kong racing on the N64 and character unique moves was a Mario Kart Double Dash staple. I am at a slight loss for something that combined the two before (though I have skipped a lot of fun kart racers)

Anyway sad to see such a slapdash port. I truly do hope we eventually see people take the kart racing formula and try to make something good with it rather than making a weak Mario Kart clone (every Mario Kart game I have played had so many glaring flaws for me that I have no idea why people put it up as a gold standard).
 
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First mistake: Believing Steam reviews.

From what I've seen this past year they are front loaded with positive reviews with people inclined to like the game. There's no objectivity and criticism in most of them so they skew way higher than journalistic reviews on something like Metacritic (which IMHO is a better source to take proper context for whether something is good or ****) then judge for yourself from there.

Takeaway: Never trust Steam reviews to be honest or with out skewed bias.
 
Metacritic et al may or may not be better but it is by no means good.

I would say learn to review reviews. There are all sorts of things different people pick up on, and various amounts of training and experience can vary this (including "too far" the other direction -- you routinely subject yourself to various types of entertainment, including force sessions to "get it done", and it almost inevitably skews you).
 
Metacritic et al may or may not be better but it is by no means good.

I would say learn to review reviews. There are all sorts of things different people pick up on, and various amounts of training and experience can vary this (including "too far" the other direction -- you routinely subject yourself to various types of entertainment, including force sessions to "get it done", and it almost inevitably skews you).

I find that the reviews that are less useful are the ones that feel biased towards a certain view, without looking at positive aspects of the game. Steam reviews are terrible, but the non-user review section of Metacritic isn't bad.
 
First mistake: Believing Steam reviews.

From what I've seen this past year they are front loaded with positive reviews with people inclined to like the game. There's no objectivity and criticism in most of them so they skew way higher than journalistic reviews on something like Metacritic (which IMHO is a better source to take proper context for whether something is good or ****) then judge for yourself from there.

Takeaway: Never trust Steam reviews to be honest or with out skewed bias.

Something huge to keep in mind here is that the Switch version is leagues behind the PC version. I'd have certainly given the game a slightly higher score if the Switch version was a competent port.
 
had hoped this was more like Sugar Rush, from Wreck it Ralph movie, looked similar from pictures, so figured my daughter would like this, but after waiting for ages, the loading times are painfully slow, was presented with major disappointment, you hit nail on head really, could have been so much but sadly its worth giving a wide birth, I think if they increased loading times as its obviously aimed at kids, their attention wanes just waiting and waiting to load..... :)
 
So it does have online play? I remember the dev saying it would only be added if sales were good, then people who probably weren't going to buy it anyway got all pissy.
 
So it does have online play? I remember the dev saying it would only be added if sales were good, then people who probably weren't going to buy it anyway got all pissy.

It has online play on everything but Switch. Online should be coming to Switch a few weeks after launch, apparently.
 
Review cover
Product Information:
  • Release Date (NA): August 21, 2018
  • Release Date (EU): July 13, 2018
  • Publisher: Pqube
  • Developer: 3DClouds.it
  • Genres: Racing
  • Also For: Computer, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Game Features:
Single player
Local Multiplayer
Online Multiplayer
Co-operative

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