Konami Krazy Racers[a] is a kart racing video game published and developed by Konami for the Game Boy Advance handheld video game console. It was first released in Japan, and was later released in North America and some PAL regions. It was also re-released for Wii U Virtual Console on October 15, 2015 in Europe. It was a launch game for the system. Konami Krazy Racers makes use of a variety of characters and concepts from several of Konami's franchises, including Castlevania, Metal Gear, and Gradius. It plays similarly to the Mario Kart series, with eight characters per circuit and offensive/defensive items placed at predetermined points in the tracks.
| Konami Krazy Racers | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | KCEK |
| Publisher(s) | Konami |
| Director(s) | Toyokazu Nonaka |
| Producer(s) | Etsunobu Ebisu Keita Kawaminami |
| Programmer(s) | Hiroshi Shibata Junichi Taniguchi Ken Yokota |
| Artist(s) | Toyokazu Nonaka Shōichi Maekawa Chieko Tobioka |
| Composer(s) | Sotaro Tojima |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Advance, Wii U |
| Release | Game Boy Advance Wii U Virtual Console |
| Genre(s) | Racing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Konami Krazy Racers received mostly positive reviews.
Gameplay
Konami Krazy Racers plays similarly to other kart racing games, most notably Mario Kart Super Circuit.[1] Each race begins at the starting line, where eight racers are lined up in certain positions. Each of the seven computers are placed in the closest seven positions to the starting line, but the player character always starts a circuit in eighth place. This placement may change in the next race of the circuit depending on how well the racers do. If the player places first, he or she will be in the first position, as the placement in the following races is based on how the racers did in the previous race. The race is seen from behind the player, and uses Mode 7 effects to simulate the three dimensions.[2] A timer will count down to indicate the beginning of the race, and the player must hold down a button to accelerate at the beginning. The player can pick up coins off of the track which may be spent on items in a shop, and depending on the character the player controls, he or she may try to cause another player to spin-out. The player may use other buttons to do such actions as jump and brake, which aides in maneuverability.
Placed throughout the races are red and blue bells. The red bells contain any variety of items, while the blue bell contains a speed-boosting item.
Characters
Konami Krazy Racers features a total of 12 characters from various Konami series. Each character features unique statistics, including weight, speed, and acceleration.
- Beartank (Rakugakids)
- Dracula (Castlevania)
- Ebisumaru (Legend of the Mystical Ninja)
- Goemon (Legend of the Mystical Ninja)
- Gray Fox (Metal Gear)
- King (Pop'n Music)
- Moai (Gradius)
- Nyami (Pop'n Music)
- Pastel (TwinBee)
- Power Pro-kun (Power Pros)
- Takosuke (Parodius)
- Vic Viper (Gradius)
Reception
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 78/100[3] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame |   [4] |
| Edge | 6/10[5] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.67/10[6][b] |
| Eurogamer | 8/10[7] |
| Famitsu | 25/40[8] |
| Game Informer | 7/10[9] |
| GameSpot | 8.1/10[10] |
| GameSpy | 82%[11] |
| IGN | 8/10[12] |
| Next Generation | [13] |
| Nintendo Power |  [14] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[15] |
The game received "generally favorable reviews" according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[3] NextGen was generally positive to the game, but regarded it inferior to the then-upcoming Mario Kart: Super Circuit.[13] In Japan, Famitsu gave it a score of 25 out of 40.[8] Four-Eyed Dragon of GamePro said, "If you are in need of a serious kart racing fix, Konami Krazy Racers is it—mainly because it's the only kart racer out so far."[16][c]
It was ranked #10 on a top ten list of the best Game Boy Advance games in Electronic Gaming Monthly, beating Mario Kart: Super Circuit, another Game Boy Advance kart racing game.
Sequel
Krazy Kart Racing is a sequel to the title for iOS and Android. It features a total of 12 characters from Konami franchises, four of which return from Konami Krazy Racers. It received above-average reviews according to the review aggregation website GameRankings.[17] Pocket Gamer gave it three-and-a-half stars out of five.[18]