Playtonic Games is taking its Yooka-Laylee franchise in a bold new direction with Super Yooka-Laylee Kart, revealed during Summer Game Fest's Day of the Devs showcase. The arcade racer draws heavy inspiration from Nintendo's 1992 Super Mario Kart, featuring pixel-art characters, coin collection, and track-side power-up boxes in familiar kart racing gameplay.

The studio's shift from platforming to racing comes after Mario Kart World disappointed many fans last year. Playtonic Games aims to capture that classic SNES magic while adding modern twists like a Rage system that fuels devastating revenge abilities for tactical comebacks. Players can master mechanics and spend collected coins on upgrades across various race modes.

A deep story campaign includes tournaments, time trials, endurance events, and skill challenges. Online modes arrive soon via beta testing, while local splitscreen supports up to eight players. Race customization options let competitors race invisibly or modify boost pads to slow racers down instead.

Currently in development for Steam, console availability remains unconfirmed though Nintendo Switch 2 seems like an obvious destination. The game represents a nostalgic yet mechanically fresh take on arcade racing that could fill the void left by recent Mario Kart disappointments.