Fantendo Kart Crystal

Fantendo Kart Crystal is a 2022 action-racing game developed by Button Studios for the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, , Nymbus and Z-Lunar ZCLIPSE, which was released on April 13th 2022. It is the ninth game in the Fantendo Kart series and the first new entry in the main series since Fantendo Kart: Double Trouble which released almost a decade earlier.
Fantendo Kart Crystal was revealed on April 13th, 2022 at the Fan15 Showcase to celebrate Fantendo's 15th Anniversary. It features a variety of characters, locations and items from Fantendo's history, including both Classic Characters and Modern Characters on its roster.
== Gameplay ==
Fantendo Kart Crystal, like previous entries in the Fantendo Kart, is inspired by the gameplay of popular racing games such as the Mario Kart series and series. The objective of a race is to complete 3 laps of a course in the fastest possible time, outperforming the 9 other racers on the track. Races are fast-paced and chaotic, owing to a variety of factors such as tracks' layouts, items, track hazards.
The main new feature in Fantendo Kart Crystal is the obtaining of Items. Though items have existed in previous Fantendo Kart titles, they have been reworked in Fantendo Kart Crystal for a refreshing gameplay experience. Throughout all of the game's 32 tracks, racers can pick up Coins. Once 5 Coins have been collected, the player can press a button on their controller or keyboard to exchange these Coins for a random item, which provides them help in the race by either speeding them up, slowing other racers, or protecting them from the effects of other racers' items.
== Characters ==
Fantendo Kart Crystal has 22 playable characters. These characters are organized into the Blue Team and the Purple Team.
* consists of 11 characters from Fantendo's classic era (pre-2012) which are represented by blue outlines around their icons. These have all appeared in previous Fantendo Kart games.
* consists of 11 characters from Fantendo's modern era (2017-present) which are represented by purple outlines around their icons. These are all newcomers to the Fantendo Kart series.
6 characters from each of these groups are available by default (on the left), while the remaining 5 from each group must be unlocked through regular gameplay (on the right).
Characters are organized by 5 different statistics which have minor effects on how they play in-game. These statistics are:
*Speed - Determines the racer's maximum speed. The higher the Speed stat, the higher the racer's maximum speed.
*Acceleration - Determines how quickly the racer accelerates. The higher the Acceleration stat, the faster they can reach their maximum speed.
*Drift - Determines how effectively this race can drift. The higher the Drift stat, the more effective the subsequent mini-turbo boost is.
*Handling - Determines the racer's turning ability. The higher the Handling stat, the more easily and quickly the racer can make sharp turns.
*Weight - Determines the racer's air and collision physics. There are three classes: Light, Medium and Heavy. Light characters will get more airtime, but are knocked around more easily, while Heavy characters get less airtime but don't get knocked around much.
=== Default Characters ===
These 12 characters are available to the player from the start of the game, meaning they don't need to be unlocked to be played as.
==== Blue Team ====
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	 	 	
Driver 	Description 	Statistics	 	 	
Unten 	The last Beorn (apparently), Unten is the mascot of Fantendo and has been ever since his creation in Fantendo's early years. He has starred in countless adventures across a myriad of universes and timelines. His past is largely unknown but he was raised by the Baraenion Tribe on Zeon.	
{| align=center cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" style="width: 90%; color:white; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	
Speed: 	 	 	 	 	
Accel.: 	 	 	 	 	
Drift: 	 	 	 	 	
Handling:	 	 	 	 	
Weight: 	Medium 	Medium 	Medium	Medium	Medium
==== Purple Team ====
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	 	 	
Driver 	Description 	Statistics	 	 	
Redge 	Redge his a half-demon who once joined the KillGames for a chance to kill his mother, Soul. Sarcastic and rude, Redge doesn't show much care for anyone else, though as his time in the KillGames progressed, he developed empathy towards Lane and Yuki. He has supernatural powers, such as the ability to manipulate fire, and wields his signature weapon, the Cauterizer, a chainsaw-sword hybrid.	
{| align=center cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" style="width: 90%; color:white; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	
Speed: 	 	 	 	 	
Accel.: 	 	 	 	 	
Drift: 	 	 	 	 	
Handling:	 	 	 	 	
Weight: 	Medium 	Medium 	Medium	Medium	Medium
=== Unlockable Characters ===
These characters aren't available straight away and must be unlocked by completing various challenges within the game.
==== Blue Team ====
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	 	 	
Driver 	Description 	Unlock Condition 	Statistics	 	
Netnu 	Originally known as Kaio, Netnu is a spiteful and malevolent Beorn who became obsessed with the idea of defeating Unten after losing to him in battle many years ago - so much so that he made it his life goal and changed his name to Unten's in reverse. Despite his hatred of Unten, he is not truly evil, and has reluctantly teamed up with him on occasion to fight the Doomuli.	Win the Mana Cup on 100cc	
{| align=center cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" style="width: 90%; color:white; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	
Speed: 	 	 	 	 	
Accel.: 	 	 	 	 	
Drift: 	 	 	 	 	
Handling:	 	 	 	 	
Weight: 	Medium 	Medium 	Medium 	Medium	Medium
==== Purple Team ====
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	 	 	
Driver 	Description 	Unlock Condition 	Statistics	 	
Taxi 	Taxi is a Magnetoid driver, who unsurprisingly, drives runs a Taxi service that operates all across Starcenta. She'll drive you almost anywhere, apart from Magnetoid territory, so long as you pay her sufficiently. Being a Magnetoid, she also eats metal, meaning that her taxi, or in Fantendo Kart Crystal, her kart, can provide her with sustenance if she gets hungry.	Win the Blorp Cup on 100cc	
{| align=center cellpadding="0" cellspacing="3" style="width: 90%; color:white; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	
Speed: 	 	 	 	 	
Accel.: 	 	 	 	 	
Drift: 	 	 	 	 	
Handling:	 	 	 	 	
Weight: 	Light 	Light 	Light 	Light	Light
== Tracks ==
There are 8 cups in Fantendo Kart Crystal with 4 tracks in each, for a total of 32 tracks in the game. These can be raced on either in Grand Prix mode, where a cup is selected and played through in its entirety, or VS Mode, where tracks can be freely chosen from any cup in the game.
=== Nitro Cups ===
Fantendo Kart Crystal has 16 Nitro Tracks, these being tracks that are new to the Fantendo Kart series. Most of these are inspired by Modern Fantendo projects and locations. Out of these cups, only the Untencake Cup is intially available, but the others are unlocked by completing the cup that precedes them, meaning they are unlocked in order from left to right as seen here.
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"
Untencake Cup
Discord Circuit
Aquafront City
Boltzmann University
Anubis Temple
=== Retro Cups ===
Fantendo Kart Crystal has 16 Retro Tracks. These are tracks that have appeared in previous Fantendo Kart games and are almost identical in layout and appearance as to how they appeared in those games. Most of these tracks are based on Classic Fantendo IPs. Out of these cups, only the Blump Cup is intially available, but the others are unlocked by completing the cup that precedes them, meaning they are unlocked in order from left to right as seen here.
The prefixes before the track names indicate which Fantendo Kart game the track originated from.
*FK indicates that the track originated from Fantendo Kart.
*FKD indicates that the track originated from Fantendo Kart Dimensions.
*FKU indicates that the track originated from Fantendo Kart Ultra.
*FKDS indicates that the track originated from Fantendo Kart DS.
No tracks return from Fantendo Kart 2, Fantendo Kart: Superstar Racing, Fantendo Kart: Duo Dash! or Fantendo Kart: Double Trouble due to limited source material.
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"
Blump Cup
FKU Fantendo Circuit
FKDS McBoo's Mansion
FK The Apartments
FKU Coconut Forest
== Items ==
Unlike in previous Fantendo Kart games, where items are obtained from item boxes lying on the track, items in Fantendo Kart Crystal can only be obtained by collecting five Coins and exchanging them for an item using the button. At this point, a random item will be given to the racer, depending slightly on their position in the race.
Below is a list of items that appear in Fantedo Kart Crystal.
{| cellpadding="8" cellspacing="0" style="width: 100%; color:white; font-size:15px; border: 0px solid black; border-radius: 15px"	 	 	
Item 	Origin Series	Description 	Places Obtainable
Bullet BoB 	Ella Metals 	A brilliant silver bullet. When used, the racer is able to fire it, from where it explodes on contact with an opponent, obstacle, or wall. Bullet BoBs have moderate homing ability, generally targeting the nearest racer, though this ability is not perfect and they can occasionally miss or be dodged. 	2nd - 5th
Triple Bullet BoB	Ella Metals 	A collection of three Bullet BoBs. These essentially work like three individual Bullet BoBs which can be fired one after another. If fired in quick succession, they will typically lock onto different targets, though if there aren't many targets within range, multiple Bullet BoBs may go for the same opponent. 	4th - 8th
Bug Net 	Fantendo Kart	A special net that allows the racer to steal an item from a nearby opponent. When used, the racer will swing the net once in a circular path around them. All racers that are hit by the net will spin out, and any items held by any of these racers will be stolen by the user of the net. 	1st - 4th
Moon 	McBoo 	A consumable item that when used, flies up into the sky, making it night time. This causes the screen to become incredibly dark for all racers and making it hard for them to see, with the exception of the racer that activated it who receives night vision. This effect lasts for approximately 6-8 seconds before the track returns to normal. 	3rd - 7th
Oil Can 	Fantendo Kart	A throwable item. After being thrown, it bounces off walls until it hits the ground, where it breaks on impact and leaves a puddle of oil for the rest of the race. Any racers that drive through this oil puddle will be spin out and be substantially slowed down for a few seconds. The oil puddle remains even after a racer drives through it. 	1st - 3rd
Triple Oil Can 	Fantendo Kart	A collection of three throwable Oil Cans. They can either be thrown all together, or independently. When thrown independently, they function the same as regular Oil Cans but can be thrown three times in succession. When thrown simultaneously by holding the item button, they create a much larger oil puddle than normal. 	2nd - 6th
Untencake 	Fantendo 	When used, an Untencake gives the user a short 1-second speed boost. If timed correctly, this speed boost is enough to negate the effects of certain hazards, such as oil puddles, and it can also be used to cut across off-road sections of the track that would usually slow the racer down. 	2nd - 6th
Netnucake 	Fantendo 	When used, an Netnucake gives the user a speed boost, considerably longer than that of an Untencake. This speed boost lasts for approximately 4 seconds when used and can allow the user to drive through hazards such as oil puddles and Blorp clouds unharmed, while also granting the ability to cut across large off-road sections of the track. 	6th - 10th
Blorp 	Fantendo 	A throwable item. It explodes on impact with the ground, creating a cloud of vile stench that covers the race track. Any drivers that drive through this cloud will become poisoned, becoming slowed down severely for several seconds. The original thrower of the Blorp is unaffected by the cloud, which persists for about 10 seconds after being activated.	5th - 9th
Blump 	Fantendo 	A special fruit that unlocks the racer's inner latent powers. When the racer uses a Blump, their kart becomes surrounded in electricity for approximately 8 seconds. During this time, the racer becomes significantly faster and the electricity grants them immunity to all other items and hazards such as oil puddles and Blorp clouds. 	8th - 10th
== Gallery ==
This gallery features all original character artwork that was made for this project.
File:FKC_Unten.png|Unten
File:FKC_Strafe.png|Strafe
File:FKC_Pesh.png|Pesh
File:FKC_PalmMan.png|PalmMan
File:FKC_Ella.png|Ella Metals
File:FKC_McBoo.png|McBoo
File:FKC_Netnu.png|Netnu
File:FKC_Litle P.png|Litle P
File:FKC_Mr._Chilli.png|Mr. Chilli
File:FKC_RedYoshi.png|RedYoshi
File:FKC_Teardrop.png|Teardrop
File:FKC_Redge.png|Redge
File:FKC_Rundrake.png|Rundrake
File:FKC_Agustaclove.png|Agustaclove
File:FKC_Chewout.png|Chewout
File:FKC_Alec.png|Alec
File:FKC_Jack.png|Jack
File:FKC_Taxi.png|Taxi
File:FKC_Cousteau.png|Cousteau
File:FKC_Jimmy.png|Jimmy
File:FKC_Theodore.png|Theodore
File:FKC_Demiurge.png|Demiurge
== Trivia ==
*Fantendo Kart Crystal began development as two separate titles - a Fantendo Smash Bros. game and a Mario Kart game. The head developer decided to merge the two concepts during development, partly because they thought Fantendo Kart games had gone underrepresented in recent years.
*Fantendo Kart Crystal was developed and released as part of Fantendo's 15th Anniversary in 2022. The title is a reference to how 15th Anniversaries are often called Crystal Anniversaries.
*Fantendo Kart Crystal is Button Studios's second Fantendo crossover game, the first being Fantendo's Card Cataclysm in 2020. Unlike that game, Fantendo Kart Crystal has a much stronger focus on characters from Fantendo's classic era, i.e. before 2012.
*Bunea was originally considered as a playable character, but was replaced Experiment Jack during development.
*This game marks the first appearance of Mr. Chilli in over 9 years, as he last appeared in Chilli Rhythm in July 2012.
*This game marks the first crossover appearances of Taxi and Jimmy.
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