CHIKI-CHIKI BOXY RACERS Review for Nintendo Switch

Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers by UNTIES is a top-down racing game. The game has multiple different cars for use in the races with more that can be unlocked through playing the single player mode.

After choosing a car, you need to select a control type. The two control types are “stick” and “handle.” “Stick” moves the car in whatever direction you point the left control stick. “Handle” plays more like a traditional racing game where you have a button for acceleration and you can only turn the car left or right with the control stick. Between these two control schemes, I found “stick” easier to use in a top-down racing game—the game even recommends using this scheme.

There are no power-ups in this game, although there is a boost ability. The boost fills up on its own as time passes, but you can also pick up a flame icon on the ground to quickly fill it up.

Single player and multiplayer both have two separate modes: race and battle. Single player race mode is the only one that unlocks new vehicles to use in all modes. Race mode has three different course types to play on, but to start with each course only has one race available. You can unlock the next race in a course’s list by getting 3^rd place or better in the current race (i.e: if you want to unlock a course’s 3^rd race, you need to get 3^rd place or higher in the 2^nd race). If you manage to get 1^st place in any of the racetracks, you will unlock a new vehicle that can be used in all modes of the game.

Battle mode consists of 4 different competitive mini-games. The 1^st is trying to gather the most coins in a time limit. The next is trying to knock more boxes off a platform than your opponents. The 3^rd is trying to cover as much of a section of the street with your car’s paint as you can. The last is playing a game of soccer . . . with cars. While these mini-games can be played in single player, the game provides no A.I. opponents thus it seems that this game emphasizes multiplayer.

There are three different kinds of multiplayer. Standard multiplayer, where all controllers are connected to a single Switch console. Local multiplayer, where multiple switch consoles with the game that are near each other can play the game together. And online multiplayer, where people can connect to the Internet and play the game with others who have the game. I wasn’t able to connect to anyone online and I don’t know anyone who has both a Switch and this game, so I was only able to try out the standard multiplayer. In standard multiplayer, while battle mini-games played out more or less the way I expected them to, during a race all vehicles needed to stay on the screen. If a car fell too far behind, it would be warped into the middle of the screen. I assume the multiplayer modes where multiple Switches are involved do not do this.

Overall, I enjoyed playing Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers. I think a fair rating for it would be 8/10.

Check Out the Chiki-Chiki Boxy Racers Launch Trailer: