Was not expecting this game to be as fun and charming as it is. The presentation, sound, and graphics are incredible, everything from the character sprites to the menus to the incredible music and fun voice lines all the characters have. The characters here are just very fun and cute in general, it's a great choice of characters from the Konami library.

On top of all this, it controls really well and really tests my kart racing skills in a way I want them to be tested. There's no drift boost here, which already make it feel unique nowadays, as competent racing is now dependent on kart control, making tight turns and track knowledge, instead of just constantly drifting (not that I don't enjoy constantly drifting, this game just requires a somewhat different set of skills). Tracks in this game can get brutal, but I was always willing to keep trying over and over because the game is just that fun and engaging. This is the kind of kart racer I want to spend a lot of time to get good at, a kart racer on the GBA that I couldn't possibly set up a multiplayer match of, it's that good.

Only a couple things hold it back, such as the fact that a lot of tracks have somewhat RNG based elements that I'm not a big fan of, and can sometimes get a little too demanding. Also the way you unlock characters is kind of weird. Outside of this and limits of the GBA and being on an old console, this is a really great kart racer that pretty much fan of the genre would enjoy.