Hello Kitty Kruiser is a racing game that centers around the famous characters of the Japanese brand. Perfect for a young audience, Hello Kitty Kruiser is friendly and fun, even if it could be criticized for its technical weaknesses and poor gameplay.

Different modes of play in the world of Hello Kitty

Hello Kitty Kruisers looks like yet another clone of Mario Kart for iOS, with the nice Japanese characters from Hello Kitty. All the classics elements of the genre are present: bonuses to collect, accelerators on the ground, and gaming landscapes that offer more than the classics. However, the game offers some good content with multiple game modes: Tournament Mode gives you the option of classic races in which you have to come first, while Adventure mode sets you various missions to accomplish. This variety helps make the game richer, especially since some races take place in an airplane, which inevitably switches up the gameplay (even if the handling of the aircraft clearly lacks punch and most of the time you're left bumping into invisible walls).

Slow and clumsy gameplay

Hello Kitty Kruisers seems to have been developed in somewhat of a hurry, and that is unfortunately felt in the controls. You can steer your vehicle using a virtual stick appearing on your screen or by tilting your tablet to on side or the other. Unfortunately, none of these methods of control is very effective. The virtual pad isn't sensitive or responsive enough, while driving the vehicle by rotating the tablet is simply catastrophic. Want to try steering a plane by tilting your device? Only if you fancy pulling your hair out! It's also worth noting that there is no multiplayer option, which is very unfortunate for a game that could be loaned around perfectly.

Technically poor and uninspiring

Graphically speaking, Hello Kitty Kruisers is far from outrageous. The textures and 3D models are pretty decent, but we deplore the total lack of inspiration when it comes to the esthetics. The vehicles, just like the land they drive on, are devoid of any ounce of creativity and merely reproduce the clichés of the genre (residential area, jungle, etc). The music itself is also quite catastrophic: the sound quality just like the composition is reminiscent of the darkest days of the 1990s. But then again, we can't deny that an effort has been made to make these types of games engaging and conducive for younger audiences.

Our verdict: a very fun game despite its shortcomings

Hello Kitty Kruiser is a eminently appealing and will keep fans busy for a long time. With the different game modes, the title does however show it has some very uninspiring technical aspects and a gameplay that needs a lot of polishing. What's left, is a very correct game that will satisfy younger people.