Dethkarz

DethKarz is a futuristic 3D racing game by game publisher Melbourne House. It was released for Microsoft Windows in 1998, and re-released digitally on 20 December 2019 by Piko Interactive on GOG.com. A Nintendo 64 port was planned but never released.

Gameplay
The game consists of competing on futuristic environments to fight for first place against 19 competing drivers, which players can fight against using armed force. The routes If the player drives over the lane boundary and falls into the depths, they will be teleported back with halved speed onto the lane after a short time.

There is an abundance of power-ups distributed on the tracks that briefly improve the driving behavior of cars, provide better weapons or offer protection from certain weapons.

Vehicles show damage (graphically, however, only from smoke), but this has no influence on driving behavior. If the damage level exceeds a certain level, the respective vehicle explodes and is out of the race. Repairs are carried out in the pit area, in which repairs progress proportionally to the length of stay, or by means of a light blue power-up.

Game Modes

 * See Also: Modes
 * See Also: Championship

The core of the game is the championship mode, in which players must achieve a minimum of qualification points in order to be the winner in the end. In this game mode players unlock tracks and vehicle upgrades. In addition to the championship mode, players can start a single race or try to set new lap records in the time trial.

A multiplayer mode via network exists and offers space for 8 race participants.

Cars

 * Main Article: Cars

There are four different teams in Deathkarz, each having individual cars with their own characteristics. They shift from fast, agile, but combat weak cars through to heavier, slower cars with more shielding and more powerful weaponry. Each team has three car tiers. At first, only the first tier is available, but as players progresses, they unlock the other tiers.

Tracks

 * Main Article: Tracks

Race Tracks are based on four locations (Metro City, Grand Keys, The Pole, and Red Planet), each offering 3 iterations of their track; a short, medium and long version all based around the same starting grid. Tracks often has free-floating lanes without side borders and are characterized by difficult combinations of curves and inclines.

Reception
GameSpot said for the PC, "Dethkarz follows the futuristic racing formula exactly, without bringing any real personality of its own." GameSpot also rated the game 5.7 (mediocre). IGN said "Dethkarz is just like all the other arcade racers that have been released recently. It's a decent racing game, but it's not as good as Need for Speed III, Test Drive 5, or Ultim@te Race Pro" rating the game 6.8 (okay).