Dethkarz

Dethkarz is a video game in the action genre developed by Beam Software Pty., Ltd. and published by Melbourne House originally released in 1998. It is currently playable on Windows.

Dethkarz is a fast-paced, arcade racing game with futuristic cars and tracks. All tracks are set high in the air with sloping sides and gaps, and there is no invisible wall, so skipping a turn results in a deep drop where the car is picked up by an airplane and returned to the road. There are four main tracks (Metro City, Grand Keys, The Pole and Red Planet) with three variations based on length, and three main game modes - Time Trial (with ghosts for best times), Arcade and Championship. Multiplayer games are also supported.

Races are won by finishing first or by eliminating all other cars before completing the last lap. There are various power-ups, such as a normal and an anti-matter shield, a stealth mode (colliding with other cars is not possible), quick repair and nitro, as well as offensive power-ups, such as normal, heat-seeking and guided missiles, and a cluster bomb. These are presented as small cubes on the tracks and the color indicates to the player what type of power-up it is. Only one power-up can be collected at any one time and when a new one is collected before it activates, the previous one is discarded. Cars also have a less powerful weapon by default: a pulse laser or plasma cannon. Its use drains an energy meter that recharges slowly, and instead of bursts or short attacks it can also be charged to unleash a much more powerful attack. The use of weapons can be disabled in the options to turn it into a normal racing game. All circuits have a pit lane where damage is reset by driving over highlighted areas. Cars are divided into four different teams with three levels of cars. Stats are based on difficulty, speed, handling, acceleration, armor and weapon power. New levels are unlocked by winning championships.

Dethkarz is available at a reduced price on the following websites and is no longer abandonware.