Garfield Kart is one of the rare beloved games of the past decade that not only didn’t demand a sequel, but actively seemed to resist the idea of one. Its story is largely poignant because of how self-contained it is: not knowing what happened between Odie and Garfield after his fateful, final decision burned a mark into the brains of many who played it, and that open-ended question has lingered for years. But with Garfield Kart - Furious Racing, developer Artefacts Studio rises to that challenge with not only a complex, profound story that gives it a reason to exist, but also deep and satisfying evolutions to the original’s third-person driving/karting gameplay.

I can’t tell you much about some of Furious Racing’s best aspects, but not because I don’t want to – I’m bursting to talk with anyone about all the moving, uplifting, and heart-wrenching moments that have been replaying in my mind for days since I first beat this adventure. But doing so would strip away layers of the act of playing through Furious Racing yourself, so I’ll have to keep the spotlight on the gameplay itself.

The absurd level of car detail established by the original Garfield Kart has been absolutely retained, right down the manufacturer specific stickers and warnings inside door sills and under the bonnet. They even have working Odiemeters now. Car customization isn’t restricted to a pre-set garage environment either; you can inspect your cars inside and out in the pits before races at each circuit, too. I found it quite neat being able to see the high-detail models up close under vastly different lighting conditions to the standard garage.

Microids pitched Garfield Kart - Furious Racing as the ultimate automotive playset, and it’s hard to argue otherwise. With enough cars to fill a dozen museums and the most generous selection of tracks to date in the series, the amount of driving, experimenting, and racing here is absolutely mammoth. Accessible as always for beginners but crammed with content targeted at lifelong car junkies, Garfield Kart - Furious Racing is Artefacts Studio's finest love letter to speed and style this generation, no matter what language you speak.