Abstraction Pack 3.8a

We need more horror themed tracks! Flesh Paradise legitimately made me squirm!

Rating this with 5 stars seems a bit counterintuitive, considering that for the wide arrange of maps this pack has, quality can vary significantly, especially in the older maps. That said, this deserves it, and there are many reasons for it:

This pack (as of v3.7a) contains 19 race maps (+1 Hell Map) and a boss fight (the only boss fight ever created in Kart for the time being). True to its name, the theming of these tracks can best be described as "Abstract", going from more traditional settings like a castle or a level in Sonic Adventure, to incredibly bizarre places like a cleaning facility topped by OFF music and a dimension full of meat, flesh and bodily fluids... And apples.

The earlier maps are among the first custom maps to be released for Kart and they show their age. Despite this, they are still serviceable at worst, and at best, in the case of Cosmic Rift, have become infamous as the true "Rainbow Road" of Kart due to the extreme slopes, lack of barriers and overall difficulty, combined with the constant sneaker panels that, even though they may break racing balance, add to the charm of it all.

Theming and layout go together a long way and achieve that each track, for better or worse, remains unique each time. Personal favorites are the aforementioned Cosmic Rift and Motherlode Canyon, an alternative to the vanilla Canyon Rush that I personally prefer. Regardless, all tracks manage to make themselves feel different from each other and this pack will barely ever feel monotone.

The biggest attraction in this pack is the use of lua for tracks like Flesh Paradise, perhaps the first horror-themed track in Kart, and its boss fight relative, Flesh Eden. The mapper has managed to create a challenge to beat cooperatively thanks to lua, and although it's hidden behind Map Hell, it's worth trying at least once.

Overall, this isn't the best map pack when it comes to pure visuals or layout perfection. But it manages to create a niche and make for one of the most creative settings of any Kart tracks in the whole game, and that, plus the constant growing experience of the author and incredible ambition and use of lua in them, make this pack a must have for any server looking to fill their repertoire with custom tracks quickly.

While some maps (especially the earlier ones) can feel a bit awkward to navigate, and the visuals are somewhat limited by vanilla textures - I don't think any other map pack goes to such lengths to experiment and incorporate interesting mechanics.
The technical side to these maps are second to none, Chao uses every tool available to really push what's doable in kart. If you're more into the mapping side of things, this pack should definitely be experienced.
On the racing side, certain maps can initially be a bit painful for newer players, but for me the appeal of Abstraction pack is you'll rarely come across just a bog-standard race track. There's always an idea or concept being explored, which helps make this pack stand out.
And there's even lore behind the different cups/maps! And a boss battle!

Chaobrother is one of the most dedicated and hardworking map makers I've ever seen, to a fault. It really, really shows in Abstraction Pack. Many of these maps, like Bio Satellite and Flesh Paradise go for grand scale, and complicated to set up gimmicks with a simple and effective end result.

The crown jewel of this pack is definitely Flesh Paradise, as it encapsulates the work Chaobrother puts into all his other maps; it uses every technique of his in tandem to make something truly special.

Some maps suffer from readability issues and the dreaded Double Step-Up Stairs, which results in hilarious situations where you can go up a stair, but the orbinaut you just shot in front of you rebounds off the side of it and hits you (Seriously Chaobrother just making more stairs that are half as high each would fix this instantly).

The maps in this pack vary wildly in difficulty, which is often a good thing, but is a little strange here because of the huge leaps. The best example is probably Cosmic Rift, a map many people endearingly describe as "The Rainbow Road of SRB2Kart". It's bitterly hard, and fights the camera extremely hard to the point where it's difficult to see where the turns end and the endless abyss begins. It's a huge difficulty spike in an otherwise pretty accessible map pack.

Despite that, Abstraction Pack is easily one of the most interesting and just downright impressive map packs out there. Definitely give this one a try by yourself or with your friends.

Some of these maps can feel pretty awkward to drive on, with some odd formations of land, or directioning issues, but the sheer outer worldly absurdity of some of these maps is truly a sight to behold. And if you got the nerves for it, Flesh Paradise... damn.