Disney Speedstorm Review (Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, Switch & PC)

In a world that’s evidently embroidered with a multitude of kart racing games, it came as no major surprise to see Disney wanting to cash in on the hype and build something for its own portfolio. To most, it was a natural choice, and one that would, with a little tender loving care, be able to rival even the most influential candidates of the last several decades or so. And in spite of it being a product of Gameloft—a studio pretty much known for manifesting its pay-to-win schemes under the guise of a free-to-play module—I, too, still felt the desire to explore the so-called Disney Speedstorm when it finally came to light earlier this week. Curious, yes — but equally as skeptical, above all else.

Having sifted through a number of courses and unlocked a significant amount of characters and cosmetics along the way, I can safely come to the conclusion that, Disney Speedstorm, as a full-fledged karting game, isn’t what I expected it to be. However, for the sake of breaking down a few pieces and providing a little more context on the matter, I’ll go ahead and rewind it back, before the checkered flag made its initial appearance, and before the money-hungry silhouette of Beauty and the Beast’s Gaston rubbed his index finger and thumb at me. The good old days, you know.

Evidently Disney

To put it out there, Disney Speedstorm is a live-service game, which means, even at the time of writing, we’re still only able to scratch at the surface of a much larger, more ambitious project. As it stands, though, there are just the 18 characters to choose from, all of whom hail from vastly different IPs across the Disney-Pixar universe. Surprise surprise, there’s the iconic trio, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy — and then there are several other notable favorites, including Jack Sparrow, Mulan, and Woody. Oh, and not to mention the first season’s frontrunners, Sully, Mike, Randall, and Celia from Monsters Inc., too.

In a similar fashion to Disney Dreamlight Valley, it seems the bulk of the characters are being kept behind a series of locked doors for the time being, and that, for when the time is right, they’ll be introduced one by one over a number of seasonal patches. And that’s, you know, fair enough. After all, it’s what we’ve come to expect from most live-service games; it extends the lifespan of the IP by several weeks, months, and often years. But for now, it’s merely the case of allowing newcomers to test the waters, and dabble on the track with only a minor portion of what’s to come in later updates. Again, fine.

Characters (or racers, in this case) can be unlocked by either playing through the game, or purchasing them directly from the Shop using an in-game currency. Not that the latter option comes as much of a surprise, mind you, what with it being a Gameloft product and what have you. Water under the bridge? Not quite. Matter of fact, I’m still trying to financially recover from the last wedge that the studio took from my wallet. Tut tut.

False Start

The first thing you’ll come into contact with in Disney Speedstorm is the Starter Circuit—a relatively short introductory series that provides you with a neat selection of skins, gifts, and tokens. Once beaten, you’ll have another obstacle to clamber over, which is getting your chosen character up to speed through the power of nifty upgrades and other cosmetics. To do this, you’ll either have to complete the time-sensitive Season Tour events, which operate on a weekly basis, or, you know, buy the in-game currency to unlock certain items thrice as fast. Ten points if you can guess which of the two options Gameloft wants you to pick.

You see, the ultimate goal in Disney Speedstorm is to level up your characters so that they’ll be good enough to tackle the online circuits. Again, you’ll either need to put in enough work over several weeks, or take the shortcut and be up to scratch by simply handing over your money in the Shop. And given the fact that this is indeed a competitive game, you’ll find that the only ones who’re serious about winning are those who’ve happily poured that initial flux of cash into the back pockets of the developer’s bank account. Not a great first impression, to be fair.

As far as characters go, the game divides them into four unique classes: Brawler, Speedster, Trickster, and Defender. Like a lot of racing games with a jam-packed roster, each of the aforementioned categories are made up of various stat boosts and bonuses. The idea, really, is to have the player work towards increasing these stats, and unlocking all the gadgets and gizmos to double the odds of winning. Easier said than done, of course, thanks to the paywall impeding the growth of your characters right from the get-go.

Mechanically Sound

Paywalls aside, there is actually a solid foundation for a good racing game here, and it mostly shows through its slick mechanics and somewhat addictive gameplay style. Sure it’s a little too close for comfort, and not to mention an almost direct replica of Mario Kart, but having said that, it is, for better or for worse, a great little karting game. And it’s a shame, truly, that the bulk of the player base won’t get to breach those initial borders without having to spend a significant amount of money to break down the walls, so to speak.

There’s a neat selection of tracks, too — all of which stem from some of Disney-Pixar’s classic portfolio. Visually, they’re bang on the money, and arguably a sight for sore eyes for those who’ve yearned to sink their teeth into a full-fat Disney universe on wheels. Unfortunately, though, the game does struggle to maintain a set amount of frames, so even on more powerful hardware, there’s one too many graphical drawbacks to deal with. Not a constant issue — but definitely a noticeable one, nonetheless.

It goes without saying that, if you’ve so much as scratched the surface of a karting game before, then you’ll no doubt already have a basic understanding of how it all operates. There are power-ups, flashy drifting mechanics, and a whole lot of high-octane elements that shine best when paired with a rigorous course and competitive team. On that note, I can’t complain. Simply put, it’s karting 101, and in spite of its frequent performance issues, it’s actually a fun and relatively lightweight game.

Roll on the Next One

At the end the day, I can’t knock it all that much, for it’s still early days and there’s still an entire network of content left to be released. Granted, the paywalls certainly dampen the mood ever so slightly in its current state, and there’s a lot that Gameloft can still do to prevent the apple cart from being rocked, so to speak. For now, though, I can only chalk it up as being a mediocre karting game with a great amount of potential — nothing more, nothing less.

Verdict

I’m not going to beat around the bush with this one, so I’ll just say it as it is, as much as it pains me to admit. Truth is, Disney Speedstorm, mechanically speaking, isn’t a bad kart racing game; it’s the litter of pay-to-win schemes that give it its bad reputation. And that’s just it — in spite of it being a free-to-play IP on the cover, the fact is, there isn’t a whole lot that’s actually free at all. Matter of fact, you’ll need to fork over a set amount of cash just to get your foot on the ladder — and that isn’t even taking into account the online modes and competitive play, either.

It’s a shame, really, as Disney clearly has the assets needed to make a great racing game, and not to mention a solid frontrunner for the genre, as a whole. Unfortunately, though, the devs gave into greed a little early on in the game’s release phase, which has single-handedly managed to transform an otherwise inclusive world into a shameful representation with one too many irrational schemes to boot.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s a lot to enjoy here, and even more for those who don’t mind shelling out for all the additional bells and whistles that come with the whiff of success. But for the lion’s share of the player base, I think I speak for everyone when I say, come on Gameloft — have you learned nothing from your past mistakes?