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Disney Speedstorm is more than a Mario Kart Clone - Disney Speedstorm Quick Review

4K View2023-04-18

PLAY IT OR SKIP IT?

Play it! The more I think about it, the weirder it is that we haven’t had a racer with those lovable characters from the Disney lineup. Clearly I wasn’t the only one who thought so. Disney Speedstorm is packed with fan-favorite characters from across the entire span of the company’s history. It was pretty satisfying watching Donald Duck hurl bombs at Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean while simultaneously dodging pirate cannons aimed at the race track. With the addition of character customization, boss battles, multiplayer, a collection of classic tunes, and some cool collectibles, this fun racer should please any Disney fan, old and young alike.

TIME PLAYED

I clocked in around eight hours over the weekend on Disney Speedstorm on the PlayStation 4. This allowed me to complete several chapters of the Starter Circuit campaign, a game mode serving as both a tutorial mode and focusing on individual characters such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. I unlocked additional modes such as Season Tour, Free Play, Private Track Multiplayer, and Limited Events by completing this mode.

WHAT’S AWESOME

• The characters. The roster includes favorites from both classic and modern Disney. Mickey Mouse was the default player I started with, but I quickly unlocked other characters like Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Even when I hadn’t yet unlocked a character, select races let me test them out as guest characters. As a Disney fan, I also loved the ability to earn new looks for my characters, like Mickey Mouse from the 1928 short “Plane Crazy.”

• The tracks. Speedstorm’s well-designed circuits are filled with references to classic movies, hazards to avoid, and shortcuts to take advantage of. One of my favorite tracks was Big Screen, which felt like racing through a classic black-and-white Disney short from the ’30s. Other highlights included racing through the Pirates of the Caribbean track Pirate Bay and dodging thunderbolts from Zeus on Mount Olympus.

• Car customization. I was able to modify everything about how my vehicles looked, from the colors to the wheels to the crew to the car’s body. The wide variety of options provided a reason to do my best in each race, so that I could earn more materials to pimp out my ride.

• The soundtrack. Disney has never been a slouch in terms of making memorable hit songs, and Disney Speedstorm doesn’t disappoint. It was great listening to songs like “The Gospel Truth” from the film Hercules while tearing up the asphalt.

WHAT SUCKS

• Overwhelming. Disney Speedstorm does its best to guide you through the multiple game modes, customizations, and character playstyles, but I couldn’t help but feel it was a lot to take in at once! I was constantly unlocking something, or being presented with a new mode to try out or a character to upgrade. This just speaks to the vastness of the game, but for me, it was also a bit jarring.

• No expanded properties. Unfortunately, if you’re hoping for Marvel or Star Wars characters, they’re nowhere to be found! Perhaps, we’ll see them in some later updates, but for those waiting to see Spider-Man and Mickey compete across Pirate Bay, you won’t find it here.

💬 Will you play Disney Speedstorm or skip it? Let me know in the comment section!