Disney Speedstorm [PC] | REVIEW

Gameloft took over my life when they released Disney Dreamlight Valley last year, and I think they’re about to do the same with Disney Speedstorm. I already love a kart racer, but adding Disney to the mix? It’s a match made in heaven – especially since the game also happens to be a ton of fun to play.

Check out some screenshots down below:

Disney Speedstorm is a racer that plays a lot like Mario Kart, with players speeding through topsy-turvy tracks as a bunch of iconic characters, using a variety of power-ups to gain the upper hand over their opponents, and drifting to pull off quick speed boosts to zip ahead of the pack. Sounds pretty familiar, right? Well, it also introduces some neat ideas of its own to help differentiate it from some of the more popular releases in the genre. For one, there’s a timing bar in place at the start of the race that rewards players that manage to hit the sweet spot with their revving (this changes up between characters), whilst players can also hold down a button to charge their power-ups to offer different effects. There’s also an emphasis placed on jumping in races, with players able to pull off tricks when hitting ramps or when sliding across grinding rails for a speed boost (provided you manage to maintain your balance on them).

The most important aspect of all is that it feels SO good to play. The driving is tight and controls well, whilst drifting through corners and jostling with rivals feels incredibly rewarding. There’s an extra element of strategy to be found with the power-ups thanks to the charging mechanic too, with players able to think the situation through carefully to figure out how best to utilise them. The Shield power-up can be great when you’re in the pack and need to keep yourself safe for example, but if you’re behind your rivals, charging it up to damage an opponent on impact is WAY more useful. Alternatively, the Fire power-up gives you a flaming aura that’s useful when speeding through opponents and hitting them, but if you’re in the middle of a pack of cars and competing for first place, charging it to unleash an explosion can help you wipe out those around you. It brings a lot more depth to the use of power-ups in-game and ensures they can always give you an advantage, no matter what situation you might find yourself in. There’s nothing worse than getting a power-up that’s no use to you in titles like Mario Kart, but Disney Speedstorm alleviates that issue.

Each character also has their own special power-up that can give them the advantage over rival racers, whether it’s Mickey Mouse with his Trailerblazer that allows him to speed ahead, Hercules with his Olympian Flyby that calls Pegasus to give him a boosting trail to follow, Belle with her Enchanted Mirror that’ll summon furniture to the track to deter opponents, or Jack Sparrow with his Cutlass Flurry that’ll stun any opponents that come near his slicing swords. Again, each special power-up can be charged to offer varying effects, ensuring your character choice adds an extra element of strategy to each race.

“There’s a heck of a lot going on in Disney Speedstorm and it ensures that the racing action is creative, chaotic, and a lot of fun.”

There are other fun elements to get stuck into too, such as the Crew mechanics that see you including various Disney characters into your crew to grant different buffs, levelling up your character to increase their driving abilities, or the fact that each character is split into one of four types that have different advantages: Brawler, Speedster, Trickster and Defender. There’s a heck of a lot going on in Disney Speedstorm and it ensures that the racing action is creative, chaotic, and a lot of fun.

Of course, there’s a catch, and it’s one that may put some players off. Disney Speedstorm is a live service game, and whilst you have to pay to play it via its Founders Pack during its early access period, it’s eventually going to be free-to-play. That means you won’t be able to unlock characters, vehicles, and costumes by simply playing and winning some championships, but instead have to grind to earn the resources required to unlock them.

Has this been a problem so far? Not at all. The Starter Circuit (which comprises of six chapters with different events to complete) has offered plenty of rewards, whilst the Season Tour sees players complete events and earn rewards connected to the game’s Golden Pass (the game’s equivalent to a Battle Pass). There are also Limited Events to complete, with these time-based challenges having you work towards specific objectives to earn resources to progress.

Check out some screenshots down below:

These resources cover multiple uses, with some allowing you to level up your characters, some allowing you to unlock new characters, some used to spend in the shop, and others unlocking more premium items… you know… your typical free-to-play setup. There’s a lot there and it can take a while to figure out what they’re best used for, but it gets easier after a few hours play. It’ll take a LOT of racing before you’re able to unlock all of the characters (and even longer again to level them up and get new costumes or kart customisation options) but it feels like the game respects your time by giving you plenty of ways to actually earn in-game rewards. The same applies to the Golden Pass, which I’ve managed to make some quick progress in so far – with more events unlocking as the season goes on, I’m hoping it maintains that fair level of progress (especially since it’s Monsters Inc themed which is one of my favourite Disney movies).

It can’t be a racer without multiplayer, with Disney Speedstorm offering multiple options. Firstly, local play is incredibly accessible, with up to four players able to compete in split-screen action. Best of all, all characters are available from the get-go in this mode, so you don’t have to worry about unlocking your favourites. Given how popular racers can be in local multiplayer, it’s a cool move by Gameloft to make everything readily available and has ensured the game will stand out as a favourite to play with my pals on game nights.

When it comes to online play, it’s a bit more complex. Ranked Multiplayer lets players compete with others for varying rewards, but the fact that players of different levels can compete against each other can give some an unfair advantage. Whilst the playing field has been reasonable thus far, it won’t take long before an element of ‘pay-to-win’ might come into play with some players able to boost up their stats with real-life cash. Ranked Multiplayer also unlocks extras for each character, so there’s an incentive to tackle that mode more than others… it’ll be interesting to see how it feels to play over time. Alternatively, there’s also Regulated Multiplayer which has all characters using the same level characters which is fairer, but the rewards for playing it aren’t so interesting. Online multiplayer is important in a game like this and will help ensures its longevity, so I hope it feels balanced in the long-term.

“From the eighteen-strong roster that’s made up of fan favourites across multiple IPs (such as Mickey Mouse, Baloo, Beast, and Jack Sparrow) as well as lesser known faces (I LOVED seeing Figment included), the rich selection of courses spanning multiple recognisable environments, and the brilliant soundtrack that remixes some iconic tunes, it’s clear that Gameloft have made sure all boxes have been ticked when it comes to pleasing the Disney fanbase.”

One of the best things about Disney Speedstorm is the care and love put into embracing the magic of Disney within it. From the eighteen-strong roster that’s made up of fan favourites across multiple IPs (such as Mickey Mouse, Baloo, Beast, and Jack Sparrow) as well as lesser known faces (I LOVED seeing Figment included), the rich selection of courses spanning multiple recognisable environments, and the brilliant soundtrack that remixes some iconic tunes, it’s clear that Gameloft have made sure all boxes have been ticked when it comes to pleasing the Disney fanbase. It’s kept me excited to see what else could come to the game, with SO much potential on offer across all of Disney’s beloved works.

Developer: Gameloft
Publisher: Gameloft
Platform(s): PC (Reviewed), PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Website: https://disneyspeedstorm.com/