Many have tried to put their most popular characters on a cart to imitate the success of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Some are cheeky clones and some manage to put some competition on the track, but the champion always comes back to claim the crown. This time, Gameloft tried to take advantage of its experience on mobile devices to bring it to the other platforms with Disney Speedstorma free to play that seeks to exploit the stars of Disney and its atmosphere full of fantasy.
The first thing you should know about Disney Speedstorm It is that it was conceived with the idea of being a free game and its launch was scheduled for 2022. After the delay, Mickey Mouse and his friends finally debuted, but as an early access with cost and it will be free to play later. This means that, to play it before its official release, you will have to pay for some content pack. An ambitious strategy on the part of Gameloft that ensures the entry of some players who, incidentally, serve as guinea pigs to eliminate errors and polish the game.
This Disney crossover promises a lot of interesting content and a fair microtransaction system. I’m afraid to say that both are half-truths and, to a large extent, are problems that can doom this racing game to oblivion. Is it worth paying for something that will be free in a few months and is also riddled with loot boxes? Here are my early access impressions.
Disney Speedstorm it’s made to keep you playing, so there’s no backstory. The intention is that you participate in all available modes and earn rewards non-stop. Here comes the first problem: from the initial moment you are bombarded with pop-up menus to announce rewards. This annoying system of windows and menus that open one after another is a legacy of mobile games. The same goes for the progression system that shows most of the options closed until you start through the main mode.
The Starter Circuit works like chapters where you get medals to keep moving forward. The main thing is to win the races, but you also have to meet objectives; something like the 3-star system in mobile games. As you advance you improve your pilots and thus you obtain some characters. It is a mode for beginners that consists of beating missions until moving on to the next chapter. Most of the levels offer ordinary races, but there are a couple of interesting missions. For example, on one track you are accompanied by drones that are eliminated from time to time if you are in last position, and another where the path is partially obscured by fog. These modes are fun and original, but are underused throughout the game.
After advancing in this mode, the other options are unlocked. The intention is to take you by the hand to explain how each aspect of the game works, and then open each section little by little. This feeling of limiting the content is present all the time and is intentional; It is the way to extend the hours of play.
There are modes that change according to the current season. For example, right now the season tour mode is focused on Monsters Inc., so you can unlock the characters in the movie and get items to improve them. The events are more of the same, although there are occasionally differences, like when you can use a character from that season without having obtained it. In general, the modes are boring and become a must to get everything you need. After playing for a few hours everything stops being fun because there are too many filler objectives and focuses on conditioning you to stay active in exchange for prizes. Unfortunately, the rewards beyond the characters are unappealing and not enough to motivate you to play endlessly.
Extra hours
Disney Speedstorm It is full of coins and loot boxes. It all works off the concept of earning tokens to redeem for something else in the shop, leveling up your character, and other somewhat confusing uses. There are tons of sections with various types of boxes and items you can get, each with a different type of currency. This means that you will have to enter a specific mode if you want to get an item that you need. It is true that at the moment Disney Speedstorm It doesn’t automatically redirect you to buy chips or items with real money, but it’s all set to do so at any time. It is likely that in the future this title will try to squeeze your pocket with lots of paid content.
The worst thing is that they chose to introduce a character development system that is linked to their performance, the use of items and abilities. To improve attributes like acceleration and speed you need specific fragments for each character, so at some point in the game you will suffer because they are in short supply and you will have to find a way to obtain them anywhere. Increasing these values is important for fighting in some modes; otherwise, no matter how good you are, you will always bite the dust. This gives it a pay to win touch that we hope will not be so abusive when the game becomes free to play.
But that’s not all, you will also have to win races to level up. This is important because it will increase the power of the items and improve the effects of each character’s abilities. I must say that, being an arcade game, there is no need to make things so complicated; the idea of marking differences between characters, having different items and unique abilities is enough to give variety to the game.
Once you assimilate the nature of the game where you are forced to win coins of all colors, the only thing left is to measure your ability against other players in 2 types of online competition, both based on the same thing: reaching the finish line and climbing the ranks. category. The online gaming experience runs smoothly and it is possible to compete with players from other platforms.
wasted potential
The feeling of speed in Disney Speedstorm It delivers without being outstanding and the cars are nice to drive. Control when driving is very smooth, so you won’t have to struggle when taking turns or trying to pass your rivals. Its arcade design suits it well and tries to reinforce it with some extra mechanics. You will be able to jump to take shortcuts on rails or avoid obstacles; use a boost with turbo; drift to gain more speed and charge the power of objects to gain other effects. Keep in mind that shortcuts and alternate routes do their job, but they are usually very obvious, so there is no need to use items or get more speed to reach them, as there is with Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled.
Understanding the game will take you little time; All you have to do is learn to use moves like drifting, the boost bar, and jumping. The game system is very intuitive and friendly, but if you want to have the advantage you must know when to use all the resources. Something curious is that the jump is very high, unlike other games, and it will allow you to reach some shortcuts or jump some items from other competitors.
As in any kart game, the most fun is obtaining items and throwing them at your rivals. Here come the most important differences with other racing games: each character has an archetype, a fixed arsenal of items and unique abilities. The differences between drivers are enough for you to find your favorite and exploit their potential on the track. For example, Donald is distinguished by being a brawler and a nervous wreck, so the first effect of his ability allows him to protect himself from other items, but if you hold the button down, he will run at full speed while throwing punches. As you can see, the effects are varied and it is worth getting to know the characters until you find one that fits your style. I can say that Disney Speedstorm It’s got good control, it’s fun and a solid racing game. For the same reason, it is a pity that its nature of gaming as a service affects it to the degree of making it tedious due to having so many limits.
disney magic
You will have few pilots to start with, but with your purchase you will be able to choose an additional character instantly and receive some extras according to the pass you have chosen. But don’t worry, in local multiplayer you’ll be able to find the 18 unlocked characters with everything and their abilities to the maximum. Take into account that they will only be available to play locally, if you want to use them in the rest of the modes you will have to follow the normal process.
All the characters are well represented, although their designs are simplistic and lack details. In the case of the tracks, something similar happens because, although they are themed and occasionally offer some type of interaction, they are similar to a Hot Wheels track. Some are attractive and their design sticks to their origin movie, but at times it feels like the base is the same in each with a layer of decoration to make the difference. To try to get the most out of each track, they included circuits with different routes in each area, so you’ll feel like you’re repeating the same thing over and over again, even though there are some differences.
On the other hand, iconic elements that are easy to recognize appear in the races, such as the doors of Monsters Inc.the enchanted objects of Beauty and the Beast or a giant tentacle on the dance floor Pirates of the Caribbean. These interactions happen once in a while and do the game good, but they’re sporadic and don’t make much of a difference. It feels like little winks that could have been exploited so that each track had a special touch. Let’s hope that in the next waves of content the tracks will have more and better elements of this type.
The technical section has its ups and downs. As I said, Disney Speedstorm It generates a good sense of speed without standing out. Game performance is good and everything flows as it should, at least on the PlayStation 5 version I played for this review. His greatest success is the music, which is much better than he expected; the selection includes mixes of the original versions.
Another detail to consider is that only the next-generation versions include a 4-player split-screen mode. On Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One only 2 players can participate at the same time. This measure is intended to ensure optimal performance on all platforms, but the option should be required in kart games.
A race against boredom
Disney Speedstorm It is an entertaining racing game with the potential to improve a lot if its developers limit the loot boxes and exploit their licenses with new content in a good way. Its control is well designed and fun, but its abusive mechanics make me doubt its future. The lack of incentives to keep you playing and its scarce content will make you get bored quickly and stop playing after a few hours. If you like racing games and you are a fan of Disney it may be an option, but consider that you will receive very little for your money.
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