Disney Speedstorm Review – 2024 Edition

disney speedstorm review 2024 review

Can Disney Speedstorm be considered a rival to Nintendo’s near-unstoppable Mario Kart 8? While the kart-racing subgenre has seen a good few new entries since the moustachioed motorist and his entourage sped their way to glory on the Wii U almost a decade ago, few have come close to a podium finish, let alone besting what many consider the finest kart racing game of all time.

With Disney Speedstorm having just celebrated its first anniversary, I decided to give it another go. Not since Crash Team Racing: Nitro-Fueled have I put as much time into one of these games, especially one that is so unabashedly free-to-play. Speedstorm’s hook is impossible to miss: a supercharged kart racer from Asphalt developers, Gameloft, overflowing with Disney icons, old and new.

I’m no Disney die-hard yet I definitely saw the novelty value of having Donald Duck trading paint with the likes of Mulan and Mowgli while tearing around a besieged pirate ship circuit, dodging the tentacles of a giant Kraken. With that said, I didn’t stick around for long when Disney Speedstorm first launched last year. I didn’t have time for a free-to-play grind and knew that, if I returned several months later, there would be far more content for me to enjoy.

disney speedstorm review 2024 review

Getting back behind the wheel now was a smart choice, allowing me to enjoy a far greater number of tracks and racers, while also benefiting from recent updates that have streamlined the bloated character progression system. Speaking of characters, this is where Speedstorm shines the most, grouping Disney heroes and villains into one of several classes. It’s an approach we’ve seen in other kart racers – most notably Team Sonic Racing – but here it actually works. The type of racer you choose will determine which power-ups are available, their effectiveness scaling as you level up. For example, Brawler-type racers rely on combat skills to sow chaos whereas Defenders look to maintain their position by dodging and blocking any hazards that come their way. On top of that, each racer has their own unique pair of skills. Aladdin’s nemesis, Jafar, will spew great gouts of flame from his serpent staff while other heroes are slightly more technical. Take the newly-added Fix-It Felix, for example: one of his skills activates a flurry of hammers that will grant invulnerability to himself and nearby racers, catapulting him forward with a massive speed boost if he successfully repairs enough karts.

Speedstorm also manages to capture the look of its crossover cast wonderfully, mashing together decades of different Disney animation styles, both 2D and 3D. Clad in their uniquely designed motorsport jumpsuits, their rides are similarly inspired with an array of custom liveries, wheels, and vanity plates up for grabs. With a few exceptions, these characters are fully voiced, and though some sound a little off, other voices are pretty much spot on in their likeness. Gameloft also delves into decades of classic Disney songs for its Speedstorm soundtrack, remixing them to match the game’s own frenetic energy.

disney speedstorm review 2024 reviewdisney speedstorm review 2024 review

Once that initial novelty wears off from the first few races, where can you go next? Speedstorm offers a series of solo races that changes every season, gradually ramping up the challenge while offering better rewards. Most of the time you’ll be battling it out in standard head-on races though tracks and formats are liable to change: for example, there will be races that feature a higher number of aerial lifts, as well as races that exclusively focus on one power-up type.

The car handling is fairly forgiving and easy to pick up with a simple drift mechanic that feeds into your boost meter. However, as you push into the late game, Speedstorm becomes more technical: karts will be fast master, and obstacles come in thick and fast, requiring precise jumps, rail grinds, and other advanced moves. Once you’ve nailed the basics in solo play, you can also throw down against other humans online, in ranked or regulated matchmaking.

Compared to Mario Kart, races don’t feel half as long. There’s a fierce tempo to Speedstorm with racers typically belting around each track without anyone getting too far ahead of the pack. It can often feel scrappy and chaotic though the brevity of each race means you can cross the finish line, then immediately dive into the next one without needing to wait. For a game that has a large player base on mobile, that’s pretty important. In fact, there’s plenty here to suggest that Disney Speedstorm has always been a mobile-first title, without even mentioning Gameloft’s extensive track record. That’s not to say it doesn’t play well on other systems, and thanks to its seamless cross-platform progression, I’ve split my total playtime between the mobile, PS5, and PC (Steam Deck) versions, which has been a great experience.

So what about monetisation? Speedstorm has an in-game shop loaded with playable and cosmetic content as well as its own battle pass, loot boxes, and progression boosts. If there’s a particular Disney character you wish to unlock you’ll need to either grind out shards (which can take weeks of regular play) or buy them outright via in-game currency or character bundles. Some racers are especially elusive: for example, if you’re looking to add Frozen’s Elsa to your roster, you’ll need to wait for limited events and boxes to appear to even have a shot at earning shards. Unsurprisingly, the most effective way of collecting characters is to sntap up each season pass. After recent changes to how this system works, expect to gain easy access to at least two or three characters each season, as well as a smattering of shards for a seemingly random selection of other non-featured characters, unlocked by completing season chapters.

Summary
Despite being drenched in familiar IP, Disney Speedstorm isn’t the kind of idle kart racing shovelware older gamers grew up with. There's a clear reverence for the characters it features and their fantastical worlds, evidenced by the passion in Speedstorm’s art direction and soundscape. When coupled with Gameloft's previous racing hits, the result is something that caters for casual gamers and genre die-hards alike. Just beware that whilethis virtual Disneyland-on-wheels is free, some of its main attractions come at a cost, whether spending time grinding away in queues to meet your favourite Disney mascots, or paying cash for that VIP fast-track.
Good
  • Easy to pick up and play
  • A packed roster with unique playstyles
  • Seamless cross-platform integration
  • Looks ands sound great
Bad
  • Heavy monetisation
  • Sluggish free-to-play progression
  • Racing gameplay can be chaotic instead of challenging
7
Written by
Senior Editor bursting with lukewarm takes and useless gaming trivia. May as well surgically attach my DualSense at this point.