Disney Speedstorm isn’t good enough to replace Mario Kart

Disney Speedstorm is out now on Android and iOS, ten months after it left early access on console and PC. While it’s great to see the game released in full on all platforms, it’s disheartening to see that the biggest complaints about it from its early access period have been ignored.

While I knew Disney Speedstorm wouldn’t knock my socks off (The Mixed reviews on Steam and Generally Unfavorable user score on Metacritic set my expectations low), I was willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. Sure, I love Mario Kart, but Nintendo’s laziness in producing new content or a sequel has left me hankering for a fresh entry in the kart racing genre. Still, even my willingness to overlook problems in my need for something fresh can’t overcome the game-breaking problems with Disney Speedstorm.

Disney Speedstorm ran beautifully on my Redmagic 8 Pro and my Pixel 8, which are powered by the Snapdragon Gen 3 and Tensor G3 chipsets, respectively. The 45fps limit was frustrating, but nevertheless, it was a smooth experience. Online play was similarly faultless; I spotted no latency issues when gaming over my home WiFi connection. The music was excellent; the remixed tracks of classic songs from Disney films set the tone just right.

Gameplay is a struggle on mobile devices

Flashy visuals are prioritized over sensible game design choices

The bread and butter of Disney Speedstorm are the online races, which follow roughly the same formula set down by Mario Kart decades ago. If you’ve played Mario Kart, you’ll quickly feel at home with Disney Speedstorm.

Unfortunately, where Mario Kart’s beauty lies in it’s accessible pick-up-and-play races for all ages, Disney Speedstorm packs so much bloat that I had no idea what was happening during my first few races. The tracks are beautiful but are hard to take in when you’re zooming through them at high speeds. This visual noise is compounded further by the constant stream of particle effects from items, boosts, and character-specific abilities.

It’s clear that character abilities are a flagship feature of Disney Speedstorm, but the attempt to give each racer a unique personality falls flat. While I like the idea in theory, Disney Speedstorm is a casual game through and through, so to avoid the necessity of extensive research before you start playing, every ability is watered down to such an extent that they might as well be irrelevant. For example, Sadness (from Inside Out) can slow down everyone around her, generating energy for a boost in the process. However, the slow effect was so minimal that I didn’t even notice it was happening to me in races against her.

All this culminates in a chaotic, incomprehensible mess of visuals. While it’s much more manageable on consoles and desktop PCs, small screens struggle. Races are also too short; it’s hard to get absorbed into the game when a race is over before you get a grip on the mechanics.

Monetization is predictably awful

Overcomplicated, overpriced, and overdesigned

Complaints about Disney Speedstorm’s monetization practices have plagued the game since its early access release in March 2023. Over a year later, the issues are still here.

Disney Speedstorm is packed with so many gacha mechanics and in-game currencies that it’s hard to know where to begin, even if you are willing to shell out some cash for characters or upgrades. While I won’t delve into the overwhelming amount of menus, currencies, and upgrade types here (simply put, it’s designed to confuse you into spending money), one particular element ruined any remaining goodwill I had toward the game.

At its core, the game is pay-to-win, no matter how you like to play. While locking characters behind in-game currencies or lootboxes is par for the course for free-to-play games, the upgrades for racers mean you have to grind for hours to compete, even in private games.

Yes, if you want to have a blast with your friends playing Disney Speedstorm for an evening, you won’t start on the same playing field unless you’ve all unlocked the same upgrades. Friendly games are the foundation of excellent kart racing games, and Disney Speedstorm makes enjoying a few races with your friends an unbalanced and frustrating experience.

Should you play Disney Speedstorm?

Despite its colorful trappings, a wide roster of loved Disney characters, and a brilliant soundtrack, Disney Speedstorm is a competitive pay-to-win kart racer at heart. If you want a game that rewards hundreds of hours of gameplay without requiring much skill, give it a shot. If you’re looking for a casual racer to play with friends, avoid Disney Speedstorm like the plague. There’s a great variety of brilliant racing games on Android, and while they won’t let you play as Mickey Mouse, neither will they make playing a quick race a chore of dismissing notifications and navigating menus.