Laughing Place got an early opportunity to checkout the new mobile version of Disney Speedstorm. The racing game, which was originally released on console and PC in 2023, is coming to the iOS App Store and Google Play Store tomorrow, July 11th. Let’s checkout the game!
About the Game
Disney Speepstorm is a free-to-play racing game. Players will get behind the wheel as some of the most iconic Disney characters as they race against opponents through Disney themed courses. Developed by Gameloft, the game is perfect for fans of MarioKart and Disney.
Gameplay
Logging into the game for the first time throws you right onto the track, prompting you through a Hercules inspired course. The game walks you through everything you need to know about controlling your vehicle. The touch based controls have you steer using your left hand, with your right hand in charge of special attacks, drifting, jumping, and boosts. The mobile version of the game auto accelerates your vehicle, allowing players to focus on attacking their opponents.
After finishing the brief controls tutorial, you are welcomed to the games main menu. However, Speedstorm isn’t ready to let you slam on the gas just yet. Players will be toured through the game's menus, store, character list, and rank system. Unlike full priced racing games like MarioKart, Disney Speedstorm requires players to unlock and upgrade characters through in-game currencies which are acquired through challenges, seasonal Golden Passes, increasing player rank and micro-transactions.
After the tour, players will be required to be Rank 2 to continue exploring other game modes. It took me winning about 5-6 free-play races. Ranking up does provide rewards, which will be important in the World Map game mode. Entering this new area shows an overview of Disney themed planets, allowing players to explore lists of racing challenges that unlock characters, rewards, and currency.
While it looks like quite a bit to explore, you, unfortunately, need to have characters unlocked to explore the smaller worlds. The game operates on a Season Pass system, with the smaller planets encompassing archived challenges from past seasons. Currently, Speedstorm is celebrating the Journey of Emotions Golden Pass inspired by Inside Out 2. This challenge path is open to all players, regardless of characters. When entering the Journey of Emotions world, racers will be presented with a trail of challenges that allow them to gain experience points towards the current Season Pass. The Season Pass is a list of unlockables that players can use in-game, which includes characters and add-ons. Some items in the pass are only available with the premium Golden Pass upgrade, which costs $8.99. The challenges are incredibly fun, with races containing goals that unlock XP (Experience Points).
Each race has a recommended level, which correlates to your character's level not your rank. To upgrade characters, players will have to spend Upgrade Coins. Other races require you to play as a specific character or give you the opportunity to try a new character. Each Disney character has their own strengths, weaknesses and special attacks, giving the gameplay variety when you switch who you are racing with. Olaf was particularly fun, with a snowball-throwing special attack that spunout drivers when hit.
In addition to the World Map challenges, the game has Daily and Seasonal Missions that help players gain more XP. Players are also given the opportunity to claim daily rewards, which can help unlock new characters and add-ons.
Overview
In the age of mobile gaming, we have seen a huge uptick in quality with graphics and gameplay. Disney Speedstorm is absolutely no exception. With my iPhone 14 Pro Max, I had no issues running the game, no significant lag, and seemingly no visual sacrifices in comparison to the console and PC version of the game. Speedstorm genuinely feels like a full-fledged video game that happens to be playable on a mobile device. The racing is very quick paced, lasting around a minute and a half per challenge, which made it very easy to re-race. The touch screen controls were exceptionally intuitive. At no point did I feel the need to connect a controller to my phone. The game’s biggest drawback is the implementation of micro-transactions. Whether you are logging into the game, finishing a challenge, collecting daily rewards or ranking up, you are reminded that taking full advantage of the game requires you to purchase Golden Passes, Character Packs, Currency Packs and upgrades. The plethora of money-spending options also clutters up navigating your menus, making the casual racing game feel a bit complicated on a smaller screen. However, if you want to make that financial commitment or have the willpower to avoid spending too much money on characters, this game is a perfect way to have some fun on the go. I highly recommend you and your family checkout Disney Speedstorm.
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