DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Review: Shrek, Po and Pals Crash the Kart Racing Party

Kart racers have carved out a beloved niche in gaming ever since Super Mario Kart first arrived on the scene back in 1992. Nearly three decades later, Mario Kart remains the undisputed king of the genre, though many have tried to topple its crown. The kart racing formula is irresistible and instantly familiar – zippy carts, colorful tracks filled with obstacles and shortcuts, and wacky power-ups to take down your friends. It’s a recipe for chaotic fun that appeals to players of all ages.

The latest challenger hoping to stake its claim is DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing, bringing together an all-star cast from the iconic animation studio’s films. From the swampy hijinks of Shrek to the kung fu panda Po, this is a chance to race as some of your favorite DreamWorks characters for the first time. With a variety of modes, customization options, and tracks based on famous movie locales, this aims to be the definitive kart racer for DreamWorks fans.

But how does it stack up to the impeccable pedigree of Mario Kart? Does it have the polish, controls, and content to compete with the best? Or does it stall out like other lackluster kart racing clones? We’ve taken DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing out for an extensive test drive to determine if it has the speed to keep up. Buckle up for our in-depth review as we swerve through its highs and lows. Whether you’re a devotee of the genre or just love the movies, we’ll help you decide if this kart racer will end up in the winner’s circle or limp across the finish line. Let’s hit the track to see if DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is destined for glory or doomed to be forgotten.

Familiar Racing Formula with a DreamWorks Twist

At its core, the racing in DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing will feel instantly familiar to anyone who’s played a Mario Kart game. All the basic ingredients are here – drifting around corners, zipping over boost pads, launching off ramps to perform stunts midair. The controls are simple and accessible, with holding drift to slide around turns accompanied by a satisfying burst of speed when executed properly. This ensures even novice racers can jump right in and have a good time.

Veterans of the genre will recognize the standard set of power-ups found inside item boxes, from basic speed boosts to homing projectiles and landmines. What sets DreamWorks Kart Racing apart is how these items take inspiration from the colorful cast of characters. Shrek can lob stinky onions at his opponents while Po from Kung Fu Panda dishes out sticky dumplings. Seeing the items incorporate franchise favorites adds a nice dose of personality and charm.

The tracks themselves are well-constructed, capturing the spirit of locations from popular DreamWorks films. Racing through Berk from How to Train Your Dragon or the cheerful Troll Village provides a hit of nostalgia for fans. Each course contains branching paths, alternate routes, and even magical rainbow roads that appear when you pass through special lyre gates. These ephemeral shortcuts reward exploration and add replayability as you uncover the quickest routes.

One of the more unique twists is the integration of Troll characters as race hosts. Collecting the musical notes scattered across each track fills up your Troll meter, allowing you to trigger a special power-up based on that Troll’s ability. For instance, Poppy might grant a triple cowbell boost while Branch drops soap bubbles you can ride for increased speed. It’s a fun mechanic that keeps races dynamic.

Unfortunately, while all the basics are intact, the moment-to-moment racing lacks the refined handling and polish of Mario Kart. Controls feel floaty at times, some tracks have odd invisible barriers, and the difficulty balancing leaves something to be desired. Botched shortcut attempts can set you back severely mid-race, often dashing any hopes for victory. The rubber-banding when falling behind feels weak as well. Once you slip down the pack, not enough items come your way to get back into contention.

Still, DreamWorks Kart brings a solid suite of modes beyond Grand Prix cups and exhibitions. Time trials, challenges focused on objectives for rewards, and online multiplayer ensure some depth and replayability. The online was sparsely populated in our experience but delivers a competent, if unspectacular, competitive experience. Overall the core racing mechanics are enjoyable, especially for younger audiences, even if expert players may desire more nuance and balance.

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Visuals and Audio Bring DreamWorks to Life… Mostly

One area where DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing excels is bringing the animated worlds of DreamWorks films into the game with vivid color and detail. The courses pop with the same vibrant, inviting energy as the movies they’re based on. Racing through locations like Po’s village or the Troll’s forest hideaway is sure to trigger pangs of nostalgia for fans. The character models themselves also capture the spirit of the IP well enough, though some come across better than others. Still, it’s a joy seeing these beloved franchises merged together into one kart racer.

Unfortunately, the visuals lose some of their luster due to the lack of HDR support. Even on an Xbox Series X, the colors never pop quite as much as they could. The environments are still cheery and lively but feel oddly muted at times without HDR enabled. It’s an unfortunate oversight given the game’s inherent colorfulness.

By far the weakest element across presentation is the voice acting. None of the original movie voice talent returns, and the replacements range from passable to outright wince-inducing. It’s immediately noticeable with characters like Po and Shrek, whose voice actors defined their roles. Hearing a subpar imitation spout lines throughout each race grates terribly. You’ll likely turn dialogue volume way down before too long.

Thankfully the soundtrack delivers where the voices fail. Catchy, energetic tunes that incorporate elements of each movie’s score seamlessly blend with thumping beats fit for a high-speed race. The music captures the spirit of both the franchises and genre superbly, punching up the action whether you’re drifting around corners or soaring off ramps. This excellent score does a lot to bolster the kart racing atmosphere and intensity.

Overall, the presentation aims to leverage DreamWorks’ brands and mostly succeeds on a visual front. Seeing these worlds brought to life as race courses delivers nostalgia even if the lack of HDR dulls things a bit. But the abysmal soundalike voice acting seriously detracts from the experience. At least the soundtrack picks up the slack to provide an energizing audio backdrop for burning rubber on the track.

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Solid Variety of Racers and Customization, But Limited Modes

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing brings together an eclectic cast of 20 playable racers pulled from DreamWorks’ major franchises. You’ll find familiar faces like Shrek, Po, and Hiccup mixed in with the likes of Mr. Wolf and the Boss Baby. Each character comes with their own distinct kart and stats ranging from speed and turbo to handling and charisma. Unfortunately, some classic franchises don’t make the cut, so fans of early classics like The Prince of Egypt or The Road to El Dorado won’t find any representation. But overall it’s a solid collection of racers that captures the studio’s most popular recent properties.

In addition to the starting roster, you’ll unlock more surprise characters like the Trolls as you progress. Every racer can be customized visually and mechanically using an extensive garage system lifted straight from Mario Kart. You’re able to mix and match bodies, tires, gliders, and more to tweak speed, acceleration, handling, and other attributes to match your preferences. It’s a deep system that adds plenty of replayability as you experiment to construct your ideal kart.

The selection of courses totals 20 inspired by DreamWorks films. Locations like the Spirit Realm from Kung Fu Panda and Berk from How to Train Your Dragon translate well to high-speed racing. The brightly colored forests of Trolls and atmospheric Dark Forest are other creative standouts. Each track has its own personality and memorable moments from the movies incorporated throughout. While not all are slam dunks, at their best they tap into nostalgia with beautifully realized locations fans will appreciate.

Unfortunately, beyond cups and free exhibition races, modes are limited. There is no true battle mode to break up the standard races, a missed opportunity. Challenges and time trials add some purpose, and you can take the action online, though matchmaking was unreliable during our tests. The breadth of content is sufficient to satisfy most casual players, but a lack of diversity in modes may leave some wanting more variety beyond plain old racing eventually.

Overall, a pleasantly surprising roster of racers and a deep kart customization system provide plenty to tinker with in DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing. The tracks also nail the family-friendly charm the studio is known for. But the limited selection of modes outside standard fare races inhibits its lasting potential unless you simply can’t get enough of that core kart racing action.

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How Does DreamWorks Kart Racing Stack Up to the Competition?

While DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing brings together an appealing cast of animated characters, it enters a crowded field of recent kart racing games. How does it stack up to other contemporaries in the genre?

The Mario Kart franchise still leads the pack with the excellent Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch. Its meticulous balance, depth of content, and polish make it the gold standard DreamWorks Kart simply can’t match. Crash Team Racing: Nitro Fueled is another standout with tight drifting and multiplayer mayhem.

DreamWorks Kart falls short of recent licensed efforts like Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 and Hot Wheels Unleashed as well. Both offer greater handling precision and variety than seen here. Even Garfield Kart Furious Racing provides stiffer competition with less rubberbanding and better item balance.

The retro nostalgia of Garfield Kart may give it more inherent charm than DreamWorks Kart for some. And of course, Mario Kart remains miles ahead as the pinnacle of the genre.

While definitely superior to the abysmal Pac-Man Kart Rally, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing fails to stand out in this crowded field. Unless you need your fix of DreamWorks characters, Crash Team Racing provides wackier weapons and racing. Nickelodeon Kart Racers 2 satisfies those craving nostalgic cartoons with better balance. And Mario Kart 8 Deluxe simply has no equal.

DreamWorks Kart Racing doesn’t do enough to leapfrog its contemporaries. While families and kids will enjoy this colorful cast, more polished kart racers exist unless you must have Shrek and Po at your fingertips. It’s a serviceable entry, but lags behind the best of today’s crowded kart racing scene.

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Fun Racer for Fans, But Lacks Polish to Match Mario Kart

At the end of the day, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing accomplishes its goal of jam-packing a kart racer with beloved characters from DreamWorks animated films. There’s no denying the joy of finally getting to race Po’s noodle cart against Shrek’s onion carriage while music from Trolls cheerfully plays. The game nails the family-friendly charm and humor that makes these franchises so endearing. Tracks like the Spirit Realm and Dragon’s Keep capture the spirit of the IP impressively as well.

However, while the presentation and personality largely deliver, the racing action itself lacks the refinement and balance of Nintendo’s beloved Mario Kart series. The controls feel loose, item balance is questionable, and difficulty spikes from failed shortcuts can ruin races in an instant. It follows the Mario Kart template a bit too closely without managing to replicate the precise execution.

That said, original ideas like the musical Troll power-ups and ephemeral magical rainbow roads do provide some uniqueness to the established formula. A sizable and customizable roster of racers, along with a solid garage system, adds plenty of content for fans to dig into as well. There’s certainly enough here to satisfy players looking for a new kart racing fix, especially casual audiences and youthful DreamWorks devotees.

But more seasoned genre veterans and racing aficionados will likely notice the rough edges holding back the experience. Until it smooths out its difficulty spikes and tightens up handling, DreamWorks Kart can’t quite keep up with the best the genre has to offer. It’s still an admirable effort that brings these characters together for family-friendly, frenzied fun. Just don’t expect Mario Kart-level polish.

For DreamWorks fans wanting to race with their favorite characters, there’s plenty here to enjoy. But those seeking a deep, refined kart racing package have better options. Wait for a sale and temper expectations a bit. Even with its flaws, DreamWorks Kart should provide simple arcade racing fun for the demographics it targets. Just don’t set the bar at Mario Kart’s impeccable heights.

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