DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition Review (PlayStation 5)

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition is a game that offers a decent graphical experience with a download size of 7.53GB. It comes with a platinum trophy and is available on both PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5. The game features arcade racer gameplay and an optional tutorial race at the beginning.

There are three ways to play the game: single-player, multiplayer, and online. In the races, you can collect music notes for Turbo and lyres to unlock new shortcuts and extend the track. Items can be picked up and used to attack other drivers. Drift lanes on corners grant huge boosts if you drift through them. Drifting allows you to still move around and you hold down a button to initiate a drift.

The game offers accessibility options such as auto acceleration and motion sensor functions. A mini-map shows all racers and can be turned on and off. The records menu shows all your stats and completions with an overall progress percentage. There are 22 total characters, with 10 available initially and the rest needing to be unlocked. Each character has unique stats. Local multiplayer supports 2 to 4 players split-screen, and online has matchmaking and private matches.

The single-player mode houses four game modes: cups, free race, challenges, and time trials. The game is officially licensed and offers four race speeds: relaxed, regular, turbo, and lightning. There are six cups each with four events, and the final Moon Child cup requires you to finish all other cups to unlock.

Cars can be customized by buying new parts such as chassis, engines, wheels, and spoilers, which all change the car’s stats. The Trolls are the Commentator team, and the locations are from the character’s films. The speed boost from the trolls triggers a random effect at the same time.

The starting line has a three-note rhythm action game that determines your speed start. Music notes come in blue and gold which determines how much you get. The music notes are the currency used to buy new car parts. Trolls hang off your vehicle.

However, the game does not allow you to rebind controls. It might be a lot to take in for the younger player with so many pickups and mechanics in the game. The character voices are not original, but the impersonations of them are alright. Shrek, in particular, sounds like he did his voice recordings under a double duvet while suffering a cold.

You might have no idea what the power-ups do. There are no online leaderboards for the time trial. The rhythm game at the start is either really good or really bad at recognizing your presses. The music is not always fantastic. There are no difficulty options for the cups and they are pretty easy. Some of the levels actually hinder you from finding notes and power-ups.

Characters will interact with each other in the race. There is a pre-race flyover of the location. The jump button is used to get more air off jumps and perform in-air stunts for a speed boost. Shortcuts can be found and used. The Troll host changes the race from having more musical notes to collect to more speed pads etc. Speed pads provide temporary speed boosts.

The game offers quick back-to-track time. Free race rules include race speed, bot difficulty (chill/moderate/challenging/no mercy), laps (3/5/7), items on/off, and troll host. Challenges are split across six tiers and have set criteria to clear a challenge with a set character and race type. There is a hidden collectible in each race. You can replay cups. Some items can be shot behind you. Time Trial has two types: normal and against a ghost. A few races have effects that happen over time.

Overall this is a surprisingly good game, Surprising in that a licensed game offers a competent experience but also introduces many new mechanics that other games in the genre should take note of, Far from perfect the game is a great game for the younger gamer or someone looking for something different.