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

by Jim Smale · November 17, 2023

For this DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition Review, An all-star cast of iconic DreamWorks characters brings fun and hilarity to high-speed kart racing action like never before! Race on 20 different DreamWorks-themed tracks with your choice of 20 of the most iconic DreamWorks characters in a kart racing experience like no other.

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition Review Pros:

Decent graphics.
7.53GB download size.
Platinum trophy.
You get the PlayStation 4 and the PlayStation 5 versions of the game.
Arcade racer gameplay.
Opening optional tutorial race.
Three ways to play – Single-player, multiplayer, and online.
Music notes – collect these in a race to get turbo.
Lyres – pick one up to unlock a new shortcut and keep collecting them to 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.
Accessibility options – Auto acceleration, and motion sensor functions.
Mini map to show all racers and this can be turned on and off.
The records menu shows all your stats and completions with an overall progress percentage.
22 total characters with ten available initially and the rest needing to be unlocked.
Each character has unique stats.
Local multiplayer supports 2 to 4 players’ split-screen.
Online has matchmaking and private matches.
The single-player mode houses four game modes – cups, free race, challenges, and time trials.
Officially licensed.
Four race speeds – relaxed, regular, turbo, and lightning.
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 – chassis, engine, wheels, and spoilers which all change the car’s stats.
The Trolls are the Commentator team.
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.
End of cup ceremony.
The music notes are the currency used to buy new car parts.
Trolls hang off your vehicle.
Characters will interact with each other in the race.
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.
Quick back to track time.
Free race rules – 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.
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.

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing Rally Edition Review Cons:

Cannot rebind controls.
A lot to take in for the younger player with so many pickups and mechanics in the game.
Not the original character voices 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 have no idea what the power-ups do.
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.
No difficulty options for the cups and they are pretty easy.
Some of the levels actually hinder you from finding notes and power-ups.