DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing

Review of DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing 🎮

Score: 5/10

A decent-to-good karting title that I really had high hopes for with "DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing." Yet, my journey has been inundated with many frustrating incidents that blur any possible enjoyment. Therefore, here's my breakdown:

Visuals & Graphics: 3/10 🥴

At first impression, I was dissatisfied with the character models and graphics quality in the whole. I was left questioning whether the game was produced in the year 2023 or had just been pulled off from some 2012 archives. As for the other characters, like Puss in Boots, they are embarrassingly underwhelming, especially given that DreamWorks films feature bright, vibrant artistry. Lighting in the actual game did seem to look dull and undersaturated, which is pretty much unlike the high flashy visuals advertised on the page within the store. I understand not every game needs high-end graphics, but I just wanted more you know, polish with the DreamWorks label.

Performance Issues: 4/10 ⚙️

A truly annoying experience was gaming on the GeForce 40 series card. The game crashed when run in fullscreen mode, not rendering anything until I alt-tabbed out. Such a strange oversight left me to either change settings through educated guessing in a game I should have been able to approach in a straightforward manner. These performance letdowns render this game unworthy of recommendation to anybody who looks for assured smooth gaming. 

Controls & Mechanics: 6/10 🎮

Now, here comes the upside, albeit with very loud caveats. The controls and mechanics are solid, giving me a fun, competitive kart racing experience that I treasure. But then, just absurdly, the developers suggested setting controller inputs like a bloody FPS! Why should the Steam Input configuration confuse analog stick control? I had to enable it myself, which really put a damper on my fun.

Sound & Voice Acting: 4/10 🎤

The voice acting is in dire need of improvement. Okay, I can understand their difficulty in hiring the original voice actors. However, the chosen impersonators for this game were just plain irritating, and their delivery of the lines was tiresome to the point of aggravation. Thank goodness I could mute them, and I did.

Gameplay Experience: 7/10 🏁

Amid numerous faults, however, a spark of enjoyment remains. AI remains rather competent, while gameplay mechanics hold to that old classic feel akin to Mario Kart 8. You feel like you're flying down that track, and an adorable charm keeps pulling you back, especially enjoying a mix of DreamWorks colorful characters. Once you get past some of the jank, there is definitely a chuckle waiting for you, especially if you are with friends. 

Tutorial & Onboarding: 3/10 📚

The tutorial is cumbersome, detractingly frequently, interrupting my flow of gameplay to remind me every five seconds how to press a button. It is irritating, as it makes the players feel like complete novices, which will instantly kill the excitement for newcomers.

Final Thoughts

"DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing" hides an excellent experience under glaring technical failures and shoddy visuals. I expected much more work from a licensed game from a company as established as DreamWorks. A lot and I mean A LOT of fixes could take this title from below mediocre straight into fun and engaging territory. Right now, if you're a die-hard fan of kart racers or DreamWorks, it may still be worth giving this a shot; just don't say I didn't warn you about the jank! 🚧