Given that he’s an internet icon these days and the star of countless memes, it’s a bit of a surprise that it’s taken this long – 12 full years, in fact – to find a way to get Shrek into another video game. The last title to feature the onion-layered ogre was DreamWorks Super Star Kartz, released by Activision in 2011 for the Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, and 3DS. It’s somewhat fitting, then, that he would return in another DreamWorks karting game, and equally fitting that it too feels two generations old.
DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is the latest offering from Bamtang Games, which was previously responsible for the Nickelodeon Kart Racers trilogy (which started weak on Switch, got better with the second game then lost its way again with the final entry). Sadly, while this DreamWorks-themed racer has a number of decent ideas, the execution is as sloppy as a Bergin eating a Troll.
The roster is decent, with 20 characters to choose from, eight of which are available from the start. Most big DreamWorks franchises are in there, and while Shrek is represented the most with six racers (Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, Puss in Boots, Lord Farquaad, and Kitty Softpaws), there’s still representation in there from the likes of The Boss Baby, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Trolls and even Megamind.
Not every DreamWorks production is in there, likely either due to licensing reasons or just a general lack of popularity, so if you’re a fan of The Croods, Rise of the Guardians, Antz, Monsters vs Aliens, Over the Hedge, and the like, you’re going to be disappointed. And if you were a fan of The Road to El Dorado, you’re probably too old to be wasting precious gaming time with this sort of guff anyway.
There are some positives here. There’s clearly been some effort made to make this an authentic DreamWorks karting game, rather than a generic racer that’s just had the lion from Madagascar and the annoying kid from How to Train Your Dragon dumped into it.
The tracks cover a bunch of locations from the movies, meaning Shrek fans get to race through Far Far Away and Shrek’s Swamp while Trolls is represented by Pop Village and Bergen Town. From the track set inside the Baby Corp building to the one in the New York City Zoo, we appreciate the effort that’s been made here.
It’s just a shame that everything that takes place in these locations detracts from that effort, not least the voice acting which features some of the worst soundalikes we’ve heard in a game. Naturally, we weren’t expecting the likes of Mike Myers, Jack Black, and Ben Stiller to lend their voices here, but given you could throw a stone on TikTok without even looking and hit 30 people doing Shrek impressions, it’s almost inspiring how this game managed to find someone who sounds so awful (and Shrek is the worst of a generally bad bunch).
What's even more disappointing is that the game does actually do a clever thing with the dialogue, in that each racer has a set of character-specific lines that they can utter when they pass someone. So when Kung Fu Panda bumps into Alex from Madagascar, he'll say "Look out, Alex." It's a nice touch, it's just a shame that he sounds less like Jack Black and more like Jack Black's cousin. Not the one that sounds like him, the other one.
While the voice acting can at least be turned off, the same can’t be said for the course design, most notably the annoying dirt patches that are found scattered in some of them – not just off the track, but sometimes on it. The game’s drifting feels a little on the awkward side as it is, but when you drift over one of these dirt patches the drift is killed instantly (as opposed to most karting games where the drift continues but you slow down massively).
Not only does this remove the speed boost you’ve been charging up – which would be frustrating but very much a ‘git gud’ situation – but because drifting often involves holding the Control Stick in the opposite direction it also frequently results in you wildly veering off the track the second you hit the dirt. Add to this the fact that the game looks blurry and hard to see at the best of times, and that these dirt patches can appear without much warning as a result, and it can be hugely annoying.
The power-ups are also pretty underwhelming. Although there’s a Help screen on the main menu which explains all 16 of them, even after a few hours of play we kept forgetting what they did because they’re so unremarkable. It’s not like you don’t get much of a chance to use them – the severe rubber-banding makes sure you can never really get too far ahead of the pack so you’re always in amongst the ‘action’ – they’re just too dull for any of them to lodge in your brain as ones to look out for.
Above all else, the thing is just clunky beyond belief. Even on the fastest of four speed settings, the game can feel painfully slow when you aren’t hitting boosts, and while the frame rate attempts to hit 30 frames per second, there’s a real jankiness to things that means it’s rarely consistent. We also occasionally found annoying ‘broken’ bits, such as a section where we hit a jump wrong and slowly floated down to the ground instead while our opponents raced off into the distance.
Ultimately, it’s difficult to recommend DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing to anyone but the most die-hard DreamWorks fan, or the most patient karting fan who’s willing to overlook all its shortcomings in return for some new tracks to race around. When there are numerous far better examples of karting games already on Switch, you’d need to be the sort of person who regularly listens to the Trolls soundtrack on Spotify to properly enjoy this one.
In a way, it’s unfortunate that the game features ‘All-Star’ in the title, because all that does is make us think about the Smash Mouth song synonymous with the first Shrek movie, and remind us of better times. This game, on the other hand, has us looking kind of dumb, with our finger and our thumb in the shape of an ‘L’ on our forehead.
Conclusion
Unless you're one of the biggest DreamWorks fans on the planet, you'll struggle to fall in love with DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing. Its attempts at authenticity and its numerous references are admirable, but it really lets itself down on the track with frustrating design choices, unstable performance, and a forgettable range of power-ups.
Comments 56
We sure those tracks are wide enough?
I thought you said they put a steak in it!! if so, filet mignon please!!! 10/10
there's probably an onion metaphor in here somewhere
The worst Shrek product since Shrek the Third.
Just my opinion, but I've never played a "kart" style game that was anywhere remotely close to the Mario Kart Series. I know people like the Crash and Sonic versions, but I'm not a fan of those either. The closest to Mario has been the Diddy Kong effort on the N64.
I've yet to try the Disney game though.
Well thats a shame guess ill wait for a sale on this one.
@dkxcalibur ik its your opinion but how do u not like sonic or crash racing thats shocking
This is the fourth kart racing game that Bamtang have developed for GameMill in a six year period. I honestly wasn't expecting this to be the groundbreaking experience that would 🎶break the mooo-oold🎶
About what I expected. I’ll still probably try this on sale though lol
@UltimateInkling I wouldn't say that I don't enjoy them. It's that I feel they are not close to the same quality so that I would rather play the Mario series. I guess it's sort of like the summer blockbuster movies that are fun to watch once, but you'll probably not watch them a second time. It's that kind of thing for me. Sonic was enjoyable for a day or two. Crash about the same.
the way the headline is written, i thought for a mo that "Aint the Sharpest Tool in the Shed" was the games official subtitle, and I was about to give this game more credit than it clearly deserves 😂
second rate Kart game based on second rate animated films, pass. if you or your kids like it im truly glad for you! 👍
4 from 10 ??
I saw the PS5 version gameplay from YouTube and it was pretty great on smooth 60 FPS.
Smooth 60 FPS on PS5 version.
I think it should be 7 from 10 from my first impression.
And the Musical Note Power system was like Chocobo Racing style but it should be filled by getting the musical notes power up on the track.
What a shocker, a money grabbing IP based game is garbage.
@sanderev
Depend on the developer.
The licensed franchises on video games can be good enough to play by the right developer and right publisher.
Diddy Kong Racing is the best kart racer ever.
I feel bad dunking on someone's work but, dude, that voice acting isn't winning any awards
Oh man, that voice. I saw it on Twitter and the way he just inserts Donkey into every sentence makes it so much funnier.
@Anti-Matter Maybe the PS5 version is better, but this was a review for the Switch version, which seems to be a noticeably worse version of the game.
Coming days after Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 (or whatever it was called), from the same publisher, had a similarly inferior Switch version, this sadly shouldn't come as much of a surprise.
@dkxcalibur I have to agree with you bud - I tried Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing & subsequent offerings, but couldn't get used to how the vehicles felt. I also thought the majority of the courses and items were lacklustre compared to MK. I know some love it though, so I'm glad it has its fans.
I did used to love Street Racer on the Mega Drive, but the graphics and experience haven't aged well compared to the wonders of Mode 7.
They didnt get change for gas, they wanted to get themselves away from this place
There are some great ideas in the game, but implementation was poorly done.
It is servicable kart racer, but when compared to Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing, it feels worse than it actually is.
A 4/10 seems a bit harsh. Although a bit rough around the edges, my wife and I had an enjoyable enough time with this over the weekend. A 6 or a 7 seems a bit more accurate, in my opinion. Nothing revolutionary, nothing awful, just very mid-tier in almost every way. Overall, it was an okay experience.
Playing it on the PS5, and yeah, it’s serviceable. Not awful but there’s a million other better alternatives.
Is that byline a reference to AIOTM/RHLSTP?!
I was rooting for this game, as the developer is from Lima-Peru, the country I was raised on.
This is why I stick with Disney and Nintendo.
Yeah, I wasn't expecting this game to be "decent" and the whole game seems to be "just there" when compared to many of the Kart racers we got in recent years; the only good thing I can say about this game is that it's still better than Race With Ryan, which is a 2-inch-high bar to clear.
Either way, I'm happy enough with just Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (especially with the Booster Course Pass DLC), Lego 2K Drive, Gensou SkyDrift, Team Sonic Racing, and Crash Team Racing Nitro-Fueled on my Switch in the meantime.
Shrek's voice actor managed to give Shrek a poor imitation of every British accent within the span of 30 seconds.
Are those pics of the 12 year old Wii game? 🤪
I’ve been playing Disney Speedstorm on PS5 about an hour a day since it went free so I guess I’m jaded but seriously even for a Switch game those pics are pretty bad. Someone put up some side by side shots w/ 6 yr old MK8D, even the Tour levels everyone keeps complaining about have got to look 2 generations better than these. 🤷🏻♂️
@dkxcalibur I've played just about every kart racer ever made (minus a few newer ones like this), and there are many that are much better than mario karts. I think what you're describing is "not liking kart racers".
@Bobb I didn't listen yet, but the original DreamWorks kart is torture with the sound on. I can still hear "I know just who to use that on" every time donkey gets an item.
@Poodlestargenerica nah, I meant what I said.
At least the Nickelodeon and Disney ones are better than this.
@dkxcalibur I'm not questioning your sincerity, I'm just saying, you don't like the genre if you only like mario kart. That's 8 games out of around 150.
@Poodlestargenerica Yep! Okay, buddy! That's like saying you don't like FPS because you only like COD or Gears. I would say that it's still possible to enjoy and like a genre even if you prefer a specific game series.....but hey, nice try.
I still bought this game on PS5 for the trophies
@dkxcalibur That's exactly what only liking COD means, if you then go on to say that you don't like any of the other games in the genre (like you did about kart racers). If you only like Gears, I would say it pretty likely you don't like fps at all, as it is not one. I like chrono trigger, that doesn't mean I like jrpgs, and I certainly don't act like I have any idea what I'm talking about when comparing final fantasy games.
But Antz came out two years before Road to El Dorado ._.
@Poodlestargenerica Nope!!!! I love Kart games. I just have the opinion that most don't live up to Mario Kart.
Also, I've tried the other games that I spoke about except this new game; so wouldn't that allow me to have an opinion?
Your argument is very weak.
I said ‘Yup’, what a concept!…
And then the developer tried to make it
NL was way too harsh on NASB2. The performance is really not that bad, other than the load times, which can last up to 30 seconds just to start a match. There are also certain missions in the campaign where the game just doesn't load at all, which is a pretty egregious oversight. But the devs have said they have it fixed and are rolling out a patch for that, as well as the load times and frame drops.
So with all that said, I'm gonna take this review with a grain of salt. The gameplay looks solid, although I did see some footage of the Switch version, and it unfortunately does look way worse graphically than on other platforms. This is honestly a very pretty looking game on PS and Xbox from what I've seen, but some of the levels like the Madagascar one and Shrek's swamp have lots of missing grass and tree leaves, and what is there looks like something from an N64 game. So I'm really conflicted on this one. I don't want an ugly version of the game, but I also don't really want it on another platform. I might just wait for a sale since I already have the MK8 DX DLC that just dropped, as well as Disney Speedstorm to keep me busy for now.
Can't wait for Nintendo Life's 2/10 review of Hogwarts Legacy when that one drops.
And here I was, hoping for a Prince of Egypt track or song! Well, I already have Mario Kart 8 and some other kart-racers, so I'll pass on this.
@dkxcalibur Disney Speedstorms is actually pretty good for a F2P! I don't have MK8DX, so I play Speedstorms.
I like a game thats so bad that its good. I’ll probably watch this on YouTube and have a good laugh.
'I'm gonna Shrek it!' - The Developers probably?
@dkxcalibur Same. Mario Kart for me mostly nails that sweet spot of feeling like the karts have some weight but you are driving hight speed with the potential for recklessness to cost you without being as demanding as a sim. Almost ever other kart game I play fails in invoking that feeling. Part of the reason I am glad MK8 went on for so long.
The fact they are call Game Mill tells you everything you need to know about this publisher.
Great Richard Herring reference!
@dkxcalibur I like Racing Transformed best. I don't care for Sonic even a little anymore, but that game was like Smash for Sega kids. I just ignored the Sonic characters, and played as Vyse...sighhhhh. A lot of love in that game.
@UltimateInkling Maybe he played that terrible recent Sonic Team Racing and not the other ones?
@Anti-Matter I bet you were one of those few people on this world, who bought the Monster High games on Wii U.
@Nintendo4Sonic
I don't have Monster High games yet, but I have a plan to get the Wii version from my hometown.
@PepperMintRex Did you play Nickelodeon Kart Racer 3 and if yes, which do you like better? Dreamworks or Nick 3?
@Sambuc and do you like it?
@Nintendo4Sonic the game sucks but the trophies were easy!
@Sambuc that's a clear statement 🙈
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