Harrison Abbott with eight franchises we’d like to see added to Disney Speedstorm…
Although it’s only a couple of weeks old, Disney Speedstorm has plenty for gamers to be working their way through. There’s a single-player campaign that acquaints you with all of the basic mechanics, ranked online matches, a season tour mode, countless modifiers, and a surfeit of unlockables to earn.
Yet the novelty value will wear off before long, as you inevitably grow tired of repeating the meagre offering of racetracks (9 at launch) and of going up against the exact same opponents over and over again. Fortunately, developer Gameloft has confirmed that they will be supplementing Speedstorm’s existing content with new additions as the weeks and months roll on.
The best part about this is that there’s so much that can be done here. Rummaging through the vault, you’ve got 60+ films from Disney Animation Studio to play with, over twenty Pixar movies, and a robust catalogue of live-action offerings as well.
Presumably in it for the long haul, Gameloft will be hoping to keep their title alive for a number of years by drip-feeding these expansions. With that said, it might take them a while to get through everything, which is why we decided to take a look at the characters, worlds and IPs that should be considered a top priority.
Here are 8 updates that we’d like to see for Disney Speedstorm in the near future.
Encanto
Truth be told, we only picked this one because we desperately want to hear Speedstorm’s weird, acid-house remix of “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”.
On a more serious note, the Madrigal family and their assorted gifts can be seamlessly translated into a kart racer. Off the top of our head, the green-fingered Isabela could use her powers to trap opponents in weeds or to catapult herself forward using vines. Meanwhile, Camilo could mimic the traits of other drivers with his shapeshifting and Dolores’ emphatic weather-control would apply different status effects depending on how well the competition is going for her (and her changing mood).
Casita would also make for a dynamic and mercurial environment, with no two laps ever being quite the same. One pass-through could take you into Antonio’s lush vivarium, while the next time you might be herded into Bruno’s cavernous sandpit.
To reiterate though, the single most important thing here is that we get those infectious Lin-Manuel Miranda tunes.
Lilo & Stitch
The irreverent antipode of Mickey Mouse, Stitch has become an unlikely mascot for Disney. Ever since he was first introduced to audiences via those anarchic teaser trailers (in which he gatecrashed beloved scenes from legendary renaissance movies) he’s been positioned as the brand’s official troublemaker. And whoever came up with that idea frankly deserves a promotion, a raise or some kind of honorary knighthood, because it’s still paying off to this day.
Indeed, the exceedingly merchandisable critter has become one of Disney’s most bankable stars. Synonymous with the Magic Kingdom, he’s debatably more relevant now than Donald, Goofy or even Mickey himself.
His face adorns everything from licenced towels to bedsheets, onesies, jewellery charms, face masks and keychains, while he also remains one of the most in-demand meet-and-greet experiences at all of the international theme parks. Hell, The World of Disney shop in Orlando is effectively a shrine to the little guy, with an imposing effigy of him mounted upon the main entrance, like he’s the figurehead of a zealous cult.
With that said, bringing Experiment 626 into Speedstorm is the dictionary definition of a no-brainer. After all, if there’s any character that Disney Adults wouldn’t mind bankrupting themselves over, it’s gotta be Stitch.
As evidenced by the myriad Funko Pops modelled after the alien, there’s no shortage of cosmetic options to be exploited here (Space Suit Stitch, Elvis Stitch, Trick ‘r Treating Stitch, Lūʻau Stitch, Hawaiian Shirt Stitch). Not to mention, you’d be spoilt for choice when it comes to rambunctious victory emotes.
Putting aside these more cynical considerations, however, he’d also be a very enjoyable racer to play as, on account of his mischievous attitude and unbridled thirst for destruction. Plus, who wouldn’t want a track themed after the scenic island of Kauaʻi that Stitch calls home? Like we said: it’s a real no-brainer.
Tron
Simultaneously the most obvious and yet also least likely candidate on our wishlist, you have to admit that Tron would be an ideal fit for Speedstorm.
After all, from a visual perspective you wouldn’t have to tweak any of the existing iconography to make it blend in. Gameloft’s title has a similar reliance on vibrant lights and sleek, futuristic vehicles, while the Arbee character frequently draws attention to the fact that you’re in a virtual world.
Half of the karts featured at launch already resemble light cycles to begin with, and their colourful slipstreams wouldn’t look out of place in The Grid. Speaking of which, there is arguably no environment better suited to Speedstorm than that captivating digital frontier. Just picture yourself zooming around those geometric highways and gravity-defying stadiums, all whilst vibing to Daft Punk’s synthwave earworms. It’s a match made in neon-soaked heaven!
Despite it being such a perfect choice though, we wouldn’t expect Tron to show up in the game anytime soon. A notorious box-office flop (on two separate occasions now), the cult IP evidently doesn’t resonate with mainstream audiences and it’s not like Kevin Flynn toys are flying off the shelves over at the Disney Store.
Whether we want to admit it or not, it’s a niche franchise. Gameloft will (understandably) follow the money then, and decide that there are way more microtransaction payments to be milked elsewhere.
Case in point: they’d probably get a lot more mileage from Wreck-It Ralph, which also happens to come pre-packaged with a convenient video game theme.
The Nightmare Before Christmas
An inescapable part of the live service genre, dividing games up into “Seasons” of content helps to induce a near-permanent state of FOMO in players. When unlockable rewards and bonuses can disappear in the blink of an eye, then there’s pressure for you to keep logging in and keep spending money. Otherwise, you risk getting left behind.
To stoke those feelings of apprehension, developers need to tap into whatever’s trending in the modern zeitgeist. This could entail organising a collab with the current YouTuber du jour or cinching a promotional tie-in with an upcoming Hollywood blockbuster.
Alternatively, you could always just take a peek at the calendar and see what holidays are on the immediate horizon. Dead by Daylight likes to ring in the Chinese New Year, Overwatch indulges in Mardi Gras from time to time, and Fortnite once attempted to pay reverent tribute to the 58th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech. Which was every bit as tasteful as you’d expect.
If Gameloft wants to follow suit, then they have a ton of viable options available to them. A Coco event would be a terrific way to celebrate Día de Muertos and the Rescuers Down Under can have a monopoly on Australia Day.
We’re going to plump for The Nightmare Before Christmas though, as it’s a great twofer. Covering both the Halloween and yuletide festivities in a single production was a stroke of genius by Tim Burton (guaranteeing that his movie remains topical for approximately a third of the year) and we think it would do wonders for Speedstorm as well.
In this scenario, a Halloween Town map would be released in the Fall and then followed shortly thereafter by its Christmas Town sibling in November (once all of the spooky decorations have been taken down). It’d be a good way of keeping people hooked for a few extra months and could even blossom into something of an annual tradition that fans eagerly anticipate.
The gothic sensibilities of Halloween Town in particular would mark a nice change of pace from the brighter and more colourful tracks found elsewhere in Speedstorm. Which serendipitously brings us to…
The Haunted Mansion
Prior to Speedstorm’s early access launch, it was announced that Figment — from the Epcot ride Journey Into Imagination — would be a day-one racer. While this was a tantalising enough prospect for those who grew up with the charming (albeit slightly outdated) attraction, what really intrigued us was the notion that, by extension, other theme park IPs must also be on the cards.
Indeed, Figment is presently the sole occupant of an entire menu just for Disneyworld characters and so he’s bound to have a bit of company later on down the line. But from who?
Well, the first port of call would normally be the Pirates of the Caribbean crew, as their appeal spans generations and transcends nationalities. Yet that attraction is already represented to some extent in the game, even if the associated content has more to do with the Gore Verbinski movies than it does with the 1960s log flume.
Looking for a second choice, Space Mountain would be a pretty cool map — evoking Rainbow Road from Mario Kart — but it lacks any identifiable characters. As for the Jungle Cruise, it’s hardly suited to terrestrial vehicles (maybe it could work if Gameloft adds amphibious cars one day).
The most logical pick then is surely The Haunted Mansion, a venerated dark ride that boasts many recognisable faces and just as many memorable locations. There’s sufficient material for at least three separate track layouts (based on the queue, the ballroom, and the graveyard) or you could instead composite them all together into one super-circuit.
In terms of our preferred racers, there’s the disembodied head of Madame Leota, the trio of phantom hitchhikers, and the ominous Hatbox Ghost. We also wouldn’t mind seeing the harmonizing barbershop-quartet statues appear in some capacity either. Perhaps as a Pit Stop Crew.
And finally, there’s so much that could be done here when it comes to the cosmetic options. For instance, you could utilise that iconic purple wallpaper as a snazzy kart decal or quote one of the mortifying (sorry) tombstone puns on your licence plate.
Inside Out
As we mentioned in our full review of Speedstorm, Pixar is conspicuously underrepresented in the game right now. Only the Monster’s Inc gang get to wave the flag for this brand, while the traditional Disney characters get far more exposure.
Of course, Mike and Sully’s stablemates will eventually be added to the roster — in order to plug that gap — but, in the meantime, it is worth speculating as to who will make their debut first. The lucrative Toy Story gang seems like a relatively safe bet, and we wouldn’t rule out Lightning McQueen & friends either (for hopefully blatant reasons).
However, there’s another property that we’d much rather see make the transition to Speedstorm, especially if it can be done in an original way.
Riley’s emotions from Inside Out would serve as a diverse quintet of racers and you can easily imagine how they’d slot into the game’s various class-types (Anger is a natural brawler, Fear a born defender and Joy an energetic speedster). There are all kinds of fun things you could do with their power-ups too, whether it’s Sadness leaving behind a trail of slippery tears that cause her rivals to lose control of the wheel, or Disgust tossing aside unwanted food items as projectiles.
Then you’ve got the potential for some inventive circuit layouts as well, which could be situated in the different facets of Riley’s subconscious. Being able to drift around Goofball Island, the Long Term Memory labyrinth, and most enticingly of all, the realm of Abstract Thought would open up voluminous possibilities here. If nothing else, it’d be cool to play around in creative environments that aren’t bound by the laws of physics or traditional geography.
Winnie the Pooh
As it stands, there’s a danger that Speedstorm might end up skewing too heavily in favour of Disney’s trendier properties. The same thing happened with the latest Kingdom Hearts, which neglected to include many films that pre-dated the advent of CGI. Sure, there were a couple of token levels here and there based on classics of traditional animation, but it was generally dominated by the newer kids of block (i.e., Frozen, Tangled and Big Hero 6).
To ensure that history doesn’t repeat itself, Gameloft ought to embrace some more golden oldies. And where better to start than with the universally-adored world of the Hundred Acre Wood and its cuddly denizens?
There’s a timeless quality to A. A. Milne’s creation that has managed to stay relevant for nearly a full century now and the characters have become an integral part of Disney’s heritage. They propped the company up through its infamous dark age, were there from the beginning of its ventures into cable TV, and are still producing fresh, wholesome content that appeals to the kid inside all of us.
Honouring these contributions by incorporating Winnie the Pooh into their title would be an excellent way for Gameloft to show hardcore fans that they respect Walt’s legacy. Again, it’s also a solid fit for the arcade racer genre, with there being all manner of things you could do with honey pots (covering roads in sticky obstructions) and Tigger’s penchant for bouncing around.
The Muppets
Boasting an inexhaustible cast of oddballs, The Muppets could be the gift that keeps on giving for Speedstorm. Jim Henson’s workshop has produced one of the most enduring ensembles of all time and it would be a legitimate struggle to whittle it down to just a handful of racers.
In order to properly differentiate them, you could tie their unique abilities to each of their respective roles as performers. For instance, crazed percussionist Animal could disorient other motorists with his cacophonous drumming — similar to the “Hack” skill in the base game — while aspiring comedian Fozzie Bear would have an arsenal of practical jokes up his sleeve. Elsewhere, Professor Honeydew’s (unintentionally combustible) experiments could come in handy for once, as he repurposes them as offensive weapons.
These are but a few examples and you could certainly dream up similar ideas for any given Muppet. The Great Gonzo, Sam Eagle, Rizzo the Rat, The Swedish Chef: no matter who your favourite is they are all worthy inclusions!
Personally, I’d love to be heckled by Statler and Waldorf should I place dead last in an online event. If those curmudgeons were roped in as derisive commentators then this would be a bonafide must-play.
Harrison Abbott
