I can give up anytime I want… that’s the line used when I was a smoker (haven’t been for years), and that same level of addictiveness applies to Disney Speedstorm. Only this time, I’m pretty close to it, and Gameloft is making it easier.

Regular players will have seen the update to the interface – tidy, but for single and multiplayer ‘tiers’, there are a few too many times of backtracking to get to the menu you want, such as daily goals. It’s not the be-all and end-all, though.

Neither is the new pay function where you can spend real money on Disney Speedstorm to get in-game coins. The game is currently generous enough with coins, but remember that this will be a free-to-play model – they have to make money somehow, and it’s a great racing game – they deserve it.

I’m not going to whine about the drivers, either. Ok, so Timon and Pumba aren’t available yet, but the number of available characters here is insane, and with each new season comes themed Disney characters as well as bonus ones. Besides adhering to the game’s class system (i.e. brawler, defender, trickster and speedster), most of the driver’s specials are unique.

Disney Speedstorm - Two of us
Two of us. Source: Screen capture

I’m (almost) done with Disney Speedstorm because breaking that daily cycle and realising that upgrading all my drivers to level 40 is not improving my life. Worse, since receiving a code before launch, I’ve generated tens of hours into this game, and my efforts haven’t always been worth it. 

A late adopter of Disney Speedstorm’s multiplayer feature (not a fan of online play), I’ve found that my higher tier racers are dropping down ranks when I come anything below second place. When you’re a character like Mike Wazowski (with a ‘Z’), whom most people hate, you get rammed a ton and struggle to get upfront. In a week, I managed to drop three levels despite coming second in most.

Nah. Not worth the effort. The only reason for doing so is to unlock extra goodies. When you get characters to level 40, you need to start playing the multiplayer at around rank 37 (multiplayer rank, not driver level) to get the upgrade parts.

I’m genuinely about to play Disney Speedstorm now, as I haven’t given up on the weekend plays. Also, a new season is likely to begin next month. Will I abandon it by then? It’s a shame, as this is one of my favourite racing games, and I prefer it to Mario Kart, but all the multiplayer ranks and more recent crashes are putting me off.

Disney Speedstorm - Connection
A connection is made. Source: Screen capture

Would you look at that? A Sunday rant.