Back in 1992, Nintendo released the original Super Mario Kart. From that day ’til this, various developers have been trying to capture that karting fun, including Nintendo themselves. Developer BamTang Games and publisher GameMill Entertainment bring you DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing.

“An all-star cast of iconic DreamWorks characters brings the 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.”

Just for the record, I loved Super Mario Kart on the SNES. Me and my friends used to play it for hours on end and I’m sure we broke a few SNES pads along the way. I’m always on the lookout for a new and fun karting game and we gamers have been blessed many times over the years with similar titles in the sub-genre. So how does DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing measure up?

Well, the short answer to the question is ‘meh’. I don’t think that I could honestly describe DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing as being a bad game. It’s passable, it’s okay-ish. Unfortunately, it is a massive missed opportunity to bring a truly fun and engaging kart racer to us gamers.

Pretty much all of the major DreamWorks animated IPs are represented here in some way. Shrek, How To Train Your Dragon, Kung Fu Panda, Boss Baby, Madagascar and more. The chances are that, if you do have a favourite DreamWorks animation, it is in this game. Along with the 20-strong roster of characters, you can change the parts of your kart and the changes aren’t just cosmetic, they will affect your kart’s stats and performance.

Speaking of performance, this is the bit of the review where I have to take a look at the actual gameplay itself. In terms of game modes, you get exactly what you expect from a basic kart racer and nothing more. This is one of the game’s failings. It really is bare-bones in terms of gameplay options. Single-player mode with standard cup races, a free race option, a handful of challenges and a time trial mode. There’s a (up to) four-player mode and an online option too… that’s it.

On the surface, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing sounds fairly generous, but it’s all the usual kart racing guff with nothing to make it stand out from the crowd. How about a story mode, a battle mode, some kind of rival system, maybe in-game currency upgrades? The lack of innovation and ideas is what lets this one down and it is a real shame too. The fundamentals are great. The karts drive and handle brilliantly, the drifting feels excellent and the tracks are wonderfully designed and have some great features with shortcuts, alternate routes and more. On a base level, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is fantastic… it just lacks punch and it ends up being a very ‘meh’ experience.

Coming with a £35 price tag, DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is currently available on everything. I really wish that I could heap in the praise for this title, but I can’t. I also can’t tell you how terrible it is because it isn’t. It is an okay game, and these are the absolute worst kind of games to review because all you can really say is that it is okay. It is a kart game that ticks all the boxes, but doesn’t think outside of the box. It does everything right that every other kart game has done right before, while doing nothing new or taking any chances. It’s okay.