If there’s one thing I enjoy, it’s a good kart racer. So, it seemed obvious that I would be interested in Ed & Edda: Grand Prix – Racing Champions upon seeing it. Even if I have no recognition of its stars. Yes, this is a game that is celebrating Europa-Park’s 50th anniversary, along with the film Grand Prix of Europe. Have developers Tivola Games and Funatics Software provided greatness for that celebration? I’d say it’s certainly a worthy effort.
Instantly, the game recognises the film it is based on, with the opening using footage from the film. Showing the starting of the grand prix. The main menu also features clips from Grand Prix of Europe. Racing Champions features a Grand Prix mode, free race, point chase, and time trials for its racing action. Action that feels odd at first owing to the mechanics at play.
Controlling the karts is simple enough, though the turning circle of them is pretty tight even when at speed. Drifting takes a bit of getting used to, as it is pretty extreme. The turning circle becomes even tighter when turning into a corner. On the other hand, turning away from a corner allows almost straight-line driving. The boost that can be charged from drifts or collecting orbs is pretty powerful, easily pushing a kart to the head of the pack.
And that pack will stay close together fighting for position throughout the entire race. Whether with items or without. Whether 3 laps or 100. And I’m not joking with that. For whatever reason, free race has the standard number of laps you’d expect, such as 3, 5, or 7. But then its increments reach for the sky with 25, 50, and 100. You’d best believe I did a hundred-lap race to test it out. And with items disabled, no matter how good I was racing, the pack always felt they were seconds away from all storming ahead.
The items in use include drone rockets, crystals, and a bomb with a face. The chaos of the items feels just as kart racer should, though the slowdown from them feels a bit too much. The shield item does help protect from them, along with on-track hazards, but I’ve found the boost can be more effective at keeping the speed going. Seeing as it can be used when spinning out if timed right.
The tracks on offer are varied, with many offering multiple routes in which to tackle them. Based on real-world locations, racers can see the sights of London and drive underneath the Eiffel Tower of Paris. It’s not all urban locations, with a drive along a snowy mountain and around a rapids being among the tracks. Even among those urban ones there’s a good amount of variation, leaning into the architecture seen in those countries. The only unfortunate thing is there’s only 12 of them.
As for characters, there’s eight of them. The Europa-Park mascots of Ed and Edda are here, along with six other racers from the film. Each of those other six are a unique animal, such as Magnus the bear and Olivia the elephant. The one that instantly caught my eye is Nachtkraab the crow, who is the one I’ve been using throughout my playtime. Simply because a crow is an avian, and I do love birds.
The designs are the only personality they have, however. The only voice heard throughout the game is the announcer, who sounds very British. That announcer is the one who will react to hits or good driving, rather than the racers themselves. There’s a very static feel to the racers, who feel very cardboard when within races. No movement to be found with them at all. Even on the character select screen.
The one saving grace is the kart customisation. Much of it has to be unlocked through the rank system, of which points are awarded no matter the event to level up. There’s decals, flags, trails, colours for both body and decal, along with a few that affect the stats as well. Such as the energy core and wheels. There’s a lot of levels before everything is unlocked, but it does feel fair with how many points each event provides.
Ed & Edda: Grand Prix – Racing Champions does have a good core. It provides interesting tracks, complete with music themed after the country they take place. It provides some fun personalisation, with many options to make each kart fit a person’s likes. And it provides the standard modes plus an extra in the fun point chaser mode to suit the mood a person is in.
On the other hand, the sounds aside from the music feel muted. The characters, diverse as they are, lack personality. Even the announcer fails to bring the hype. So, what do I make of it? There’s fun to be had, and a lot of it. But the lack of charm that’s to be expected from a mascot kart racer pulls it down. Meaning I can maybe recommend Ed & Edda: Grand Prix – Racing Champions. It’s flaws are clear cut. Just depends how easily you can overlook them to have a good time.
Images Taken From:
Ed & Edda: Grand Prix – Racing Champions | Nintendo Switch 2 [Handheld]
