If there’s one thing I love, it’s a racing game. Especially a kart racing game. While Mario Kart stays on top with a formula that remains strong, plenty of other games bring their own take on what a kart racer should be. One of the latest kart racers to come is perhaps not one I would normally be playing. With it on Game Pass, I took a chance with it. And as it turns out, it’s a surprisingly decent racer.
PAW Patrol is a long-running animated series that started in 2013, seeing a group of search and rescue dogs called the PAW Patrol undertake missions overseen by the young boy Ryder. Since that time, it has become a media franchise, with a movie that had released last year, and a few video games that started releasing from 2018. Grand Prix is the first released game to deviate from the platformer genre.
It does make sense to create a kart racer with the franchise, since the pups of the PAW Patrol each have their own custom vehicle within the series. For this game, Adventure Bay sees various areas turned into racetracks, with the jungle and ski resort included for greater variety. Three themes, thirteen tracks. City, snow, and jungle. While that might not seem like a lot, there’s differences between the tracks within the same theme to not feel repetitive.
The key point of a racing game is to have easy control of the vehicle you use, and the mechanics behind driving in this game are easy. The driving speed might seem slow, but by utilising the boosts on the track and drifts, that speed becomes a lot faster, especially if you can chain multiple together to keep that boost going. While at regular speed those drifts will turn you tighter, under a boost, turns will be wider, so it pays not to keep that boost chain going at certain points.
Items are a key part, too, but they’re not exactly fun to use. They take no skill, for one. Just use the item and it works. The pie is the only thrown object from what I’ve seen, and it can’t be thrown behind you, making it pointless when in first. The tornado item projects a gust of wind around you, slowing other racers down. The UFO will slow down the player in first while the EMP does so with all drivers. It can drag the races down a bit when multiple of those two get used close to each other, especially as there’s no way to block them. Reduce the effect of them with boost items, yes. But they will impact you in some way.
For two, they’re all geared toward close-quarters racing, including the abilities. Each character has an ability focused on their personality, whether that be a giant rock throw for Rubble or taking flight for Skye. Treats litter the track, which charge the gauge when collected. Once full, the ability is ready for use. But all of them have no far-reaching effects. Good for when you’re within the pack or just ahead, which I guess does fit with who the game is aimed at, but anyone competent enough to be chain boosting will find themselves far ahead with nothing to do.
For the modes, you have instant race, which will launch you into a random race, custom race to make your own tournament of races, and adventure. The adventure mode doesn’t really tell a story as much as it gives a chance for the characters to have a bit of a talk between races. If you’re familiar with the show, you’ll know of the episodes Pups Great Race and Ready Race Rescue. The Adventure mode combines elements of both of those episodes to create this new story.
The premise of it is that Mayor Goodway has set up a tournament, featuring numerous tracks across Adventure Bay and the surrounding area. Mayor Humdinger – the arch-nemesis of the PAW Patrol and Mayor of Foggy Bottom – is intent on stopping the tournament. As I say, it’s pretty much just set dressing and a bit of character interaction between races, since nothing really happens within the cutscenes – told through static images swapping out as each character talks. Though it is all voiced, so that’s a plus.
The adventure mode is simple, in that there’s seventeen races to complete, with you needing to be in the top three to progress to the next race. The items and abilities are here, along with a blimp flying over the track in the direction opposite to that the race is progressing. This is Mayor Humdinger’s blimp, and he’ll be dropping hay bales and confetti down from it onto the track, which will disrupt any racer who drives through them. He also appears during custom races if you let him, which brings a bit more variety to those races.
Overall, it’s a fun, simple game that is great for a young audience to play. The autodrive helps with acceleration, so the only time you need to press that button is for the starting boost. Every menu option is narrated by one of the characters, allowing younger players who lack reading skill the ability to navigate around them. The art style looks similar to that of the show, with all the music being upbeat and cheerful. Local multiplayer also means parents can get in on the fun.
I’d say this is an easy win for fans of the show. While there’s little story to be had here, playing as your favourite characters in any sort of setting is always a fun time. There’s no issues to talk of with this one, so if you enjoy the show or are a young fan of racing games, this is certainly one to consider.
Images Taken From:
PAW Patrol: Grand Prix (Original Screenshots)
