A Floridian theme park mascot has been announced as one of the playable characters that will be coming to Disney Speedstorm at launch.
If you’re not familiar with the upcoming title, it’s essentially an arcade racer in the vein of Mario Kart or Crash Team Racing, with the unique selling point being that it swaps out the Mushroom Kingdom (and its denizens) for the Magic Kingdom instead.
Fans of both the Disney and Pixar brands will get to tear across a range of circuits based on locations from various beloved properties, including Pirates of the Caribbean and The Jungle Book. Of course, it’s not just the tracks that have been ripped straight from the movies here, as you’ll also have a range of iconic characters to choose from, each with their own special abilities.
Showing a flagrant disregard for road safety, Mulan can unleash a barrage of fireworks (to literally blow away the competition), while James P. Sullivan can cause other drivers to lose control of the wheel by startling them with his “Fearsome Roar”. Alongside them, you’ll be able to play as the likes of Captain Jack Sparrow, Baloo, Hercules, both Beauty & the Beast, as well as the obligatory Mickey Mouse gang.
Yesterday, developer Gameloft announced that yet another familiar face will be joining the roster, although this one might not mean as much to you if you’ve never taken a trip to Orlando. Figment (the bipedal purple dragon who has his own designated attraction at EPCOT) will be available to play launch, so if you’ve got any fond memories of his “Journey into Imagination” dark ride then you’ll definitely want to check the game out.
Figment is an interesting inclusion for sure, given that he doesn’t have much emotional relevance or nostalgia value to audiences outside of the United States. Out of the twelve Disney Parks, he’s only featured in one of them and even then it’s an attraction that most would agree has seen better days.
Regardless of whether or not you are an ardent Figment fanatic, however, it’s still cool to see that Disney Speedstorm will be incorporating stuff from the theme parks. Here’s hoping that this means we will get a Hatbox Ghost of Country Bear Jamboree further down the line.
Disney Speedstorm will be free to play when it eventually launches, but is about to enter Early Access next week on April 18th. This will be exclusive to those who have purchased a “Founder Pack” ahead of time (which also entitles you to in-game currency, credits and character unlocks).
