Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (2000)

Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour was a lot more fun than I expected. This statement is from my youth but even applies today.

In its core, it is just a generic racer with Disney characters, but somehow, it felt different and original, and I enjoyed it very much. This is mainly because this game actually has a story, in which you must find parts for a big fireworks machine. Winning races grants you those parts. The game is completely based on Disneyland and its attractions. You race trough the Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Haunted Mansion.

Just like Mario, you can collect power ups to shoot at your opponents. This includes acorns instead of turtle shells for example or a big firework rocket. You can also collect coins throughout the tracks and collecting them all, which is thirty, you unlock some bonus stages.

Throughout the races, you unlock new characters and tracks. There are special wisps in each level that you can collect to unlock even more secret characters. I think this is the main reason I liked the game so much, there is so much to collect and do, besides just racing. All the characters, with the exception of Chip and Dale and Jiminy Cricket are completely original and made specifically for this game.

The graphics in Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour are nothing special and while the PC version that I own looks a lot better than the original PlayStation version, it is still nothing special and a little rough. The boosts effects however are nicely done and redeem some graphical value.

This is, once again, one of those games that has an amazing soundtrack for no reason. The music for the racetracks is amazing and left a positive impression on me. It is too good for a simple game like this in my opinion. I know that most of them are just the songs/tracks that play in the actual attractions of Disneyland but in this game, while racing and shooting acorns at opponents, they feel epic. The rest of the sound effects are a little blend but that does not matter that much when such good music is playing.

The controls are a little stiff. It is manageable and at least does not slip too much, but some turns feel a little to sharp to take with your little go-kart.

The only complaint with this game is that it is way too hard for its intended audience. This is clearly a game aimed at kids, but the opponent racers are all on part with Lewis Hamilton. Unless you race perfectly and can hit them on time with a power up, they will destroy your ass in a race, banning you to last place.

In the end tough, I was pleasantly surprised about Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour and would surely recommend it.