DreamWorks’ new kart racer puts Shrek back in the driver’s seat

DreamWorks Animation all-stars Shrek, Puss in Boots, Boss Baby, Hiccup, and a whole bunch of Trolls are getting the Mario Kart treatment for a new game coming soon: DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing. The crossover kart racer will span two decades of the DreamWorks cinematic catalog, borrowing characters from the Shrek and How to Train Your Dragon films, as well as Megamind and The Bad Guys.

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing looks to spice up the kart-racing genre with a few twists: Magical switches on race courses can be struck to uncover hidden shortcuts, and DreamWorks Animation’s Trolls will ride along with racers and are equipped with power-ups and “special surprises,” according to publisher GameMill Entertainment.

The extended Shrek family is strongly represented in DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing; the eponymous ogre, his ogre wife Fiona, Donkey, and Puss in Boots are all playable racers. Wolf from Puss In Boots: The Last Wish is also playable, but one of two characters exclusive to a digital deluxe version of the game (the other is Master Oogway from Kung Fu Panda). Each character will have their own kart — Shrek’s looks all swampy, Fiona’s is onion-inspired, and Donkey’s is modeled after the mother of his children — that can be upgraded with cosmetics and other customizations.

Other confirmed racers include Po, Tigress, and Master Shifu from Kung Fu Panda; Astrid from How to Train Your Dragon; Megamind; and Mr. Wolf from The Bad Guys. GameMill promises 20 fan-favorite characters and a variety of tracks based on locations from DreamWorks movies.

This isn’t DreamWorks’ first foray into kart racing by a long shot. DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing stands on the shoulders of 2006’s Shrek Smash n’ Crash Racing, 2009’s Madagascar Kartz, and 2011’s DreamWorks Super Star Kartz, all of which featured a raceable Shrek.

DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing is heading to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X later this year. It will cost $39.99 (or $49.99 for the aforementioned digital deluxe version). The game features 8-player online races and 4-player local split-screen multiplayer.

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In addition to DreamWorks All-Star Kart Racing, DreamWorks’ Trolls are coming to a separate game as well, DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue. Developed by Petit Fabrik, Trolls Remix Rescue is a 3D platformer that tasks players with saving the Trolls Kingdom from “a melodic mastermind who’s trying to alter the Trolls’ musical harmony forever,” GameMill said in an announcement.

The Trolls’ new platformer will star the likes of Poppy, Branch, and Guy Diamond, but players will be able to create their own custom Troll as well. Players can their Troll’s hair back and forth using “Hair-Jitsu” — apparently an advanced Trolls martial art that also grants the ability to fly like a helicopter, grab and smash objects, and basically do anything else an action-platformer requires.

GameMill did not announce a release date or platforms for DreamWorks Trolls Remix Rescue, but it will cost $49.99. Here’s a look at the game, which has some colorful Sackboy: A Big Adventure vibes.

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