Rumble Racing

Rumble Racing (ランブルレーシング) is a mini-game in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep which can be played at Disney Town or the Mirage Arena. In Rumble Racing, players race through Disney Town on their Keyblade Glider.

In the PSP versions, players can race against other players in the Mirage Arena.

Story
After receiving a Disney Town Passport from Ventus, Terra stops by at Disney Town. Just then, he sees a group of Unversed on the racing course of "Rumble Racing". He attempts to pursue them only to nearly be run over by Pete in his vehicle, posing as "Captain Dark". Luckily, Queen Minnie alerts Terra just in time for him to avoid it. After being scolded by Chip and Dale for running onto the racetrack, which is against the rules, Terra explains that when fighting Unversed, you have to break the rules. Chip and Dale angrily compare him to Pete, after which he appears in the guise of Captain Dark. Pete talks to Terra and runs away to prepare for his next race. After Chip and Dale explain to Terra that Pete always breaks the rules while racing and needs to be stopped, they suggest to him to participate in the race as a means to defeat the Unversed and stop Pete without breaking the rules.

Participating in the race allows Terra to discover that he may not need to give in to the darkness in order to achieve his goals, and that following the rules may give him the same reward. He also receives votes from Chip and Dale for the Million Dreams Award.

Mechanics
Players race against up to 5 opponents on one of 4 different courses. Courses may contain shortcuts, which can usually be reached by driving over Jump Ramps (ジャンプ台). Throughout the course, players can drive through Dash Rings (ダッシュリング) to get a temporary speed boost, or Shields (シールド), which gives players a temporary barrier that protects them from attacks. On certain places on a course, Tornadoes (竜巻) move from left to right. Driving into a tornado causes the player to fly in the air before falling back down, losing valuable time. However, if a player has picked up a shield, they can safely drive through tornadoes.

When driving close behind an opponent, the lock-on mark appears on that opponent, allowing the player to attack them with. Similarly, when an opponent drives closely behind the player, they can attack the player as well. When an opponent has locked-on to the player, a "DANGER" warning appears at the bottom of the screen. Players may block an opponent's attack with a well-timed Barrier by pressing.

To make sharper turns, players can press while turning.

Controls

 * Barrier (リフレク)
 * Attack
 * Brake (ブレーキ)
 * Accelerate (アクセル)

Stats
Each character has a ranking for their speed and turning, out of 3. Each character also has a unique attack, with different effects.

Courses
There are four courses to play on. To unlock the next course, the previous course must be completed from Disney Town.

Country Chase
Country Chase (カントリーコース) is the first course in Rumble Racing. It is a pretty straightforward course. After the first turn, a jump ramp can be used to take a shortcut. Shortly after the point where the two paths merge again, a pair of tornadoes move back and forth over the road, which can best be avoided by staying close to the wall.

Disney Drive
Disney Drive (ディズニーサーキット) is the second course in Rumble Racing. In the original Japanese version, it can be unlocked by finishing in the top 3 on the Country Chase circuit. In the other versions, it is available at the start.

Disney Drive starts in the same area as Country Chase, including the shortcut. However, this time the longer path features a shield. When the paths merge, the path goes through a short tunnel and into the town. Going up the jump ramp allows you to go through a flying dash ring. Shortly after, a tornado blocks the narrow path. If you picked up the shield earlier, it can't harm you. Otherwise, try to stay as much to the right as possible.

After the tornado is another jump ramp that can be used to take a small shortcut. When taking the shortcut, take a sharp turn to not hit the walls, and land on the dash ring placed just ahead. Following the dash ring is a tunnel which has a shield in it. The dash ring's speed boost makes it harder to turn, so stay on the right, and move to the left in the first bend to hit the shield. The tunnel leads back to the dirt road, and the remaining part of the Country Chase road. This time a single tornado is on the road, but it can easily be dodged or blocked with the shield.

Grand Spree
Grand Spree (グランドサーキット) is the third course in Rumble Racing. In the original Japanese version, it is the final course, and can be unlocked by finishing 1st on Disney Drive. In other versions, it is unlocked by finishing in the top 3 on both Country Chase and Disney Drive.

Grand Spree's circuit is mostly the same as Disney Drive, except driven in the other direction. It starts on a dirt road, which leads to a tunnel. Afer a long straight, you end up in the town where a couple of sharp turns lead you to a jump ramp. Take the jump ramp to land on a ledge with a shield on it. Following the ledge are more jump ramps and a tornado.

After a tunnel takes you back to the dirt road, a jump ramp provides the same shortcut as before. Where the paths merge, a shield is placed. By taking it, you will hit the wall, but be safe from the upcoming tornado. After the tornado, a final corner leads back to the finish.

Castle Circuit
Castle Circuit (キャッスルサーキット) is the fourth and final course in Rumble Racing. It it not available in the original Japanese version. It is unlocked by finishing 1st in Grand Spree. Unlike the other courses, this course takes place in Disney Castle.

The course starts inside the castle, where a left turn brings you to a ramp leading to the Courtyard. From here, three different paths can be chosen. The shortest path is taken by turning left, then taking the jump ramp to land in the fenced-in hole. Failing to end in the hole causes you to take the long way, ending in a sharp u-turn that leads to a seemingly dead end. The safest path is heading straight after getting to the Courtyard, leading over a bridge and ending at the same dead end. When reaching this dead end, the floor opens, dropping you down in the underground area.

In the underground area, the two paths merge, but you soon get forced into one of two branching paths. The right path leads to a ledge close to the wall that is pretty safe to drive. The left path leads to a jump ramp, which brings you to a ledge where you can take a second jump ramp to reach the ledge against the wall from the right path, or you can take a risky, sharp left turn to take the shortest path. However, if you fall down from any of the ledges, you have to take an extra long path that will make you lose a lot of time.

After choosing a path, you will go through a long tunnel with various dash rings, before returning to the castle, where a dash ring and jump ramp allow you to go through two more dash rings in the air.

Keyblade Gliders
The appearance of Keyblade Gliders changes when used in Rumble Racing.

Notes and references
Karambolagerennen