Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - The Most Addictive and Intense Sonic Racing Game Yet

Thirteen years ago, SEGA released what I still consider to be the undisputed masterpiece of arcade kart racing, Sonic & SEGA All Stars Racing Transformed. That game was the complete package, with wildly creative track designs where your vehicles transformed from cars to boats to jets in rapid succession. It boasted excellent split-screen multiplayer featuring characters and vehicles from all throughout SEGA’s history, a full-on suite of single-player challenges, and many customization options to unlock, on top of impeccable kart physics and item balance. 

We haven’t been pampered like that since Mario Kart 8, and World have failed to dethrone Transformed. Sonic’s previous racing game, Team Sonic Racing, pared back the experience drastically to put a heavy focus on team synergy. I thought we’d never see anything like Transformed again, but when the trailer for Sonic Racing Crossworlds dropped, I allowed myself a glimmer of hope. Was this to be a return to form? I was eager to find out.

When Sonic Racing Crossworlds begins, it drops you into the typical opening animation, and then offers you the option to engage in a basic tutorial. It’s pretty much Mario Kart 8 on steroids, with various offensive and defensive items and Wisps, and collectible Rings that will boost your top speed (up to 100 Rings by default, and your speed will drop when you lose them). 

The biggest gimmick this time around is the Crossworlds mechanic, wherein the first place racer will get to choose between two paths for Lap 2. You’ll either race in one of the 15 Crossworlds, which are all wonderfully wacky and often hazardous lap-long sections, often from a variety of 3D Sonic games, or pick a lap from one of the game’s 24 main circuit tracks. After Lap 2 completes, you’ll be returned to the main circuit to finish off Lap 3. In a cool twist, in Grand Prix mode, you’ll be completing 4 races - 3 circuits, with the final one consisting of one lap from each of the previous 3 circuits. For a reasonable price, you’ll also be able to redo any race that you choose without losing the progress you’ve made throughout the cup. There are also 5 hidden coins per track to collect. 

In terms of driving mechanics, Sonic Racing Crossworlds’ gameplay will feel familiar to old fans, as well as anyone who’s played an arcade kart racer. Crossworlds blessedly brings back the ability to save your charged-up drifts when quickly swapping directions, so you can get to a Level 3 boost via careful maneuvering on switchbacks. In addition to regular customizable vehicles, the game also allows you to use the Extreme Gear hoverboards from the Sonic Riders series, and also features 3 characters from that game, namely Jet the Hawk, Wave the Sparrow, and Storm the Albatross. I started out using the cars, but the Extreme Gears were my vehicle of choice for the higher Super Sonic speeds. They don’t control vastly differently from the cars, but they handle well and excel at drifting while possessing lower top speeds, though they require careful and consistent drifting. 

Chaotic mayhem at exhilarating speeds

The level of polish this game provides is exceptional, especially considering how absolutely chaotic the on-track carnage can get. There might be multiple offensive items tracking you simultaneously, and you’ll have to time boosts or whirlwinds to escape or minimize lost time while drifting and evading traps, but you’ll always feel in control. Sometimes, multiple Ring pickups can linger too long and obstruct your view, but other than that, never once in my time playing Sonic Racing Crossworlds did I feel like the game was janky, sloppy, or overly punishing. 

The controls in general are tight and feel precise, especially at the fastest speeds where the game really shines. Flying controls are perfect, while I did struggle a bit to get used to the boat controls at the higher speeds, as holding down the shoulder button, which normally lets you drift, instead tightens your turning radius and charges a jump. It was never easy or intuitive for me to turn sharply in a boat at Super Sonic speed, and I’d change my loadout for Grand Prix cups that featured levels with extended boating sections. Similar to recent Mario Kart entries, there are three levels of drift boost, with a helpful meter beside your vehicle. You can have two items at once, with the option to have three if you equip the right Gadgets.

The most significant customizable element this time around is the Gadget Plate. This is essentially a Materia-like menu where you can equip various Gadgets, which offer a wide variety of buffs and tweaks to your vehicles. You’ll start out with two slots on your Gadget Plate, but you’ll eventually upgrade to six. Some Gadgets take up to two or three slots, such as a faster charge for the Level 1 boost taking 2 slots, as well as +20 Stat Upgrades for Lap 1 or Lap 3 taking 2 and 3 slots, respectively. With 3 empty slots, you can give yourself the option of swapping the order of your item slots, or else increase the amount of Boost items you’ll pick up. There are also Kits for specific playstyles, such as a Speed Machine kit that helps boost your speed whenever you acquire more Rings. 

I experimented a lot with this system, and it was one of the most unique aspects of the game. One of the coolest things is the ability to swap between five customizable Gadget Plates before each race in Grand Prix mode, or online. You can outfit up to five separate loadouts, so if you want certain perks on certain circuits, you can plan ahead. You can also customize your vehicle with purchased parts that tweak your Speed, Acceleration, Handling, Power, and Boost levels.

Team Sonic Racing’s Concepts Return For Multiplayer Madness

Unlike in Team Sonic Racing, there really isn’t a story. The motor racing tycoon, the tanuki King Dodon Pa returns to host the festivities, but that’s the extent of the narrative, which is probably for the best, as this is a game with 23 characters right off the bat that will eventually feature Hatsune Miku, Pac-Man, and Spongebob racing against the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Crossworlds understandably gets right to the action.

However, Team Sonic Racing’s multiplayer-focused spirit returns in the game’s six Race Park modes, which are custom modes where you and your allies face off against rival teams. 

In Triple Team Ring Grab, three teams of four racers each compete to gather the most Rings. Double Team Shoot-Out involves two teams of six players each vying for the most combat hits against the opposing team. Triple-Team Tap Boost tasks teams of three with bumping into one another to generate boosts to take them to victory. It’s quite the array of modes, with several of them reminding me heavily of Team Sonic Racing’s gameplay. When you defeat Rival Teams in this mode, you’ll acquire new vehicles, which is doubly cool as you can then buy their parts to further customize your rides. 

As for the game’s multiplayer, it worked exceptionally well for me, with excellent performance all around. Amazingly, it features online Crossplay between all platforms, which I have not been able to test out due to not being able to play during times when the servers were populated with other early reviewers. In addition to being able to race randos worldwide, Crossworlds also has Friend Matches, which feature robust customization options for racing with up to 11 friends, where you can determine AI difficulty, rule sets, Items, etc. There are also online leaderboards for the Time Trials.

The game’s visuals are nothing to write home about, but it looks great in motion, with speed streaks and careful design choices really giving that illusion of speed. Many of the tracks take elements from previous Sonic Racing games, such as the Metal Harbor circuit recalling the Afterburner track from Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing Transformed. Some cool ideas abound, such as a massive museum/base featuring some of Eggman’s most famous boss machines. The courses and Crossworlds provide an excellent level of variety in terms of locales and driving challenges, and there’s more to come with various waves of DLC in the next months. I have nothing but praise for the soundtrack as well, which is filled with pumping Eurobeat-style electronic remixes of various 3D Sonic themes.

If Extreme G, Mario Kart 8, and Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed had a lovechild…

It is safe to say that Sonic Racing Crossworlds delivered far beyond my expectations. After the disappointing Team Sonic Racing and what looked to be a pretty straightforward Mario Kart 8 homage in the trailers, I was prepared for a pretty standard racer. What I got instead was a fully-featured game with a lot of replay value built upon a firm foundation of physics and vehicular combat that holds up even under ludicrous speeds. 

While it doesn’t have the story of Team Sonic Racing, nor the missions and challenges that added a lot of single-player options to Transformed, Sonic Racing Crossworlds races ahead of the competition with dozens of game-changing Gadgets, many multiplayer modes, an expansive roster of characters and circuits, and the potential for endless mayhem thanks to all-platform crossplay. If you’ve ever enjoyed the Sonic Racing series, this is one title you’re not gonna want to sit out.

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Verdict: 4.5 / 5 (Fantastic)

PROS

• The new Crossworlds and Gadget mechanics keep the races fresh by providing options

• Online crossplay and many multiplayer modes multiply the replay value

• Excellent performance, tight driving physics, and polished tracks

CONS

• Sometimes there is just too much going on, such as when you pick up clumps of Rings and they linger on screen, obstructing your view

• Lack of single-player Story Mode, plus challenges or missions that were in Transformed

What I’ve Played 

• 15+ hours of rowdy racing

• Beat all cups in Grand Prix on all modes

• Beat all Rival Teams in Race Park mode

• Unlocked the final (secret) non-DLC character

*This review is based on a PC (Steam) review copy provided to the reviewer

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About the Author - Joseph Choi

Filipino-American gamer, professional shepherd and farmer, author, and filmmaker/videographer living in Central California. First consoles were the Game Boy and Sega Genesis, and I've been gaming since then, with a focus on Nintendo and Sony consoles.