Something’s always perplexed me about Sega. See, back in 2012, it released Sonic & All Stars Racing Transformed, a game-changing kart racing game featuring a cavalcade of its characters and worlds. It was a massive success across all platforms – even Nintendo DS and PlayStation Vita. And yet, it’s been so many years and the only successor we’ve seen thus far was, what, Team Sonic Racing? And as enjoyable as that game was, it just wasn’t really the same, since it was limited to Sonic’s universe. Well, relax, kids, the ship has finally come upright, as we have Sonic Racing Crossworlds.
As the title suggests, Sonic Team’s racer is all about choosing from your favorite Sonic universe characters and hitting the road. But with it, you can actually travel across different realms, adding greatly to the track variety. As expected, you can pick up items to help you attain a first place lead, including attachable buzzsaws, punching gloves and more.
The game generally focuses on Sonic, but there are guest characters, such as Hatsune Miku, who is unlockable. Others will join the party eventually as well, including the Ninja Turtles, Mega Man and even Pac-Man. For now, though, there’s still plenty to do, and thanks to the game’s easy-to-adapt-to control scheme, you’ll have no trouble getting into the groove.
With a mostly polished presentation, a huge variety of unlockable goodies and online support across the board, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has no trouble putting the pedal to the metal. There are mild drawbacks, but nothing to get in the way of its winning performance.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Is All About the Speed
Like Transformed, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds definitely leans on the fan service. From the moment you select your character and track, you’ll see little Sega influences across the visuals, sound and even with some of the car selections. It’s not as overboard as Transformed was (where’s Ristar?!), but it’s still very cool.
Of course, it’s all for naught without a good control scheme. Fortunately, CrossWorlds delivers. Make sure you turn off the Steering Assist and you’ll find this ride to handle smoothly. From its excellent cornering to its mid-air trick system (which is awesome), you’ll find advantages galore. There’s also a huge selection of items to use, along with bonus rings to collect and other unlockables.
Speaking of unlockables, CrossWorlds has plenty. You’ll unlock tons of characters, cars, parts, perks and so many more, via a ticket system. It can take a bit to build up tickets for premium items (fortunately, it’s all in-game, whew), but it’s worth it. And that’s not including the extra characters and items coming via DLC, including the likes of Minecraft, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Pac-Man, Mega Man and more. We’ll see those unfold over the year, and they should keep fans happy. (I just wish the guest characters had more to say, as they’re awfully silent compared to the mainstays.)
There’s also online play, and it’s handled very well within the world of CrossWorlds. Though some races take a little time to connect, they run buttery smooth, even with the variety of platforms. And you can keep track of victories and failures rather easily, in case you’re keeping track how things hold up in your league.
Outside of some premium items taking forever to unlock, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is elegantly structured and a lot of fun. It follows up on Transformed’s formula without missing a beat, and with the planned DLC, it’ll only get better from here.
So How Well Does CrossWorlds Perform?
We primarily tested the Sonic Racing: Crossworlds experience on a regular PlayStation 5 and came away pleased. The visuals look razor sharp, and the “crossworld” gimmick is handled well, with only a slight bit of frame drop. Plus the animations are very good, and the vehicles look polished. The consistent 60 FPS speed is nice as well (except on the regular Switch, which sits at 30).
As for the music, it’s wonderful. You get a nice mixture of nostalgic tunes, as well as Sonic favorites. Though I do miss the touches of Crush 40, there’s more than enough here to keep Sega fans entertained. The voice acting is excellent (plenty of taunts and defeat lines), and the sound effects are what you’d expect from a Sonic racing game. Again, though, here’s hoping that guest characters have a lot to say when they arrive. Imagine Pac-Man taunting Mega Man.
Don’t Hesitate To Hit the Road With Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds
Again, it’s been a good while since we’ve seen a Sonic racing game that measures up to the mighty Mario Kart. But Sonic Racing: Crossworlds does just that, a wild endeavor that will please fans of all ages. It handles better than expected (again, turn off the assist!) and wins with its presentation. Plus there’s a ton to do online and off, with more content to come.
Let’s just hope that this particular series doesn’t take another decade to keep going. CrossWorlds has a nice foundation to build upon, and I hope Sega keeps up to task. At the very least, they need to bring back the Shenmue forklift. C’mon, for luck!
GAMERHUB RATING: 4.5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Many thanks to Sega for providing us with a review code. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is available now for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC/Steam, and will arrive on Nintendo Switch 2 later this year!
Need more racing goodness? Check out our review of Formula Legends!
