Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a highly stimulating arcade racer that excels at providing exceptional replay value. There are multiple new and improved returning game modes and features in existing elements in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

First of all, the CrossWorld mechanic, which transforms tracks midway through a race, is an original and fun addition that makes every race feel different. The machines (cars and extreme gears) are very diverse, which is best represented in the garage. This is where you can customise your machines. Customisations include paint colour and type, vinyls, auras and, of course, machine parts (front, back, and wheels). The sheer amount of variety and freedom you can get in the garage is a big thumbs up for me. Although being able to mix different types to create a hybrid machine would’ve been really fun to experiment with. 

Gadgets are a new, big feature in this game that, when equipped, provide buffs or special effects that can improve various stats to your machine. I really liked how you have so many choices to pick from. I spent a lot of good time creating gadget plates that reward me with many different effects for races. Some gadget plates are ideal for collecting and keeping as many rings as possible to gain high speed, and other gadget plates almost guarantee attack items that can cause a lot of chaos for your opponents. The various combinations that can be played with are fantastic.

The way you control your machine varies greatly on their stats. And, in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, stat differences can really be felt, especially in handling and power differences. However, boost stats make the least difference unless you really squint. Drifting is a big selling point in racers, and Sonic Racing: Crossworlds excels at it. I really like drifting while braking on Super Sonic Speed, which is a test of skill, not luck. Speaking of skill and not luck, this racer expects you to race well most of the time to win. This is great because, as a player, you should be rewarded for getting good at a game and not from having some luck with RNG (luck from items, boosts, slipstreams).

Sonic Racing: CrossWorld’s character roster is one of the most diverse we’ve seen amongst prior racing titles in the franchise. The tracks’ visuals are great as well as their diverse environments, circuits, paths and game-specific platforms and objects (springs, for example). I also believe a lot of the tracks were a respectful re-invention of past games like Digital Circuit from Shadow the Hedgehog.

After defeating all rivals, you unlock Super Sonic, who has not been a playable character since the Riders series. Super Sonic feels superior to every other character. His stats are maxed out, and he is invulnerable to all attacks. However, making him lose rings progressively would’ve added more challenge and would’ve been more accurate.

The smooth, expressive animations, and rival interactions in Grand Prix that add some past game references feel very complete and polished.

There are some key features that bring the best out of this game. But, there are some that I wish were better. Festivals are online matches with a ton of neat rewards. You race in three teams of four, and the winner earns more tickets, which gives you more rewards. The SEGA characters don’t have a voice; instead, they have sound effects. The jukebox could have more themes from past games and more album slots to create.

Traditionally, rivals were two or three racers that would often place in the top 3. Now, it’s quite positively different. I really like how there is now one intensely hard opponent that makes Grand Prix more challenging than previous titles. The levels of your rival can be adjusted to any difficulty, which is nice. Speed levels also add some personal challenge (drifting and staying on course, for example). The rival system provides so much replay value due to these reasons. 

One thing that isn’t usually a staple in any racing game that I appreciate is the Chao Garden-inspired achievements. The fact that you can earn tickets and titles is a great addition to something that is usually not rewarding. Of course, having some unique, rare gadgets would’ve been great too. 

Overall, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds provides a great experience as an arcade racer. From large, varied machines to the unique, fun courses, and to the CrossWorld mechanic, it makes me want to keep coming back, especially during new festivals and new SEGA character releases.