Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - A New Racing Champion

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For me, the golden era of kart racing games was in the late ’90s and early 2000s. Some of my fondest memories include spending hours playing Crash Team Racing with my siblings or inviting friends over to play Mario Kart. Those were the days. That’s not to say we haven’t had great racing games lately. However, they never hooked me as the old ones did. Usually, I buy a racing game, play for a bit, and abandon it until some friends come over and I fire it up. That has finally changed thanks to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which hooked me as soon as I hit the pedal for the first time, and by the looks of it, it is one wheel I won’t let go of for some time.

Hands-On Racing

One of my biggest issues with any kart racing game is that they often have dull moments. Once you reach the first spot or memorize the track, you can stay in the first spot for the whole race, with a massive advantage at that. There might even be times when you see that CPU or player in last place and drive past them. Before you all think that I’m complaining about being a good racer, which isn’t the case, I’m referring more to the fact that most kart racers don’t offer any challenge at all, even those that feature higher difficulty levels. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds fixes this as soon as you portal into your first race.

Grand Prix is the most significant single-player portion of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, and once you pick your cup, difficulty, racer, and vehicle, you get a rival, one NPC that will try to ruin your day in every single race. They will react when you pass them and kind of diss you when they leave you behind. It was pretty enjoyable, as it always provided a goal beyond simply reaching first place in the race. My job was to make my rival bite the dust by any means necessary.

So, why am I discussing this system before covering the driving mechanics, tracks, or roster? Because this feature is just one tiny example of how much Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds embraces this “hands-on” philosophy in the sense that it puts you on a race track and fills it with things for you to do and pay attention to without throwing convoluted mechanics or a lot of buttons to press while you’re at it.

Racing is the easiest thing to do in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, because it lets you focus on all the dozens of things that are happening on screen. From the racers exploding like golden ring-filled piñatas, to grabbing item capsules, to picking the CrossWorld you want to visit during the race, and even dodging dinosaurs, everything is there to provide frenetic fun that never gives you a dull or quiet moment.

That doesn’t mean it is all simple, however, as there are many things to pay attention to, especially if you’re heading to online races or some of the most challenging cups. Characters and vehicles have their stats, and you’ll often be building the ideal vehicle or participating in different game modes to unlock a better kart to give your favorite character the boost they need. You can ignore this if you want to, but it is one of the most engaging and time-consuming aspects of the game and one that rewards you even outside of the track.

Inside a track, however, there are many rewarding moments, too. You’ll find countless challenges in each race that will reward you with currency that you can use to purchase vehicle parts to create your own four-wheeled Frankenstein. While it isn’t the first game to do something like this, I liked the approach as it always made me focus on more goals than just reaching the first spot. Often, I preferred looking for the elusive red stars, and in other cases, I just wanted to use as many items as possible. In the past, I would just do one cup in the Grand Prix and call it a day, but I wasn’t able to step away from my screen as I wanted to unlock more vehicles for each of the classes to see which one would do better in online races or in the most challenging cups.

Into New Worlds

Outside of all the approachable and hands-on systems I mentioned above, the true stars of Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds are its tracks. Every single one of them takes you through the story of the blue hedgehog, and all of them are packed with nods to the series and enhanced by the banger of a soundtrack that every Sonic game is known for.

On top of that, all tracks are filled with shortcuts, different roads to take, and more environmental traps that I can count, which elevate the vehicular mayhem that happens during a race as soon as the green light appears. A few tracks are a bit too much in terms of trap clutter and objects, but never in a way that ruins a race or makes someone go, “I’m staying away from this track.” Every single stage rivals some of the best I’ve seen in many kart racing titles, and some even surpass them.

Yet, the biggest gimmick and one that leads to guaranteed jaw-dropping moments is the CrossWorld mechanic. During a race, the lead racer will have the option to choose between two portals. Each one leads to a different mini-track that lasts for a while. You might get teleported to a lava-filled track with fire dragons coming out of the ground, or see some of the most iconic Sonic stages, but now as a whole racing track. It is one system that changes the race completely, but most importantly, keeps everything fresh, as even those who know the track like the back of their hand won’t know what to expect once the portal appears.

While the races, both offline and online, are great, and there are different multiplayer modes, such as some that put you in a team, and you have to push your fellow racers to boost each other, the truth is that there isn’t a lot to do yet, but I don’t say that in a bad way. Racing, which is the game’s main attraction, is superb and compelling. Even if it doesn’t have a dozen game modes, I keep returning to try to beat my record, buy more car parts, and see if I can ever reach the first spot in an online race, which I don’t think I will. But trying is the fun part, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is so addictive that I don’t mind losing constantly to the same Hatsune Miku players.

The New King of the Track

Looking back on my time with Sonic Racing: Crossworlds, I ask myself two questions: Is it the most in-depth in terms of mechanics and game modes? No. Is it the most fun and engaging one? Yes. In truth, it’s been years since I played a kart racing game almost daily. Even if it’s to challenge my wife or beat a record, I’m there for a couple of hours most days because I can’t stay away from this irresistible racing mayhem.

Ultimately, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds has reignited my love for racing games and significantly raised the bar for a genre that previously lacked significant competition. As the saying goes, competition breeds excellence, and Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the push that kart racing needed. For once, I’m excited about the future of this genre, and I’m glad to finally have a racing game that is approachable, visually stunning, highly customizable, and, most importantly, provides that addictive vehicle chaos that many of us are fond of.

Review copy provided by the publisher.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds (PS5 Reviewed)

9.5 Superb!

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is the most accessible and engaging kart racing game of the year, and one that has significantly raised the bar for the genre.