There’s one thing about Sonic video games the place I type of let my guard down and simply take pleasure in them for what they’re. And I’m completely happy to say that I’ve genuinely loved my time with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, which I performed an hour of throughout Summer season Recreation Fest. It’s a kart racer that, in my quick time with, nails the core tenets of a superb kart racer – quick and intense races, powerups that flip the tide and go away you salty, and a superb vibe that celebrates the characters from its supply materials. I can’t actually ask for way more than that, but there’s nonetheless extra to chew on that we haven’t seen in earlier Sonic racing video games.
Let’s begin with the CrossWorld mechanic, which varies up every race – the primary lap begins on the chosen observe, then whoever’s in first place within the second chooses the place the whole race warps to for the second lap. This may vary from an icy world with aurora borealis within the skybox, to a storming sea amongst a ship’s wreckage, or a volcanic zone with laser grids as obstacles. After which the third lap returns to the traditional observe. It’s a novelty that you could be get used to over time, nevertheless it does present some stage of dynamism from race to race and provides a little bit of unpredictability to maintain issues contemporary.
In these crossing worlds, you’ll be flying, hovering, and browsing relying on the place you warp to, and so there’s an ideal sense of selection to your autos because you’re not simply on the bottom drifting along with your karts. I fairly just like the flying sections since your plane controls properly and brings a sure verticality that’s shocking for a kart racer. If something, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is blasting your eyeballs with chaos taking place on display, and perhaps overdoing it. Not that it’s a significant grievance I maintain in opposition to it, however it is a very visually busy sport to the purpose the place it’s generally laborious to inform what’s actually happening – and I feel these moments are extra in service of the spectacle reasonably than being a critical aggressive racer.
Nevertheless, it does have that aggressive edge with the way you outfit your kart. You may customise elements just like the physique, tires, and boosters to tweak stats corresponding to prime pace, acceleration, and dealing with. What’s extra is which you could connect perks to your kart as if it’s a loadout. You get six slots for attachments, and a few attachments take up a couple of slot – for instance, I used a three-slot acceleration booster and a two-slot perk that improved my restoration time after getting hit by an merchandise. And this stuff truly affected my efficiency in a significant means. I received hit with a rocket in lap three alongside one other racer, however was in a position to pull forward of them considerably after getting hit due to each of these perks I geared up. So, in the event you’re actually critical about kart racing, I feel there’s room for being an actual sicko about it.
I solely had entry to the Grand Prix modes, which pits you in a collection of 4 races, awarding factors on your place and figuring out a winner by the tip of the collection. It’s fairly customary stuff with a number of quirks alongside the best way. I’m undecided if that is embedded in Sonic lore, however one racer will probably be declared a rival mid-Grand Prix and can act extra aggressive towards you and keep extra aggressive all through the collection. The fourth and closing race will even reward extra factors for first place, so you’ll be able to flip the tide on the final minute in the event you’re a number of factors behind. Nevertheless, I’m interested in how the opposite sport modes in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds will play out, as a result of as enjoyable and dynamic as regular races are, longevity will depend on Sonic Group with the ability to capitalize on its potential in different artistic methods.
Maybe a few of that may come from its crossover characters – not solely is that this about Sonic as an entire, it’s a celebration of Sega’s current historical past as properly. Throughout Summer season Recreation Fest, Sega revealed that characters like my valuable boy Kasuga Ichiban from Yakuza / Like A Dragon, Joker from Persona 5, and my vocaloid queen Hatsune Miku will all be a part of the roster. Seeing Ichiban relive his days of Dragon Kart from the 2020 RPG is lovely and a welcome extension of his character, whereas seeing Miku on a hovering board racing by Sonic worlds is sufficient to get me purchased in (and we should always have Miku in additional video games, to be trustworthy, shout out to Fortnite). It’s not like crossover characters are a brand new factor for a Sonic racing sport – I imply, take a look at the wild lineup for Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing. However Sega’s catalog has grown lots since then, so maybe this new period of characters can spice issues up in a means that makes extra sense.
Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds doesn’t must revolutionize the kart racing style, and I feel it’s staking its declare on being a enjoyable and carefree racer that celebrates Sonic and the bigger Sega pantheon. It’s a vibe, and one which I’ve loved and can sit up for drifting by when it launches on September 25 of this 12 months on the final two PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo consoles, in addition to PC.
