With the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise being all about speed, it was only natural that the blue blur would get his own racing games beginning in 1994’s Sonic Drift on the SEGA Game Gear, two years after the original Mario Kart game, which has always raised the bar for the kart racing genre. There have been many variations of Sonic racing games, ranging from kart racers to racing on foot and hoverboards. Whether they were good or not so good, each game tried to bring something new and innovative, but could never get out of Mario Kart’s shadow.

The dedicated fanbase was what kept a select few alive, and with Sonic’s momentum of critically acclaimed games over the past few years, now is their chance to become the new king of kart racers. SEGA is putting out all the stops with Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds, now burning rubber and crossing worlds on PlayStation 4|5, Nintendo Switch 1|2, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Sonic and the gang, plus special guests from other worlds, are racing across land, sea, air, space, and time. Warp through Travel Rings into new dimensions where something new awaits around every twist and turn. Speed to victory solo or as a team in a variety of offline and online modes, and compete against players worldwide. Build the ultimate machine to match your racing style, unlock gadgets to gain the upper hand, and unleash power-up items for the win.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a racing game unlike any other. Each race begins on one track before traversing to other worlds in each lap, then returning to the original track for the final lap. Whoever is in the lead in each lap decides which two Travel Rings to pass through, which can dictate the pace of the race. Each Travel Ring leads to a different world, with a visual for players to see where they can go. Amazingly, the next world seems to load instantly, with no slowdown at all.

Players could travel from E-Stadium to Radical Highway, to Dinosaur Jungle, and back to E-Stadium. Returning to the original track won’t be the same as before, as new pathways will open up and more hazards will arise, forcing everyone to adapt and be vigilant for the dangers ahead. The tracks currently available are based on familiar locations from Sonic’s long history and many new ones as well, so diehard Sonic fans are in for a treat. Even more tracks are on the way via DLC, representing the upcoming guest characters. Soon, players will also be racing through places like Bikini Bottom, Minecraft World, and more to be announced. Hopefully, we’ll see even more tracks from Sonic’s 34-year history.

The most important thing for a good racing game is the gameplay, and Sonic’s latest racer is its best yet. The controls are smooth and responsive, and the overall game is simple to pick up and play. There are, of course, numerous comparisons to the Mario Kart series, and while Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds draws a lot of inspiration from them, it manages to stand out in its own lane. Players will race on land, sea, and air as their vehicle transforms and the controls change to adapt.

There are occasionally glitches that can cause players to become stuck and unable to move. This can affect the experience, especially in online races. In my personal experience so far, this has only happened once in an offline Grand Prix, and I still managed to win at the end. Overall, players will be having too much fun to care about it, and SEGA should be able to patch this easily.

Adding to the mayhem, a wide range of items are available at the player’s disposal, many of which work just like the main items in Mario Kart, but also a few original ideas, too. The items can provide speed boosts, take out other racers and protect you from incoming attacks. They can easily turn the tide as those closer to first place will receive basic items, while those further behind receive more devastating items to give everyone a fighting chance and come out on top.

The Sonic the Hedgehog franchise is known for its wide array of characters with diverse personalities, and many of them are here to race their hearts out. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy Rose, Dr Eggman, Metal Sonic, Shadow, Rouge, Omega, Silver, Big, Blaze, and more are included, plus more who haven’t been playable in over a decade, such as Cream & Cheese and Jet, Wave and Storm of the Babylon Rogues.

Characters from other Sega franchises and beyond are on their way, including Like a Dragon, Nights into Dreams, Persona, SpongeBob SquarePants, Minecraft, and, most recently announced, Mega Man. Even more franchises are joining the race, including Avatar: The Last Airbender, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and more to be announced soon. As part of the game’s launch, players will have access to virtual singing sensation, Hatsune Miku, the Werehog from Sonic Unleashed, Rusty Rose, Tails Nine, and Knuckles the Dread from the Netflix Original, Sonic Prime. It’ll be exciting to see who else will join the race, and we hope to see more Sonic characters, too.

On top of the expansive character roster, players will have five different vehicle classes to choose from, which are Speed, Power, Acceleration, Handling, and Boost. Speed is best for those who want to blaze through the tracks, but they may struggle to navigate tight corners. Power is the slowest, but it makes up for it with size and weight, allowing it to plough through opponents and obstacles. Acceleration is best for reaching top speeds more quickly, especially after being slowed down by a hit. Handling excels where precision matters most, able to navigate the tightest corners without losing momentum, especially in tracks with numerous twists and turns. The Boost class brings back the famous hoverboards from the Sonic Riders games, which fans have been demanding and are best for building up the boost meter quicker than anything else.

Players can customise each vehicle class by mixing and matching different parts to suit their playstyle. Characters have their own classes too, based on their abilities and physical features, so players will be able to find a balance to allow them to play as their favourite characters without worrying about certain limitations. It’s fun to experiment with different customisation options to find a playstyle that suits you and personalise your vehicles with different colours and decals to stick on, many of which include real life brands like Air Asia, Republic of Gamers and ASUS just to name a few, so there’s more product placement in this Sonic game than you’d expect, but it’s a fun way to represent your favourite brand.

Gadgets are another way to provide even more abilities for your vehicle, and more can be obtained through game progression. They can provide extra speed, boosts, reduce damage taken, prevent slipping on various terrains, and much more. Up to six gadgets can be equipped, and players can create up to five different presets to choose from, selecting the best one depending on the track they’re racing on. Even though the theme of the game is going to different worlds in each lap, it’s still a nice option to have for racing enthusiasts and no matter what, there’s always ways to adapt on the fly.

Various modes are available, with the main ones being Grand Prix, Race Park, Time Attack and Online. Grand Prix currently has seven cups, with more to be added soon, each with four races. Race Park offers six different match types that focus on team races, inflicting the most damage, or collecting the most rings. Players can even create their own custom race and set different conditions. It’s a fun mode to change things up and play with friends in either local split-screen or online lobbies.

Time Attack has you racing on your own to get the fastest time, which you can even enter into the online ranking boards to see how you compare with your friends or other players worldwide. You can also view replays of how other players performed on each track, and can also have their ghosts race with you as you attempt to break world records. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds takes the Time Attack feature to a whole new level.The real fun is playing online, and the latest Sonic racer feels incredibly smooth with barely any lag at all, even when racing against others across the globe. Crossplay is included, allowing players to race each other across all relevant platforms, and the online ranking system provides a goal for players to strive for.

The overall graphics, presentation and animation are some of its best yet. The characters, vehicles and tracks are full of colour and loaded with details. Everything animates smoothly, despite the chaos on the screen, with no slowdowns at all, even when playing online. There is never a dull moment; everything is exciting to watch, and your adrenaline will be pumping all the way through. Not enough can be said about how good this game makes you feel. Many voice actors reprise their roles, including Roger Craig Smith, Colleen O’Shaughnessey, Kirk Thornton, and many more, all bringing their respective characters to life. They’ll often talk smack

with each other while blazing down the tracks and sabotaging one another. Unfortunately, most of the guest characters won’t have voices other than maybe some one-liners. This is mainly due to time constraints, which is fair, but we would still love to hear their voices. Regardless, featuring these guest characters will still provide plenty of fan service.

The Sonic franchise boasts some of the best gaming soundtracks around, with its own symphony orchestra that has toured the world. Various fan-favourite songs from past games and new ones can be heard in each track, as well as in the menus and samples during the victory screens. A Jukebox Mode is included to create your own playlist and even customise each track’s song to one of your favourites. The wide range of Sonic music will bring a ton of nostalgia, excitement, and emotion to each race.

The biggest question is how this compares to Mario Kart. SEGA is investing heavily in marketing its latest racer, featuring its iconic mascot behind the wheel. Notably, one specific commercial takes a not-so-subtle jab at Mario Kart World, referencing the “SEGA Does What Nintendon’t” ad campaign from their console war in the 90s. Each fanbase will be dedicated to their respective fandom, regardless of which game is considered the better one.

Still, it’s hard to deny that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds does a lot of things better than Mario Kart World, which was a highly anticipated launch title for the Nintendo Switch 2, but the momentum seems to have fallen since. Players will be divided on which game is better. Still, the biggest difference is that while Mario Kart games are exclusive to Nintendo, Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is multi-platform, featuring crossplay and online rankings. Personally, I’m having too much fun with SEGA’s latest racer.

Whether Sonic can dethrone Mario for the better racing game remains to be seen, but in this case, the Blue Blur is on the right track and offers so much more than the Italian plumber. With a continuously expanding roster from SEGA and beyond, exciting and adrenaline-pumping races, tons of nostalgia, smooth online experience with crossplay and much more, Sonic’s newest racer has so much going for it that even Mario fans would be afraid to admit. The possibilities are never-ending in Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.

Written by: Sammy Hanson