Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is rapidly approaching its September release. My second play session with this kart racer largely confirmed my initial impression from Summer Game Fest: it seems to abandon the best aspects of previous Sonic racing titles in favor of a style more akin to Mario Kart. This recent playthrough allowed me to explore more tracks and experiment with new characters, Hatsune Miku and Ichiban Kasuga, who were previously unavailable.
In CrossWorlds, players pilot karts or hoverboards, competing against a diverse roster of characters from Sega`s Sonic universe, alongside special guests from other franchises. Each race spans three laps across 24 distinct tracks. A unique mechanic involves racers teleporting to a completely different world for the second lap via a travel ring. The leader at the end of the first lap gets to choose the destination world from two randomly presented options out of a pool of 15.
This dynamic world-shifting is a neat concept, especially prominent in the Grand Prix mode, which was central to both my SGF preview and this latest hands-on. In Grand Prix, points are awarded based on finishing position, accumulating over a series of races to crown an overall champion. A Grand Prix consists of four races, with the final race uniquely combining sections of the three preceding tracks, where each lap corresponds to a different prior track.
Just as during SGF, I found myself easily dominating the AI opponents on the highest accessible difficulty (a truly harder setting remains locked in previews). While winning is enjoyable, the absence of a genuine challenge makes it difficult to fully immerse myself in the game. I still hope that playing against human opponents will provide the missing competitive edge, but currently, CrossWorlds feels less engaging than its predecessors.
The game integrates elements from Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Riders but omits the cooperative relay racing of the former and the strategic fuel management or distinct character abilities of the latter. These specific mechanics were what gave Team Sonic Racing and Sonic Riders their unique flavors, setting them apart from Mario Kart and adding a layer of depth. Winning in those games felt genuinely earned, and I recall dedicating countless hours, especially to Riders, driven by a desire for mastery. CrossWorlds has yet to evoke a similar sense of ambition in me.
Similar to all other characters, Hatsune and Ichiban possess individual statistics that subtly influence gameplay, leading to minor differences in kart handling. However, these variations are so subtle that I noticed no significant distinction between them, nor any change from my previous experience with Jet the Hawk and Amy Rose at SGF. The kart plate loadout system, which allows players to create custom setups to modify kart behavior, offers a more tangible impact. This time, I spent more time experimenting, designing plates that enabled a monster truck transformation for early race dominance, easier drafting to steal opponents` rings, or a powerful spinning drift for bashing rivals and gaining speed boosts.
While these customized plate builds are creative and enjoyable, I wish they had a more substantial effect on performance to encourage deeper engagement with the customization system. Despite their variety, I managed to win effortlessly with every build, without needing to significantly alter my racing strategy. The core gameplay loop remained: gather rings for speed, deploy items against opponents, evade incoming attacks, and master corner drifting. Ultimately, the customization features, like other aspects, fail to carve out a unique niche for CrossWorlds among its rivals; so far, nothing about this experience feels exclusively its own.
I maintain a degree of optimism, hoping I`m simply overlooking a key element. As a general enthusiast of Sonic racing titles, this current lack of connection feels almost contradictory. I`m confident that once I`m casually playing with friends, amidst the chaos and shouts over unexpected maneuvers, I`ll discover what truly makes CrossWorlds special. Until that moment, however, I remain cautiously optimistic.
Sonic Racing CrossWorlds is set to launch on September 25 for Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and Switch. A release for Switch 2 is anticipated during the 2025 holiday season.