PLATFORM: PC, PS4/5, SWITCH/2, XBOX ONE/SERIES (REVIEWED) | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
The latest in a long line of Sonic kart racing spinoffs (it’s hard to believe the first one was all the way back in 1994!), CrossWorlds takes Sonic the Hedgehog and nearly two dozen of his pals and pits them against each other in Grand Prix-style races. At launch, six GP races are available, consisting of three tracks each, with at least two more races and over a dozen additional characters planned to be released as DLC at a later date.
While some of CrossWorlds‘ locations have been created specifically for the game, many will be familiar to fans of the series – Kronos Island from Sonic Frontiers makes an appearance, and there are tracks based on plenty of other previous installments (Unleashed, Generations and Rush, amongst others). Like the environments, the roster of characters is also pulled from the 3D entries in the series – alongside stalwarts Sonic, Knuckles and Tails, there are deeper cuts like Zazz, Storm, and Zavok, all with unique stats that make each one handle differently to the other.
CrossWorlds follows the usual kart racing formula, making it super simple to pick up and play, but then throws a couple of curveballs to mix things up in some really pleasing ways. Players complete three laps of a track in an attempt to finish in first place, using a variety of environmental features to boost their speed and smashing through item boxes to gain handy tools to attack other racers. Depending on the terrain at any given moment, you’ll race in either a kart, plane or boat, instantly switching to the required vehicle by passing through checkpoints just before the track changes. Cars drift nicely, planes handle incredibly smoothly, and boats are nice and speedy albeit slightly (but understandably) slow to steer, with no vehicle really feeling “worse” or less fun to use than the others.
For the first time in a Sonic racer, characters are no longer restricted to only driving their own personal vehicle, so you can choose your favourite character and kart (or whichever combination has the best stats) and pair them up in whichever way you please. Further customisation comes in the form of Gadgets, which can be added to your kart to increase its speed, handling and attack power in a variety of ways, and Tickets are awarded at the end of each race which can then be spent on unlocking parts to further customise your vehicles.
At the end of each race’s first lap, the leader gets to decide where lap 2 will take place by driving along the left or right side of the track – one will be a predetermined selection, while the other is a random track. These “crossworld” tracks, of which there are more than a dozen, are a great way of changing things up, giving you a quick jaunt around somewhere different before returning you to the main track for the final lap, often adding modifiers to the race that change up how you attempt to get into (or stay in) pole position.
Plenty of unlockable customisation trinkets add replayability to solo races, while a sturdy suite of multiplayer options for both online and local play are available for those who want to test their skills against other human players. With its excellent racing mechanics, dazzling visuals and fantastic soundtrack – and by sticking with the standard kart racing formula and not attempting to reinvent the wheel – CrossWorlds has all the potential to be modern day players’ kart racer of choice.
