Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review (Switch/Switch 2) Review

Sonic is still going fast, by foot, or by car… or by plane and boat too. Sonic and friends are back at the racetrack, and this time they’re dabbling in cross-dimensional racing! Grab a chilli dog, slow down for a minute, and let’s see if Sonic can still keep up (look, I know technically he’s so fast he’s ahead of the competition, but work with me here).

Sonic racing games have existed in a strange space; they’ve ranged from really fun to competent. With the previous Team Sonic Racing stepping away from Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, it lost its broader embrace of Sega properties alongside Sonic. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds feels like a middle ground of the two previous games’ intentions.

CrossWorlds’ deal is that during your three lap race, at the end of the first lap, portals will open up and transport you to another completely different location for the second lap. Whoever is in first place at the end of lap one gets to choose which portal everyone will be transported to. Once returning back to the main track for lap three, there’s some changes to keep the last lap fresh.

Throughout the races, Sonic and friends will transform between cars, boats and planes at designated points. This keeps races action-packed and varied from just having your wheels on the track.

There are 24 tracks, and slightly more when including DLC tracks (for the review, these won’t be covered). Then there are 15 CrossWorld tracks that occur within the other tracks. If you want to count each variation as part of the main tracks, then there’s even more. 

Although with the CrossWorld lap, it’s not necessarily a complimentary track to the main track. I’m still not entirely sure how I feel about the CrossWorld addition. On one hand, it helps to keep tracks from just falling into three-lap repetition, but on the other, their addition doesn’t add that much either.

The main way to experience the tracks is through the Grand Prix mode. With over seven cups, there are four tracks in each, although the fourth track is a remix of the previous three. It’s a neat touch like a victory lap, although I also can’t ignore that it’s one less actual new track per cup.  The tracks are themed on plenty of Sonic history and locations. The selection of racers is also the same, with Sonic, the main crew, and baddies. Then, with a selection from over the years, even pulling from outside of main Sonic titles such as Sonic Riders and Chaotix. The tracks generally have a lot happening; there are very few stretches with little going on. Which fits within the whole Sonic ‘gotta go fast’ vibe.

There’s also a Rival system to put the pressure on. This gives the player a rival a little more intense than the usual AI racers. As you progress in cups, the difficulty from these rivals increases too, although thankfully it can be adjusted. My experience with the Rivals is that you have a competitor who will usually be sitting in first, for every track unless you can hold them at bay. 

The problem is when you’re in the top three, then you’re getting fewer offensive items, while also copping everyone else’s attacks. While that’s kind of the deal with racing games, the rivals’ tendency to place highest on the ladder unless you win leaves little room for error in the Grand Prix cups. Once again, it would be silly for me to be surprised that a racing game has rubber banding or plays somewhat unfairly, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t suck here too.

The Gadget mechanic also allows you to add additional modifications, whether it’s a preference in items or some additional assistance. I generally stuck with the ability to hold an extra item, not that I’d usually get to hold onto three items. As you race, you level up your Gadget Plate, allowing you to add more Gadgets, meaning more options to go into a race with. You can also unlock/purchase new vehicle parts, with the cars customisable by both parts and cosmetically. 

Outside of the Grand Prix, there is the Race Park and Time Trials. Time Trials are exactly as you’d expect; you’re up against the clock, aiming for the best time. Race Park is a group of challenges; it spruiks that it is best suited for multiplayer, and for good reason. In this mode, you want to collect enough stamps from beating the Rival team by winning the selected activity. Most are team-based goals, such as the team with the most rings at the end. Usually, it’s winning a race under different conditions. Combined with the Rival system, it’s chaotic, with trying to manage the team goals with the somewhat unfair AI. At least with other players, you can coordinate against the Rivals instead of carrying your silent teammates.

What’s strange about the CrossWorlds premise is that it feels it should be a spiritual successor to Sonic All-Stars Racing Transformed. Between the title and the added DLC racers, it feels like a bit of a stumble. Now I’m not expecting CrossWorlds to be a game it never said it was going to be. Still, it feels like a missed opportunity to do something more with the premise. While the CrossWorld second laps are a fun change-up in the middle of a race, it feels less like a novelty when it’s just more Sonic tracks.

With the Season Pass, there are additional non-Sonic tracks/locations still being added, but only if you’re willing to pay. There’s also free DLC racers that have already begun to be added to the roster, coming with their own vehicle and music. However, these racers don’t come with voice acting for the rival dialogue, making them stand out as ‘outsiders’ to the main roster.

The version I reviewed was the original Switch version, on the Switch 2. Then early December, a Switch 2 upgrade/Switch 2 edition has become available. I spent time playing through both versions, so I wanted to share my experience with each. Without testing games across the Switch and Switch 2 hardware, it can be difficult to truly capture if the more powerful Switch 2 hardware is giving a boost to visuals or performance in comparison to playing it on original Switch hardware.

The resolution is definitely lower, and the tracks are lacking the detail the other versions are. It still looks functional, and given this is a multi-platform release with the original Switch likely needing to make the most compromises, they’ve done well to make sure it’s still a decent racing experience. Following Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders running at 60-120 FPS, it’s noticeable that it is 30 FPS or less here. You’re still going to get a playable performance out of the game if your only option is the original Switch. 

With the Switch 2 Edition, the resolution and performance are improved as expected. With 1440p for docked players and 1080p for handheld, you can make the most of either mode to play. There’s 60 FPS docked or handheld, until you start throwing in more than two players split screen, then you’re back to 30 FPS, which is more than fair enough. 

Moving from the plain Switch edition to the Switch 2 is a noticeable difference, and it’s good that Sega is doing upgrade paths between editions. 

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is a more than competent and enjoyable racer. Even with its big CrossWorld mechanic, it still feels pretty traditional when compared to other big mascot racers like Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders. While it does have its fair share of flaws, ultimately most of them won’t matter while you’re having a high-speed, multi-vehicle race through Sonic-themed race tracks.

Rating: 3.5/5