Sonic Racing CrossWorlds: A Kart Racing Spectacle Celebrating Sega’s Legacy

Man, Sonic games just have this way of making me drop my serious face and just, you know, enjoy. So here I am, talking about Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds. Yup, only played it for like an hour at the Summer Game Fest, but I’m sold. It’s got that whole kart racer feel nailed down — I mean, fast races, those wild powerups that make you mad because you got hit, and all those characters from Sonic lore. Honestly, what more can you ask for? But wait, there’s actually a twist.

Alright, there’s this thing called the CrossWorld mechanic. First lap, you’re cruisin’ on the normal track. But then, whoever’s ahead gets to pick where you warp to next. Could be some icy place with northern lights in the sky, or maybe a stormy sea with shipwrecks around — or even a lava-filled nightmare with laser grids, go figure. Then, poof, back to the normal track for lap three. So yeah, it’s kinda quirky, this mix-up adds unpredictability. Keeps you guessing.

Now, here’s a random thought — your vehicles morph depending on where you go. Flying, hovering, whatever. Personally, the flying bit is a blast. Your aircraft feels smooth, and the whole verticality thing is refreshing. But real talk, this game’s like an explosion of chaos for your eyeballs. Seriously, at times you can’t even tell what’s happening. Some might say it’s over the top, but hey, it’s for the spectacle, not exactly a hardcore race, right?

Oh, and you can trick out your kart. Swap parts like tires and all to tweak stuff like speed. And perks? Oh yeah, load ’em up. You get six slots, and some eat up more than one slot. I had a perk that helped me recover fast after getting smacked by an item and honestly, it saved me in the third lap. Got hit by a rocket? No prob, I zoomed past another racer who got hit too. Guess if you’re hardcore, there’s room to be a total kart racing maniac.

Grand Prix modes were all I had access to. Four races back-to-back, rack up points—pretty standard. But here’s the kicker: mid-series, one racer becomes your rival and goes all out to stop you. Oh and the last race gives extra points for winning, so you could still make a comeback. But seriously curious about other modes — like, will it keep people playing for the long haul? Sonic Team better have some tricks up their sleeve.

Also, hello crossover dreams: It’s not just Sonic we’re talking about. We’ve got Sega’s history mixed in here. Icons like Kasuga Ichiban from Yakuza and Joker from Persona 5 — even Hatsune Miku on a hoverboard (seriously, put Miku in everything!) make appearances. Ichiban back in Dragon Kart mode’s cute, and having Miku racing in Sonic worlds? Yeah, sign me up.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds ain’t trying to redefine kart racing. It’s chill, it’s fun, and it’s a whole party with Sonic and Sega’s crew. So yeah, I’m all in and can’t wait to drift through when it hits on September 25. Play it on whatever you’ve got — PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo, or PC.