Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 1 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Nintendo has spent the past few decades going from strength to strength with Mario Kart, so it’s not hard to see why companies holding other recognisable IP have wanted to take a crack at the kart-racer formula to see if they can pull a following of their own. While plenty of copycats have popped up over the years, one that’s made the most sense has been the Sonic franchise, as high-octane speed is kind of the titular character’s whole appeal.

Sonic hasn’t always had the most enjoyable outings in the racing world, but he’s also had some that have gotten awfully close to matching Nintendo’s golden goose. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds is one such entry, combining thrilling action and controls with an interesting multiverse gimmick to make for a worthwhile and enjoyable experience. It’s just a shame that the base Switch really struggles to run it well.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 2 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Gameplay in Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is roughly par for the course with what you’d expect for a kart racer, as you drift, boost, and trick your way to victory across a series of three-lap, four-race cups that incorporate mind-bending courses and locales.

Effectively drifting corners, timing your boosts, and seizing on shortcuts are all part of a hard-fought victory, while occasional item drops add an X factor that can both give you the edge you need to win first place or torpedo a lead that you’d been holding onto. Overall, the items feel well balanced, and they help to keep things interesting as their influence constantly changes up the formation of a race.

Tracks primarily consist of a mixture of original courses and reimagined versions of classic Sonic courses from across the main series, such as Radical Highway from Sonic Adventure 2 or Water Palace from Sonic Rush. Overall, course design is extremely strong, with multiple routes adding to the replayability and strategy, while the constant jumping between land, sea, and air portions keeps things feeling fresh and fast-paced. Everyone will naturally have their favourites, but it’s tough to argue against the overall quality of these tracks. There’s really not a bad one in the bunch.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 3 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Most importantly, the central ‘Crossworlds’ gimmick makes the courses feel dynamic in a way that most other kart racers struggle to replicate. Upon nearing the end of the first lap, the competitor currently in the lead will be given a choice between two alternative courses you will then traverse for the duration of lap two. So, you can begin a race in Seaside Hill, then jump to Mystic Jungle for a lap before returning to Seaside Hill to finish things up. Given that any stage can appear at the end of lap one, each contest feels fresh and exciting given that consecutive races starting on the same course can have radically different routes to the finish line.

If you want to mix things up beyond the base Grand Prix mode, there’s also a Race Park mode. Here, you participate in a variety of side challenges that task you with alternative goals beyond simply being the first to cross the finish line. One such challenge is a team-based mode in which you’re given points for how many times you can tap a teammate with your vehicle throughout the race, while another is centred on hitting as many foes with weapons as possible. Though Race Park doesn’t radically shift away from the core concept of racing, it helps to mix up the gameplay a bit and gives you some nice extrinsic rewards for doing so, such as new part unlocks.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 4 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

Though there’s plenty of strategy that goes into charting a racing line and knowing when to time boosts and item drops, much of a victory can hinge on decisions made before you even get on the track. There’s an extensive selection of parts you can swap out with any given kart that affect stats like acceleration and weight that help give you the edge in a race, depending on your chosen loadout.

Beyond this, the Gadget system gives you a variety of passive power-ups that can stack the deck in your favour, such as increasing the frequency of specific items or reducing the time it takes for mid-air trick animations to play out. I really appreciated the customisability here, as it not only allows you to tailor loadouts to specific playstyles, but consistently rewards you and reinforces continued play.

Naturally, a big part of the experience here is found in playing the online multiplayer, and I’m happy to report that it‘s just as crazy and thrilling as couch multiplayer, even if it’s a bit different not having someone next to you to talk smack with.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 5 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Docked)

In my experience, there were no dropped connections or notable slowdowns, and lobbies were (obviously) full in seconds. To add a bit more to chase beyond the raw fun of a race with real people, there’s also a progressive ranking system that awards points based on your race performance.

Visually, this racer is a little bit of a mixed bag, combining high spectacle and brilliant effects with overall low performance that notably hampers the moment-to-moment gameplay. On one hand, the courses themselves are absolutely gorgeous, and the constant twists in the track design and explosions from various items being fired make the screen a veritable feast of energy and verve. On the other, the base Switch hardware just isn’t up to the task of running this all very well.

At best, this game is running at 30fps, which is already feels barely passable for a high-intensity racer like this. But the rapid-fire action frequently sends the frame rate into the low 20s to high teens. Add just one other player for splitscreen action, and the frame rates sink even lower. Performance feels roughly the same between docked and handheld modes. Combine this with the generally low and grainy resolution (especially when viewed on a Switch 2 screen in handheld mode), and this is comfortably the worst way to play this otherwise enjoyable game.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds Review - Screenshot 6 of 6
Captured on Nintendo Switch (Handheld/Undocked)

It’s far from an unplayable mess, but take one look at footage of how this looks and plays on stronger hardware, and — however predictable it is — it’s tough not to feel like the Switch port is a notably inferior product.

And whether this Switch 1 version is improved when running on Switch 2 is a bit of a toss-up. On the base Switch, you trade S2's faster loading times and somewhat better frame rate for a better visual experience, with the game's low resolution being less noticeable on the 720p handheld screen.

Conclusion

Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is a genuinely excellent game, but the Switch version is just 'alright'. The dynamic track designs, high replayability, and thrilling visuals all combine to make for a game that — judged purely on that content — stands as a strong competitor to the dominant Mario Kart series.

But the poor visual quality and resolution present in the Switch version drag down the overall experience and make it feel like a much more mediocre experience. I'd still give this port a light recommendation; it’s a fair choice if Switch is the only platform available to you, and ultimately justifies the price of admission. Otherwise, I’d suggest waiting to see how the upcoming Switch 2 version pans out, or picking it up now on another platform.

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