{"id":153878,"date":"2025-09-19T01:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-09-19T01:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/153878\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T01:51:16","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T01:51:16","slug":"crossworlds-is-better-than-mario-kart-world","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/153878\/","title":{"rendered":"CrossWorlds is better than Mario Kart World"},"content":{"rendered":"

Recently, I wrote that Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was my most anticipated kart racer in a while<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While I had some fun with Mario Kart World<\/a>, I found that it had little staying power, in no small part because of its half-baked open-world. Meanwhile, I don\u2019t think that the overly chaotic Kirby Air Riders looks all that great, either. Sonic, by contrast, has appealed the most to me thanks to its inventive gimmicks that shake up the flow of races and eclectic cast of guest characters.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

Now that I\u2019ve played the full version of CrossWorlds, I mostly stand by what I said, with some caveats. It\u2019s a fundamentally solid kart racer with some clever tricks up its sleeve that make it better than\u00a0Mario Kart World. Above all else, though, CrossWorlds just feels good to play. The handling of vehicles is tight and responsive, the tricks you can perform in the air are stylish, and the drifting mechanic is loose enough to allow for a surprising degree of angling even as you\u2019re sliding. Mechanics even change depending on the stretch of the track, like water sections that turn your drifts into jumps that you have to time to properly ride the waves. My favourite, however, are the airborne sections that turn into mini Star Fox-like piloting sequences, a nice step-up from the limited gliding-only aerial traversal in Mario Kart.<\/p>\n

The items, which include speed bumps, rockets, lasers and drills, also feel much more balanced than\u00a0Mario Kart. While you want some degree of unpredictable chaos thanks to items, the ones found in Mario Kart\u00a0can feel unfair, especially when paired with\u00a0World\u2018s awful rubberbanding<\/a> (when CPU opponents automatically do better if you\u2019re performing well). Whenever I did or didn\u2019t place first in\u00a0Crossworlds, though, it felt like it was the result of my precise racing, not some complete fluke of an item.<\/p>\n

\"Sonic<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, the titular race-altering CrossWorlds mechanic is ingenious, shaking up the already-expansive lineup of 24 tracks in exciting ways. In the second lap, the top player can choose between two special \u201cTravel Rings,\u201d and everyone will then be transported to one of 15 different tracks containing various \u201cFrenzy\u201d modifiers. It keeps things feeling fresh by constantly shaking up the flow and trajectory of races while giving trailing players a chance to take advantage of the Frenzy boosts.<\/p>\n

Having said that, the other new mechanic I was bullish on in previews proves to be undercooked: the Rival system. It\u2019s a great idea, giving you a random racer who will have tougher AI but will reward you with additional rewards should you beat them. That part of it is good, as it adds a neat wrinkle beyond \u201ccome in first place.\u201d But on the flip side, the interactions between Rivals are so rudimentary, with the most generic dialogue between characters. I was hoping this would be more akin to unique fighting game banter, which can get quite funny or spicy, but instead, it\u2019s usually pretty trite lines like Sonic saying, \u201cI\u2019ll do better next round!\u201d<\/p>\n

Also disappointing is the lack of some content. At launch, there\u2019s your standard Grand Prix and Time Attack (time trials), as well as Race Park (unique team-based objectives like collecting rings or staying close to allies). You also have online and local multiplayer options, and unlike Switch 2 exclusives like Mario Kart World and Kirby Air Riders, there is actually welcome cross-play support here.<\/p>\n

\"Sonic<\/p>\n

But that\u2019s basically it when it comes to modes. There\u2019s no Balloon Battle-style versus mode like Mario Kart\u00a0to shake things up, and like that other racer, it also lacks a single-player campaign. (As someone who grew up on Crash Team Racing, which at least tried with a story mode, it\u2019s really frustrating to see modern kart racers, especially with colourful casts like these, not even bother.)<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also disappointing to see the lack of the highly touted crossover characters right now, which is one of the biggest draws for me, especially since Mario Kart World completely did away with them. As it stands, Sega characters like Joker (Persona), Ichiban (Like a Dragon) and Hatsune Miku aren\u2019t coming until October. While I\u2019m glad that all post-launch Sega characters will be added monthly through free updates, it would be nice to actually have at least one of them at launch. Meanwhile, paid DLC like Steve (Minecraft), Pac-Man and, quite randomly, characters from Nickelodeon\u2019s SpongeBob and Avatar shows are all coming even later.<\/p>\n

What does make up for the relatively light content offering right now, though, is the prevailing sense of reward as you play. For one, CrossWorlds features more than 70 Gadgets with which you can buff your character, like one that lets you execute faster tricks for more speed boosts, improved drifting or the ability to hold two items at once. You\u2019re constantly unlocking new Gadgets and Gadget slots, too.<\/p>\n

\"Sonic<\/p>\n

On top of that, there\u2019s a surprisingly robust kart customization tool that lets you choose classes of vehicles (acceleration, speed, boost, handling, and power) and you can swap between different parts that affect different stats. For even more variety, there are also Extreme Gear hoverboards, which have completely different feels to the traditional four-wheeled vehicles. Further, you can deck out your rides with all kinds of colour options, little decals (featuring everything from retro Sonic iconography to brands like Alienware and Asus), different horn sounds (like a bongo, guitar or spaceship) and more.<\/p>\n

While I do still wish there were a few more modes, there\u2019s a lot of depth to be found in these customization systems, which, in turn, provides meaningful incentives to keep playing. There\u2019s even a jukebox for which you can buy classic Sonic songs using medals obtained in Time Attack.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s ultimately what will keep enticing you to Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds.\u00a0You come for the strong racing mechanics and stay for the rewarding loop of Gadgets, kart options, music and more. And over time, that will even extend to new racers from both Sega properties and beyond. Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds\u00a0is already a worthwhile experience, and I\u2019m excited to see how Sega continues to build upon it over time.<\/p>\n

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds\u00a0launches on PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X\/S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC on September 25. A dedicated Switch 2 version is coming later in the year. A free demo is also available.<\/p>\n

Image credit: Sega<\/p>\n

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