Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is kart racing with a twist

Let's be brutally honest, Mario Kart World is going to be a hard act to follow. In spite of Mario and Sonic enjoying an epic 90s rivalry second only to Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior, when it comes to racing games, it's Nintendo's plumber who has tended to come out on top.

That's not to say Sonic racing games are bad; far from it. For those prepared to countenance a karting game not fronted by an Italian-American in dungarees and a moustache, they've usually been both rewarding racers and loving tributes to Sega's long and colourful history in videogames. With Crossworlds, arriving later this month, Sega recognises that it needs a unique mechanic to make it distinct from Mario Kart, which is why we have Travel Rings.

Essentially, mid-way through a race a pair of portals will appear offering a choice of different circuits. The leading player chooses left or right and the portal becomes a seamless tunnel to an entirely different track. Complete a lap around that track and you're returned via another glowing portal to the original circuit to finish the race. This is kart racing with ADHD and we're into it.

Aside from the headline gimmickry, Crossworlds is an engaging, playable karting game. Having sampled it for an hour or so, we can report that you'll have to unlearn all of your Mario Kart muscle memory, but the drifty handling is satisfying in its own way and the track design is brilliant. There's a ton of customisation options for your vehicles, a bunch of classic Sega characters to choose from and, unlike Mario Kart World, you don't need to own a £400 Nintendo Switch 2 in order to play it, because it's on Xbox, PS5 and PC (though it is coming to Switch as well). It even features cross-platform multiplayer, for a bigger pool of potential online rivals.

We'll wait for the final version to deliver an ultimate verdict, but Crossworlds appears to be shaping up nicely. Mario might not be quaking in his workboots just yet, but as the defacto top karting game on every platform except for Switch 2, Sonic Racing: Crossworlds is worth a look. Just be sure not to ask why Sonic The Hedgehog, allegedly the fastest creature on the planet, needs to drive a racing car...