Sonic Racing Crossworlds review: the best in the series yet

Typically, cars and hedgehogs don't mix well. The confrontation usually ends with a pancaked hedgehog and a guilt-wracked driver. That hasn't stopped Sega producing a series of racing games starring their spiny blue mascot, of which Sonic Racing Crossworlds is the latest. What next, Sonic The Hedgehog Bonfire Nesting Simulator?

In spite of the positively deranged premise, Sonic racing games have tended to be pretty entertaining and Sonic Racing Crossworlds is the best of the lot. That's partly down to the titular Crossworlds mechanic, where the second lap of every race takes place on a completely different track, before returning you to the original circuit for the final lap. There's no doubt it keeps things from getting stale as quickly as they would otherwise. If you include the Crossworlds tracks, there's a total of 39 distinct circuits in the game, and they are all visually arresting and feature well designed layouts.

Adding a competitive wrinkle to the single player races is the rival system, which tasks you specifically with beating one of Sonic's cast of heroes and villains in order to complete the championship. These rivals challenges are actually surprisingly demanding for something that ostensibly looks like a kids game. In every race they'll be somewhere near the front of the pack, and even if you vindictively target them with your attacks, they'll relentlessly return to the lead group, like someone has infused this cartoon crocodile or anthropomorphic bee with the spirit of Max Verstappen.

In fact, the game is challenging at its core, even for seasoned kartists. Precision powerslides, and the boosts they earn, are crucial to placing highly in races, making it tricky for younger kids. What's more, the expertly balanced distribution of power ups you get in Mario Kart, which ensures that the pack never spreads too far, isn't as deftly implemented here meaning those lagging behind are likely to remain there. This is going to make a lot of eight-year-old Sonic fans cry, essentially.

If you're prepared to take the time to master it, though, and really dig into the customisable Call of Duty-style loadouts, Sonic Crossworlds boasts both depth and quality. With Mario Kart World switching to a single, open environment, Crossworld's more conventional three lap format, combined with its novel teleporting gimmick, feels like a meaningful alternative to Nintendo's genre-dominating offering. And if it keeps Sonic away from those bonfires for another year, all the better...